Well its almost May and here in Virgina the Iris have begun to bloom.Among my favorites, the blossoms are both regal and gaudy at the same time.Easy to grow and hard as nails ,Iris are a great choice for a beginner gardener.Their scent is heady and their crisp whites glow after dark in my moon garden.All of this is reason enough to have them in your witch's garden .But wait theres more!

These beauties are seeped with the magic of the ages.....

The goddess Iris of Greek mythology was a beloved messenger of the gods, especially of Hera,
(who became Juno to the ancient Romans). She had golden wings and was the goddess of the
rainbow. To this day, the Greeks plant irises on women's graves, believing that the goddess Iris will guide the souls
of women to their last resting places.
This is so fitting as the flowers come in a rainbow of colors:)
The Roman Goddess Juno had a more warlike nature than Hera.She was also able to throw
lightning bolts like her husband Jupiter.Thus attributing great protective powers to
her favored flower with the lance-like leaves.The ancient Egyptians believed that the three petals stood for faith, wisdom and valor.Since the iris flower reflected a sense of authority, it was used to decorate the funeral
temples of the pharaohs, who believed the iris would preserve their power in the next life.

Now I have had people tell me that only the root of Iris is magical. Im not sure how they arrived at that conclusion. This hedgewitch uses it all! When I pick flowers for indoors I always leave a tribute on one of my outdoor altars . When I cut my Iris back I keep at least part of everything to dry for use in talismen or to bundle and burn. Dried the leaves and stems are tough and easy to handle when crafting things.They produce a stong nice flame when burnt.

If you thin the buds on your plants the remaing buds grow into much larger flowers.Iris buds are plump yet papery,they dry very quickly and store well and burn great.During the winter I use dried Iris buds in spells of protection if I have them,and I make sure I keep them on hand.

So now ,pardon the pun, lets get to the "root" of this discussion. lol
Often called flags or blue flags,Iris is the common name for members of the genus Iridaceae.
The family is characterized by thickened stems, sword-shaped leaves-small and they have
rhizomes rather than roots.
Hehehe Are you thinking "what the Gods does that mean",It means the roots are thick
fleshy and they look a little like potatoes gone wrong!The bit of info about the roots
is because Orris root ,"now theres something my witchy girls recognize", is the powdered
rhizomes of Iris.Although the flower is sacred to the Goddess Iris ,the root
is sacred to Aphrodite .
Ruled by the moon, orris root is good for digging deep into the Moon-ruled subconscious and
uprooting what is hidden. Like any Moon herb, it can be used in divination and
dreamwork.Some consider Orris root a Venus herb,it is widely used for love magick,in Hoodoo it's
known as Love Drawing Herb (and Queen Elizabeth root). The powder form is blown onto
clothes, sheets, and so forth to make sure that the owner returns one's love.
Iris florentina root, which I have (among many),is the sweetest scented orris root,but any form
of Iris can be used for Orris in your spells.
Orris root invokes physical and spiritual protection,brings love, romance, companionship
and a loving mate.It is also used for divination and to attract money .
In the picture you can see how easily the root can be harvested without killing your plant.The Iris in the picture below had to be divided. The small piece with the green crown will be replanted.Now there are lots of ways to both use and prepare Orris .Iris root is fleshy and tough, they take forever to dry.Since I can be impaitent I bake mine .Once Ive washed them up ,I slice them in pieces about a half inch - inch in thickness and put them in the oven on 250.It takes quite a while to bake them hard.Once out of the oven ,I let them cool for serveral hours and then store them in airtight containers until I need them.These pieces can be grated for powder,tossed into your smudge pot ,or used in making talismen.Iris is awsome when used in divination ,on serveral occassions Ive made runes from cured Iris.A simple orris charm would be to just carry a piece of root with you to attract new love.
A large piece of the root strung onto a cord can be used as a pendulum, for divination.

So there you have it ,I hope youve enjoyed the read and now have a new perspective on this old fashioned denizen of the garden realm :)