The Magic & Folklore of Forsythia

Spring is starting to spring down here at the cottage, and on my hillside, I’m seeing the telltale green-leafed stalks of forsythia beginning to sprout. It’s always bee one of my favorite flowers – there’s something about the happy yellow color that just brings joy for me, and reminds me that after the long, chilly winter, visible life is returning to the soil. Sometime between the spring equinox and Beltane, forsythia plants appear – although the actual timing depends on what zone you live in. This early spring flower is associated with the sun, thanks to its bright yellow flowers, and it seems to have an uncanny ability to blossom without any care or tending whatsoever–it’s not uncommon to find random forsythia plants in full bloom at properties long since abandoned. It’s also a wonderful addition to a pollinator garden, because early season bees and butterflies seem to really enjoy it.

According to some legends, once the forsythia flowers begin to bloom, it means you’ll still have three more snowfalls before the winter is truly over.

During the Victorian era, flowers were assigned special meanings, as part of a “secret language of flowers.” The forsythia is associated with anticipation. Use forsythia in workings related to things you hope to see happen in the long-term. Also consider using it in divination workings – after all, knowing things in advance leads to anticipation!

Forsythia is a hardy plant that blooms with little to no maintenance – try using it in magical workings related to longevity and sustainability of your goals.

If you do any work with numerology, forsythia is associated with the number four. This in turn is connected to the four elements – earth, air, fire, and water – as well as the cardinal directions and the four seasons. Four is sometimes connected to creativity. In Chakra energy work, the heart is the fourth chakra, and so it relates to emotions and our compassion towards others.

Pagan author Laurie Cabot, in her book Love Magic, recommends clipping a few forsythia stalks and placing them in a jar of water on your altar to bring love your way – as the buds begin to open up and flower, so will your love life. There’s a Korean legend that tells the story of a man returning to his wife after a long journey, and finding her waiting by a forsythia bush. He was struck by her beauty, and vowed to never take their love for granted again.

Use forsythia as adornment on your spring altar, or weave the flowers into a floral crown.

If forsythia isn’t really your thing, but you’d like to dive deeper into the world of plant magic and folklore, check out my book Herb Magic for a list of 40 of the most popular magical herbs!