Into the Garden

Divination developed from the desire to know and control one's destiny. Since the earliest times throughout the world, many cultures have used plants in their divination practices. In some plant divination rituals, the initiate (or shaman) consumes parts of a particular plant in order to access the spirit world while under its influence. Datura species have been long revered as sacred visionary plants by practically all cultures. Daturas were especially valued for their power to induce visionary dreams, to see the future and to reveal the causes of disease and misfortune. These plants were so sacred that only priests were allowed to use them. Plant divination was also based upon the observation of unusual plant phenomena. For example, a tree may dry up, a withered tree may put forth new buds and flower unexpectedly, or a tree may put forth leaves at an unusual time. All of these phenomena are considered significant with regard to human fate.

Botanomancy is considered a general term for divination that uses burning branches and leaves from a tree or other plant. For instance, one method of divination by burning uses the branches of verbena, of which the leaves are scattered into the wind. Another method was by writing sentences on leaves that were exposed to the wind, the divination would be gathered from the leaves that were left. Interpretations were also made from the crackling sounds when certain plants were thrown on the fire or crushed in the hands. Throwing laurel into fire was said to foretell one's future; it was thought to be good if the laurel crackled in the fire, but if it burned quietly, it was bad. This likely derived from the days of the Roman Empire when the laurel grove in the capital suddenly withered and died during the last year of Emperor Nero. Shortly thereafter came the demise of the empire.

The use of plants for divination practices was formalized around the mid-eighteenth century, with the creation of what was called the Floral Oracle. It was thought that picking a particular flower from a bouquet could tell not only one's character but also his or her future career path. For instance, it was believed that a lily would lead one into politics. Many forms of love divining were used in association of festivals, such as with Halloween. Halloween has its roots in ancient festivals celebrating the New Year and remembering those who have passed on, and many divination rituals were practiced during this time. The most common divination rituals involved nuts and apples. For example, girls would put hazelnuts close to the fire while thinking about the boy she liked and chant, "If you love me pop and fly; if you hate me burn and die." There are several ways to use an apple for divining the future. Peeling an apple without breaking the peel and throwing it over your head was supposed to reveal the first letter of the name of your beloved when it landed.

Some forms of plant divination were based on pure chance, such as with the use of dandelions or daisies. Blowing seeds from a dandelion or pulling petals from a daisy was, and sometimes still is, used to tell of the faithfulness of a lover. The daisy is perhaps the best known of all plant divinations. The "loves me, loves me not" saying often used by children as they pick off the petals was popularized in the early 1800s. It consists of removing each petal from the daisy while saying "loves me, loves me not." The sentence stated as the last petal removed is supposed to reveal the truth. Any daisy-like flower can be used for this technique. A second form of daisy divination consists of asking a question. As each petal is plucked, say yes or no. As the last petal falls, the answer has been given. Unbelievably, this type of procedure is said to represent a genuine form of divination, which has proven effective during many centuries of practice. The common onion was also often used for divination by writing the names of two prospective suitors on two onions. These were then planted and the first to sprout was thought to be the one you should marry. Whether simply folklore or true, plant divination has been around a long time. Even if you're not a believer, it never hurts to turn to the wisdom of plants for an answer you seek.