The Magical Properties of Violet: Love, Healing & Intuition

There are flowers that express themselves boldly, and then there are flowers like the lovely violet: soft, gentle, and profoundly magical. Viola odorata, the sweet violet, has the unique  ability to live on two planes: one defined by its beauty and sweetness, and the other by it's ability to nurture the heart. The violet flowers has captured the hearts of poets, healers, mystics, and magical practitioners. Ruled by Venus, it centers love, peace, comfort, and emotional healing.  Its deep purple-blue coloring is associated with intuition, liminality, and the magical threshold between two worlds. Not to be underestimated, our little violet holds significance far beyond its delicate appearance. This is why we love it.

Historically known as a magickal herb of comfort and intuition, the violet has long been seen as a bridge between love and grief, between what the heart holds and what it hopes to heal. It moves gently between these emotional spaces, offering renewal, clarity, and a sense of quiet inner connection. In old world magical practices, few flowers carried as much emotional symbolism as this one. From love to grief, good fortune to the calming of emotions, violets have comforted the grieving, blessed lovers, softened tempers, and guided dreamers. Never a tool of forceful magic, violet worked with a gentle influence. 

This is a flower that holds your hand in the hard times, celebrates your heart in tender moments, and reminds you that great spiritual power often hides within the quietest places.

Folklore of the Violet Flower

Divine Protection and Transformation

One of the most enduring stories of the violet comes from Ancient Greece. In the tale of Io, beloved of Zeus, we see the violet emerge as a symbol of protection under dire circumstances. When Hera’s jealousy threatened Io’s safety, Zeus transformed her into a heifer to hide her from harm. Realizing that she could no longer enjoy the foods she once loved, he created a soft, nourishing flower, the violet, to sustain her. In this moment, the violet became infused with the spiritual symbolism of divine protection, sustenance, and compassionate intervention.

Roman writings continued this association. Pliny the Elder references violets in Naturalis Historia, describing them as spiritually protective, calming, and valuable in both ritual and daily life.

Love, Loss, and Liminal Spaces

Violets developed a deep connection to sorrow, remembrance, and the fragile nature of life. In much of Europe, especially through the Middle Ages, violets were planted upon graves, particularly the graves of children, to comfort grieving hearts and symbolize innocence carried into the afterlife. People believed that violets helped keep a loved one’s memory “healthy and alive,” supporting the emotional healing of those left behind.

In Celtic lore, violets were also connected to the faerie realm. Their appearance could signal a place where the veil thinned, or where the senses might heighten just enough to perceive what normally remains unseen. Wearing violets was said to either protect one from faerie influence or make faerie presence more perceptible.

Magical Uses iof Violets in Old World Magic and Spells

Violets may not stand out in every magical tradition, but their long history in European herbal practices gives them a strong and meaningful place in modern spiritual work. For centuries, people turned to violet for its ability to calm the mind, steady the emotions, and bring a quiet sense of comfort when it was needed most.

Love and Attraction

Violets were used in love magic that emphasized sincerity, tenderness, and emotional truth rather than force or obsession. They were added to charm bags, powders, and potions intended to attract a kind hearted partner. Married couples would keep violets in the home to strengthen loyalty and deepen affection.

And in many parts of Europe, people believed that smelling the first violet of spring could help manifest one’s deepest romantic wish.

Moderating Anger and Encouraging Peace

Historical writings often describe violets as tools for calming the mind and heart. The Athenians reportedly used violets to soften tempers and diffuse conflict. This was a practice that continued into medieval European households. A small bowl of violets, dried or fresh, was placed in the home to invite tranquility.

Early herbalists such as John Gerard and Nicholas Culpeper wrote extensively on violet’s cooling, comforting nature. Culpeper, writing under Venus, emphasized its ability to “calm and compose the spirits,” a description that aligns beautifully with modern magical interpretations.

Sleep, Dreams, and Heart Strength

Old herbals reference violets as tools to “procure sleep,” making them valuable allies for dreamwork. Placing dried violets beneath the pillow was believed to bring prophetic dreams or clarify emotional questions that troubled the heart.

Violets were also considered tonics for emotional strength, helping those under stress find their inner balance again. The symbolism is the same today: violet magic holds the heart gently and helps it find its way.

Protection and Good Fortune

Although not a fierce protective herb, violets served as a quiet guardian. Scattering violets around doorways or incorporating them into household charms invited peace and discouraged negative energies. They also acted as subtle enhancers of good fortune, especially in matters of love, family, and emotional well-being.

Grief, Memory, and the Comfort 

Perhaps one of the most meaningful roles violets have held across traditions is in supporting those who are moving through grief and emotional loss. Their gentle nature made them a source of quiet comfort—something people could turn to when their hearts felt heavy or unsteady. Keeping violets nearby, whether on an altar or in a personal space, helped ease the weight of difficult emotions and offered a sense of calm during times when the spirit felt overwhelmed.

In this way, violet became a steady companion through the healing process, helping soften sorrow and bring the heart back to a place of balance and peace.

Metaphysical Properties of Violet

Love & Attraction Magic

Encourages sincerity, emotional warmth, and gentle attraction. 

Violet brings a softer kind of love magic, one focused on tenderness, trust, and emotional safety. It deepens fondness, encourages heartfelt connection, and supports bonds that grow naturally rather than through intensity or force.

Peace & Tranquility 

Softens anger, calms emotional storms, and restores harmony.

 Its presence creates a soothing emotional atmosphere, helping settle conflict and quiet the mind. Violet works like a gentle exhale, releasing tension and inviting a calm sense of balance to return.

Emotional Healing 

Comforts grief, eases sorrow, and steadies the emotional body. 

Violet doesn’t rush the healing process. it supports it. Its energy holds space for difficult emotions while helping the heart feel grounded enough to move through them with grace and self-compassion.

Memory & Emotional Processing

Helps us work through attachment, longing, and emotional reflection. 

Violet brings clarity to the emotional past, helping you understand your feelings without becoming overwhelmed by them. It allows memory to soften and integrate rather than linger as heaviness.

Intuition & Dreamwork

Enhances spiritual sensitivity, dream clarity, and connection to subtle energies. 

Violet’s energy is gentle but perceptive, making it ideal for those exploring their intuition. It opens the inner senses slowly and safely, creating a clearer path to symbolic dreams and spiritual insight.

Gentle Protection Magic

Creates calm boundaries and helps deflect discord or emotional drain.This is not a harsh or defensive protection—violet shields by smoothing the environment and softening sharp or chaotic energies. It brings emotional stability where it is needed most.

Violets in Modern Magical Practice: Spells & Rituals

In today’s spiritual work, violet continues to stand out as one of the most supportive allies for anyone working through emotional layers. Its magic is quiet but steady, showing up in the places where the heart needs reassurance, where intuition needs softening, and where the spirit needs space to breathe. Violets doesn’t push; they guides. It creates an environment where healing can unfold naturally and where even the tenderest parts of us feel safe enough to surface.

Many practitioners reach for violet when they want to bring a calmer, more loving energy into the home or when they’re working to rebuild trust with themselves and others. Its presence has a way of softening the heart, making it easier to forgive, to reconnect, or simply to feel safe enough to open up again. Violet is especially helpful during times of emotional transition. It's those moments when the heart feels bruised or tender, when clarity feels distant, or when someone is trying to find their way back to themselves after disappointment or loss.

It also pairs beautifully with work around self-love and gentle attraction, offering a sweetness and sincerity that often gets overlooked in traditional love magic. Instead of pulling or demanding, violet encourages love to grow naturally, from a place of tenderness and emotional truth.

Beyond matters of the heart, violet is a great companion in dreamwork and intuitive practices, helping the mind settle so quieter insights can rise with ease. It supports intuition the same way it supports the heart—with calm, with softness, and with a sense of inner safety that lets you trust what comes forward.

Today, violet is commonly used for:

• peaceful home energy
• self-love work
• healing after heartbreak
• easing emotional heaviness
• dreamwork and intuition
• grounding during transitions
• soft, sincere attraction magic

Because its energy is so gentle, violet adapts easily to almost any emotional or spiritual need. Whether someone is seeking calm, clarity, or connection, violet has a way of meeting them exactly where they are.

Below are modern rituals that honor violet’s traditional energy while fitting naturally into contemporary practice.

Spells & Rituals with Violet

These rituals blend violet’s long history with the way we naturally work with energy today, keeping everything simple, gentle, and aligned with violet’s calming spirit.

Violet Peace & Heart-Soothing Candle Ritual

A gentle ritual to settle the heart, ease emotional heaviness, and restore a sense of inner calm.

You’ll need:
• white or pink candle
• dried violets or violet oil
• Serenity Intention Ritual Oil (for emotional grounding and peace)
• optional: rose quartz or moonstone

Steps:

1. Place the candle in front of you and take a slow breath to center yourself.

2. Anoint the candle lightly with a touch of Serenity Intention Ritual Oil, adding just enough to bless the work without overwhelming the delicate scent of violet.

3. Sprinkle dried violets around the base of the candle or anoint the rim with violet oil.

4. Light the candle and softly say:
   “Where my heart trembles, let it be held. Where peace is needed, let it enter.”

5. Sit quietly with the flame, allowing its energy—and the softness of violet—to help settle your thoughts and ease your emotions.

Violet Dream & Intuition Sachet

A simple sachet for restful sleep and clearer dreams.

Use:
• dried violets
• lavender for peace
• mugwort for intuitive insight
• amethyst if desired

Steps:

1. Combine the herbs in a small bag.

2. Hold the sachet against your heart and breathe slowly.

3. Place beneath your pillow to encourage calm, meaningful dreams.

Violet Self-Love & Healing Bath

A soothing bath to restore emotional balance.

Steps:

1. Add violets to warm bathwater.

2. Place your hand over your heart.

3. Say:
   “I return to myself gently. I return to myself whole.”

4. Soak until your body and breath begin to soften.

Violet Light Ritual for Emotional Release

A quiet ritual for processing grief or letting go of emotional heaviness.

Steps:

1. Create a small altar or clear space with violets and a candle.

2. Light the candle and say:
   “May this light ease what feels heavy within me.”

3. Sit quietly, allowing your thoughts and feelings to move without pressure or judgment.

Violet Attraction Charm

A charm to welcome soft, genuine, emotionally safe love. If your work centers around rebuilding emotional bonds or inviting safe, sincere love, consider adding a ritual oil such as Reconciliation Oil.
Steps:

1. Write your intention on a piece of pink paper. Add a few drops of Reconciliation Oil on the petition.

2. Fold violet petals into the paper.

3. Tie it with a ribbon.

4. Whisper:
   “What is kind, let it come. What is gentle, let it stay.”

Sources

Beyerl, Paul. A Compendium of Herbal Magick 
Culpeper, Nicholas. The English Physician (1652) 
Gerard, John. The Herball (1597) 
Martin, Laura C. Garden Flower Folklore 
Pliny the Elder. Naturalis Historia, Book XXI