Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings!    Today’s post is going to focus on the magick of Apples and some of the folkloric associations with this incredible and potent fruit.    I have chosen to break down this post by particular apple association sections.

Apple Love Spells

~Love magick and love spells are some of the most prominent uses for apples in magickal workings.    This can be said to be true because apples had long been associated with Love Goddesses, like Aphrodite and Venus!    It must also be noted that the red color of the apple makes it associated with the heart.   It is also true that the apple is part of the rose family, tying together this fruit and tree with the ultimate flower of love!   An old way of using apples for love included cutting the peel of the apple and using it as divination to learn the initial of your true love, as seen in the episode of Charmed “All Halliwell’s Eve” when the sisters are sent back to witness the birth of their ancestor Melinda Warren.   Even apple bobbing could be said to have evolved from apple-based courtship rituals! 

Apple Protection Spells

~The apple hides within herself a pentacle in the form of her five seeds, and her blossoms also have five-petaled flowers.    This shows the apple as a symbol of natural protection from those who would wish to do us harm.   A simple spell is to place a bay leaf over an apple that has been cut crossways to reveal the pentacle to create a protective barrier!   This is another spell seen in that same season three episode of Charmed, with both spells being based on real old-school folk witchery.

Apples as Fruit of Knowledge

~This one has been seen in so many cultures since ancient times.   Even the Christian story of Adam and Eve is often said to contain the apple as the fruit on the tree of knowledge, although some scholars speculate that it was actually a quince, not an apple.    On a medicinal level, apples do help aid in our cognitive functions, making the old belief of their association with knowledge hold even more weight!

Apples as Fruit of Sexuality

~Related to the idea of apples being associated with love, comes their association with sexuality.   Sexuality can also be a part of why apples are demonized in Christianity, and even in fairytales.    Apple’s enticing red color harkens to the allure of sexual temptation, reminding us of the power of seduction.   It also must be remembered that apples likewise have ties to fertility, especially women’s fertility, making their associations with sexuality even more profound! 

Apple Pies & Pastries

~I could not speak about the magick of apples without speaking a bit about their mundane associations.   Baking apples in pies and pastries is such a common thing, reminding us of the homey and loving nature of being held and nurtured by our loved ones.   This can tie in with apples and love, in that apples are often baked in treats for loved ones.   This is utilized beautifully in Alice Hoffman’s Magic Lessons and Book of Magic, where characters bake apple pies to draw a lost daughter home.   In this case, apples can be used in magick to symbolize and catalyze spells of maternal and familial love!

Apples & Immortality

~Apples have been associated with immortality for centuries.   This is seen in Norse mythology, where Idunn is the Goddess whose duty it is to tend the apple trees that bear the Golden Apples that provide the Gods with their immortality!   Apples holding the key to immortality may be why we have many modern associations with their aid in health, like the old adage ‘An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away’!      

Apples & the Isle of Avalon

~Of course, my beloved Avalon is the Isle of Apples, known as Yns Afallon in Welsh.    This is the Isle of Healing, where humans can live for hundreds of years in good health and apples grow abundantly without the need of being tended!    Of course, this relates directly to the idea of apples being associated with immortality!    The Ninefold Sisterhood of Avalon, led by Morgan le Fay, rule over the Isle of Healing.    Each of the sisters is talented in a myriad of magickal arts, with Morgana being the most powerful.    Avalonian magick is intimately tied to the namesake fruit, making each association with apples I have discussed apply in some ways to Avalon herself!      

Apples & the Divine Feminine

~Finally, there is the link between apples and the Divine Feminine, which is also related to their association with Avalon!   Honestly, all throughout this journey of apple lore, I have shared facts that show apples’ association with the Divine Feminine.    From the Golden Apples of Idunn in Norse myth to the Golden Apples of the Hesperides in Greek myth to the Holy Isle of Avalon, all of these apple associations involve a relationship to female divinity.   In fact, apples themselves are often related to female sexuality and the female reproductive system, in particular, making the association with the Divine Feminine the perfect point to end this post by bringing it full circle!

~I hope you have enjoyed this post.    What is your favorite thing about apples and their magickal properties?   Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is apple trees in Glastonbury.   I found the image on https://applesandpeople.org.uk/stories/avalon/.

Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services!    I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon!  Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/

Further Reading/Watching

• Vita Merlini by Geoffrey of Monmouth
• Mythology by Edith Hamilton
• Bulfinch’s Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch
• The Herbal Alchemist’s Handbook by Karen Harrison
• Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham
• Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman
• Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman
• Charmed (1998)
• Practical Magic (1998)