Pomegranate Magick

Jewelled Seeds & Scented Myths

I don’t believe a more delightful sight exists than the inside of the gloriously ruby orb of a pomegranate. Clusters of shining garnet drops, nestled in fibrous pale pockets are revealed (after some careful negotiation with a sharp knife), and then after being whacked by a wooden spoon, offer up their contents that then make their way to the top of pavlovas, swirled into mocktails, or pricked with a cocktail stick as a deliciously juicy snack.

For us magickally-inclined, the pomegranate is a mysterious and sacred fruit. From the colour, to its different textures, its scent and the shining contents hidden in its heart, it is a fruit that sparks the imagination and offers a special kind of energy to those who use it. The pomegranate is a great metaphor for secrets, hidden power, and the body itself (the juice is a great substitute for blood for the squeamish witch), especially fertility magick with the pomegranate being a representative for the womb.

In myth the pomegranate is features in the story of Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, and the queen of the Underworld thanks to her abduction and marriage to Hades, the greek god of the Underworld. Persephone is bound to the the underworld for six months of the year thanks to her consumption of only six pomegranate seeds. This myth is symbolic of the changing of the seasons, when Persephone is above ground the earth celebrates abundance, grows flowers, food, and people revel in the warmer days and longer nights, but when she is below it mourns, the nights draw in and flora and fauna sleep.

Pomegranate imagery isn’t just reserved for Greek mythology, in Egypt the fruit was associated with eternal life, and in medicine too as it was seen to cleanse the blood and help with blood related ailments. In the Hebrew bible the pomegranate is often argued to be the true fruit of the tree of knowledge, not the apple, in fact the Bible doesn’t mention the word apple at all, just fruit. Across cultures this wonderful fruit has mainly been seen as a sign of abundance, blood, knowledge and mystery.

“The pomegranate is in the shape of a heart and is roughly the same size as a human one, so of course it would be symbolic of ones own heart.”

Using Pomegrantes in Contemporary Witchcraft:

Pomegranates offer the modern witch a variety of practical uses, from the leathery flesh, the blood red juice, to the tough little seeds. Let’s take a look at how we might use it in our craft…