To Love: In Art and Magic

Hello Arachnids!

Today, on this fine Valentine’s Day, we are going to be talking about the specific correspondences of Love in both art and magic. Now, I’m no expert so this is based on my opinions from the research I have done and personal gnosis. If you have something to add, disagree or want to share your own opinion, you can leave a comment at the bottom of the article.

We see love in both art and magic with different symbols, colours, elements and even deities. When it comes to portraying love, art and magic tend to have correspondences that overlap. Love is timeless and universal so it’s no surprise to find overlapping themes.

Hearts: This one is easy. It’s no surprise that when we see heart shapes in art, we know it represents love. This heart shape is universally known to represent some form of love. Around Valentine’s day you’ll find heart shaped cards, gifts and candy, so it’s no surprise that different forms of art use the same shape as well. It’s a simple shape to create and comes with a whole lot of meaning. Even anatomical heart shapes are widely popular when expressing the emotion of love inside art. Though it’s very common, it’s quite a passionate symbol. The beating of our hearts is a symbol of life, and to love someone with your heart, is to love them with your very life; and many other analogies. In magic, the symbol of a heart can be used to focus our intentions on love. They can be used as a sigil, carved into candles, used in spell jars, and anywhere you may feel you need to intentional boost.

Roses: Roses are often viewed as a sign of romance. Bringing a dozen roses, red in particular, home to your loved one is a romantic gesture meant to symbolize love. When we see roses, we think of that gesture of love. Adding roses to a scene in a painting can set that romantic mood intended to express a particular form of love. Rose shapes and even smells in different art pieces, tend to tell us the artists specific intent. The same goes for magic. The rose is a very versatile flower in witchcraft, from love and blessings, to hexing. When creating glamours, or doing love work, roses can be a very powerful ingredient, however its important to note that store bought flowers shouldn’t be used for anything you’d consume or put on your skin, like elixirs or oils. 

Venus and Cupid: These roman deities are often associated with love, and that’s because they are. Cupid is the roman deity of love, while Venus, his mother, is a goddess of love, fertility and beauty. Depicting these deities in art emphasizes the story of love being told in the art piece. A witch may work with these deities, calling upon them for aid in their love work. Symbols and correspondences associated with these deities can be used to give boosts to love related spell work.

Fire: This element is a symbol of love but can indicate a more passionate love. Fire is a volatile element and passionate love can be just as volatile. When depicted in art, fire can relay feelings of passion and romance. It can be depicted as a cozy fireplace, the light atop a candle, the flame on a heart to symbolize a burning desire, in images of a cozy fireplace, the light atop a candle, or flames surrounding a beating heart. The same can be said in witchcraft. We often see fire used in many kinds of spell work. Elements can be invokes based on your works need and we also see fire as aids with such things as candle magic, incense burning and offerings, all of which can be used in different love themed workings.

Red: You see this colour in hearts, roses, candles, cherries and apples, and fire; it’s an interesting element of love. We may attribute other correspondences in art based on this significant colour since this colour is what ties a bunch of these symbols together.  This is true in some spell work as well. From red candles to red altar cloths, using the colour red in your spell work can give a boost of loving intention.  

Some of the correspondences that relate love to art, tend to do the same thing for us in magical practices as well. These examples are all very surface level and do run a lot deeper, but it draws an interesting comparison between art and magic and how we view love in general.  
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https://www.invaluable.com/blog/symbols-of-love/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cupid
(Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Cupid". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Feb. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cupid. Accessed 8 February 2021.)

Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Correspondences – Sandra Kynes
Red: Pg 431-431
Fire: Pg 419-420
Venus: Pg 336, 384
Cupid: Pg 342
Roses: Pg 187