Today, on Friday the 13th, you might be even more concerned than usual about the forces of evil. Well, worry not! I have a solution for you: lilacs. 😀

I originally looked up lilacs because I love them–love the smell, the color, everything. In my neighborhood, they’re in bloom right now; in fact, as we speak, I have a vase of them on my coffee table. (Well, to be honest, I have several vases of them around the house. Like I said, I like lilacs. 😉 )

In any case, it turns out that in addition to being pretty, lilac could be good luck, too. There isn’t as much folklore out there about lilacs as there is on other plants (for example, sage or thyme, or anything poisonous). But there is a suggestion that in historic New England, lilacs were planted to keep evil at bay. Also, fresh lilac flowers are said to aid in clearing a haunted house. Just one more reason to keep a vase of them around . . . too bad their blooming season is so short!

Fortunately, the common lilac isn’t poisonous (and it’s pet safe, too–although some plants masquerading as Persian lilacs aren’t pet safe, so do be careful). So if you feel you need an extra boost today, maybe seek some out–even if it doesn’t keep ghosts at bay, it’ll smell nice. 🙂

Selected Sources

My main source today was Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (Llewellyn 2020), which has made an appearance on this blog before. It’s a very comprehensive book!