“Unlike people, roses probably do not consider themselves as having a purpose in life. But if a rose bush did have a mission, I expect its greatest sense of achievement would come from creating, not just a whole lot of beautiful flowers, but the grand array of round, red rose hips which come after them....” - Marian Van Eyk McCain, author of Elderwoman

Roses are beloved by so many, but one of the most magical parts of the rose plant is often overlooked, and that is: the hips! 

Rosehips, sometimes called haws, are smooth little beads of autumnal magic, just waiting to be plucked. They are said to be a favorite food of the Fae folk. For us magically inclined humans, gathering rosehips is one of the finest wonders of fall wanderings, as the shiny red baubles adorn the forest briars and enchant the meadow lanes. I usually come home from my late autumn walks with pockets full of hips and thumbs sore from pricks. 

Rosehips are arguably even more alluring than the fragrant flowers that precede them. They are delicious and nutritious and practical for their medicinal and culinary properties, easy to dry and store, and versatile, adding a sweet tang and vitamin C boost to jams and jellies, as well as helping to thicken herbal syrups. All varieties of hips are edible and safe and good to pick, although some are seedier and hairier than others. All tend to sweeten as the weather cools. And because they can be invasive, plucking the hips does a service by limiting their spread. I always add rosehips to my elderberry syrup to enhance the immune-supporting properties. 

Rosehips are also wonderful objects to use in casting spells. Traditionally, rosehips have been used in many different types of folk magic, most often to bring good luck, prosperity and good health.  They are often invoked in fertility magic, and it’s easy to understand why those red, bulging, seed-filled pockets conjured prosperous feelings and symbolism for many cultures. If rose flowers are associated with maidenhood and young love, then the hips represent the fertility of the mother and the wisdom of the elder. 

Much of the lore surrounding rosehip magic goes all the way back to the early Indo-Europeans. In traditional Slavic cultures for example, rose hips carry the power to protect women and children and to cure disease as well as prevent harm. A simple charm for beauty could be made by holding a rosehip in one’s hand and saying the words, “Let me be as red as a rose” over it, and then carrying it in one’s pocket. Rose hips were also enchanted as protective amulets for children to carry, when the following charm was chanted over the rosehip, “May nothing fall upon you child, as nothing falls upon the rose hip!” 

According to folk customs in Romanian tradition, the red color of the rosehip is itself a kind of magical power, lending protection to those who wore it, and were often included in birth rites to protect the mother and child. 

Inspired by these traditions, and because I need to put all those hips that I find in my jacket pockets to use, I’ve developed my own kind of herbal magic with rosehips.  My favorite way is to charm them with my intentions, in the manner of the old folk customs, by saying out loud what I wish to be true while holding the rosehip lovingly in my hands, and then breathing the positive energy of my intention into it. I place these charmed haws on windowsills or in little bowls for my altar, to cue my subconscious to bring about my stated manifestation.  Sometimes, if it’s a big wish and I feel I need more earth magic to make it happen, I take my charged rosehip off the altar after a few days or weeks and carry it outside to plant somewhere along a treeline or hedgerow. I ask the earth mother to help my wish take root, grow and bloom beautifully, and bear lasting fruit. I’m continually awed (or should I say hawed?) when this works and my wishes come true.

In The Herbcrafter’s Tarot, Joanna Powell Colbert pairs rose with The Empress and recommends making a rosary out of rosehips to cultivate love and compassion. It’s even been suggested by some historians and folklorists that the name rosary might indicate that a very old or even original source of prayer beads might actually have been rosehips.  I adore this idea, and it seems to me that stringing rosehips into prayer beads would not only be an excellent way to spend a dull november day, but also be a great way to enhance my current practice of charming the hips with my intentions. Now off I go to fill my pockets with enough hips to make a rosary…

All in all, rosehips are green witch treasures.  They are potent little seed-bearing jewels of the meadow. They are trailside gems, hidden in plain sight. They can empower you, beautify you, protect you and those you love, help you attract a beloved or gain a fortune, heal you and nourish your body, heart and soul. So, gather them in your baskets, stuff your sachets and pouches, rub them between your fingers, charm them, eat them, drink tea with them, offer them to the fairies, or toss them to the wind, because you can’t go wrong with rosehips. Go make herbal magic galore, my friends, for the hips are abundant and free for the pickin’ if you don’t mind the prickin’. 

Cool dewy morning,
Blue sky at noon,
White mist at evening,
And large yellow moon;

Blackberries juicy
For staining of lips;
And scarlet, O scarlet
The Wild Rose Hips!

Gay as a gipsy
All Autumn long,
Here on the hedge-top
This is my song.

• Rose Hip Fairy by Cicely Mary Barker