Something that has been drawing my attention recently has been the Fig. My local veg shop has been advertising them for sale and there are a couple of fig trees in my village that I have noticed, so I thought I would do some research and find out what I could about this wonderful little fruit.
Figs ~ ficus carica ~ originate from Asia, although they are now widely grown across the Mediterranean and the rest of the world as well as here in the UK.
Figs are the fruit of a small tree/shrub and after flowering, produce a pear shaped fruit of green which will ripen to a purple brown colour. The inner flesh is a pinky-reddish colour and it is packed full of crunchy seeds. The whole thing, apparently, can be eaten.
They can be eaten fresh or dried and are often made into jam, biscuits and other desserts.
Figs have excellent medicinal properties. They are rich in anti-oxidents and are good for managing blood sugar levels. They can alleviate constipation and improve general vascular health. They contain many vitamins and minerals, so are a good addition to a healthy eating plan.
Meditating on the fig, fertility was a word that came to me. I also felt a bit of an underworld connection for some reason. Whether it is because autumn is their season here in the UK or because they remind me of a pomegranate. The Greeks believed that the fig was a gift from Demeter - ah, so that would explain my hunch on the underworld connection.
Carve fallen Fig branches into phallic shapes or carve phallic symbols into the wood for fertility. Give a fresh fig to someone that you want to charm. The eating of the seeds is said to spellbound them. (Again, the eating of seeds has an underworld connection to Persephone)
Write a question that you have on a fig leaf. If the leaf dries slowly, the answer to your question is yes, if the leaf dries up quickly, the answer is said to be no.
Fig Magical Properties
Meditation, love, fertility, divination
Ruling Planet - Jupiter
Element - Air, Fire
Gender - Masculine, Feminine
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