Monstera Magic

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Devin Hunter, author of a number of books, including Modern Witch, Crystal Magic for the Modern Witch, and the new Houseplant HortOCCULTure.

Monstera are a genus of about fifty plants that are endemic to South America and have become hugely popular in the houseplant world for their unique foliage. Unlike other members of the aroid family, Monstera are known for their unique fenestrations (holes) and prolific growing behavior. Of those fifty known species, there are five I’d like to bring a spotlight to that are both easy to find in most plant markets and potent in magical energy.

Monstera deliciosa: Also called “Swiss-Cheese Plant” or “Monkey’s Mask,” this species is known for growing broad leaves of extreme size with fenestrations both on the outside of the leaf shape and inside. As a magical ally, this species is great for protection and for helping us to push through our barriers and blockages. Growing it near your main altar can help to conceal your workings from others.

There are multiple variegated versions of this plant available at market today. All of which, but particularly the albo, aurea, lime, constellation, and mint varieties, are linked to wealth and prosperity and can be worked with in magic to help elevates one’s social status.

Monstera esqueleto: This is a beautifully fenestrated spade-like leaf that resembles a horse’s skull when viewed from the side and is more on the hard to find/rare side. Leaves can grow to quite a large size, though not usually as large as the deliciosa, and this species is known to be a prolific drinker, preferring wet environments to dry ones. In magic, this ally helps us to connect with the dead and growing it near the ancestor altar can help better establish lines of communication with the other side.

Monstera adansonii: This species looks a lot like a miniature version of the esquelto and is one of the easiest houseplants to find in marketplaces. Compared to the other two, its leaves remain compact; however, the plant can produce several leaves a week during the growing season. This species makes for an incredible ally in business and money magic and should be grown in the money sector of the home or near the financial altar to find new avenues of success.

Monstera standleyana: This is a bit different from its sisters in that it doesn’t develop the same fenestrations and its leaves remain close to the stem. This species is often found in the marketplaces in its variegated form, which is sometime referred to as “Dragon Tail Monstera.” These plants make fantastic allies for magic related to uncovering the truth and revealing opportunity.

Monstera obliqua: This is the rarest form of monstera available today, but it is easily found in online marketplaces. This species has over a dozen variations, each with their own leaf shape, but overall, the obliqua gets its name for its thin leaf that is loaded with fenestrations. The most notable example of this can be seen in the Monstera obliqua Peru variety. The obliqua requires high humidity and makes a great terrarium plant. It is particularly great ally in magic related to hiding in plain sight and for disguising your psychic signature.

Our thanks to Devin for his guest post! For more from Devin Hunter, read his article, “Five Magical Workings for Better Houseplants.”