FAERIESFAERIES
Faeries are one of the worlds most elusive creatures. Dwelling in the mists of enchantment they are the whispers in twilight, the laughter of a child, myths, legends and the dreams that elude us. They exist beyond our sight, tantalizingly close but just out of reach. It is possible however to strike up a friendship with them, even in the center of a thriving city your home is a welcome sanctuary if you are a true believer. They may be shy people but they are friendly and loyal to those they trust and you will find any kindness you bestow upon them always repaid.
They used to be abundant in the wild places of the world and ages ago you could easily find where they lived just by looking for moss growing on the north side of a tree, the standing stones or a ring of mushrooms. Unfortunately with the advent of the modern age and it's accompanying pollution, growing population and mass logging, the Faeries have been driven further into the unseen world. They cannot live under these conditions and so they flee the forests for the outer planes where the forces of creation still hold sway, the air is pure and they are safe.
Disbelief is also what drives them further from our world. In ancient times the peasant folk not only believed in the existence of Faeries, they befriended them. In this environment the Faeries flourished, particularly during times of great change when man made leaps of intuition, ideas flowed like wine, people had freedom and inventions were born.
You might think they are far
too flighty or elusive to be of much help but if you take the time to let them know they
are invited into your home they make excellent guardians for the home and sanctum, they
are known to be good luck and they bring a lot of positive energy to your environment.
They have even been known to fix or finish things that have been left undone. Admittedly
yes, you will find yourself the brunt of jokes and things moved or missing but that is
merely their sense of humor. They will however respect your wishes if you make it clear
which things are off limits. Faeries are part of our history, they have seen the passage
of many centuries, they are a well-spring of knowledge, despite their childlike demeanor
they are fonts of wisdom and one of the last pure forms of imagination and creativity.
I have several Faeries that live in and around my home, they are a welcome addition to my
family which includes my Craft sister Angela and my fiancee' Neil, Miko and Nala our cat
familiars, Arachne the black widow, Merlin the Raven and all my various herbs, plants,
trees and crystals. My Faeries have settled themselves in my trees, bushes and strangely
enough under my fridge. (They enjoy teasing Miko and Nala.) I have also recently
discovered them behind my TV and in my bathroom where they like to mess with my
cable and hide my makeup. Of course when they first arrived I immediately lost my keys,
more then once, but I found that if I went along with the joke nothing that was important
ever went missing. You just need to understand their humor and be patient, getting angry
after all only makes it funnier to them. All in all I don't mind the pranks though, the
gifts they give me far outweigh their pain-in-the-butt factor.
I found that not only do they bring positive energies to my home and bring me luck, but
they accentuate my Magickal rituals. I find my spells function with more strength and my
work in the kitchen always turns out a masterpiece. Even the rituals that celebrate Isis
seem more magickal and on more then one occasion my Faerie friends have warned me of
danger or scared off suspicious persons from my home. Despite the fact that they tease the
cats, I think they provide endless amounts of amusement for Miko and Nala, being that the
cats are the only creatures who can really see them.
When they come to your home you will know they're there. You might get the feeling your
being watched, you might hear faint laughter. Some people hear their names whispered and
some people catch a soft flash of light out of the corner of their eye but when they look
it's gone. You might feel a waft of scented air across your face or a feather light kiss
on your cheek. People who have pets, cats especially, will notice them staring off toward
something that you can't see. They will even sit there entranced for a good long while.
You'll find small things missing or misplaced at first, things like keys, false
eyelashes(if you wear them), glasses and smaller altar objects. You'll always find them
though not nessessarily where you left them. You may find your plants, flowers, trees and
herbs suddenly in perfect health and growing quickly. Things will generally go smoother
all around and you will feel a sense of peace, creativity and joy around your home.
There are simple ways to invite Faeries into your home. What follows is a list of
suggestions for bringing them into your life.
1. Leave sweets like cookies or chocolate and some milk on your back porch. For the first
time though it might be a good idea to set them a little away from the house as they are
quite shy.
2. Make sure you make the food "Faerie Friendly", in other words break up the
food into smaller pieces and put the milk in a small glass, most faeries are half the size
of a cat, sometimes smaller.
3. During all your holidays and rituals that involve food, make sure you set aside the
leftovers for the Faeries, they celebrate the Pagan holidays just like we do in their own
way.
4. Make Faerie lights if you have a pond or something that contains water in your yard.
They are simple to make, just take the empty shells of walnuts and put half of a store
bought birthday candle in each one. Light them and use the hot wax to attach the candle to
the bottom of the walnut shell. When you are done set them to floating in the water, it's
a sure way of attracting Faeries, they love lights and these are just their size.
5. Any rituals you do outside make sure you announce to the Faeries that they are welcome
to participate.
6. Hang lots of crystals in your windows they love them.
7. They love greenery so make sure you take good care of your plants and herbs.
8. Leave them little gifts now and then, nothing complex, maybe a nicely crafted piece of
dollhouse furniture or something warm to help them through the winter if you live in a
cold clime.
9. Spend some time with them, they like to hear from you. Go out into your yard and just
enjoy the scenery, if you are patient and quiet they will eventually come out. They are
great listeners so you can tell them anything.
Many rumors abound about Faeries, they might sound a little silly but I believe that all
myths and legends contain a grain of truth. The peasants long ago took these tales to be
as true as a priest takes the words of the bible.
1.One of the best ways to ward off Faeries is to wear your clothes inside out. The Faeries
find this so funny that they are too busy laughing at you to bother with you.
2.A red ribbon tied in a bow above your doorway or on the tails of animals will protect
them in much the same way wearing our clothes inside out protects us.
3.Horseshoes under your pillow or hung over your door or bed will keep the Faeries at bay
and prevent them from using magick in the near vicinity.
4.Faeries cannot step on or over salt. Putting salt around a circle will prevent Faeries
from entering it.
5.A line of salt placed over the threshold of a doorway or window sill prevents them from
entering.
6.Supposedly sprinkling salt on a Faeries wings temporarily inhibits their ability to fly.
7.Magick circles and symbols work well in warding away Faeries.
8.Probably the truest tale of all is that Faeries avoid places of negative energy. They do
not really understand emotions like anger, jealousy or sadness but they know it makes them
uncomfortable and they will do their best to banish those emotions. Usually they will try
and cheer people up by bringing them gifts of flowers and fruits.
Whether these things are true or not they certainly are amusing.
Faeries are fast finding the world an inhospitable place, people have stopped believing
and the Faeries are losing their beloved forests to man. As they disappeared, so to
have the Dragons, Unicorns, Pegasus, Elves and all the other natives of the enchanted
realm. As Pagans we have struggled to bring the old Gods and beliefs back to the world. In
times past, we have traditionally been the guardians and friends of the creatures living
within the enchanted realms. With the onset of monotheism and the mind-set that there is
only one reality, the sacred trust has been broken. Not all of us of course are guilty, we
simply have to work harder now that we are a minority group instead of the majority. After
all, the way people think and believe affects the world around us as is evidenced by the
form contingencies we have to overcome. (form contingencies can be found in my Book of
Shadows.) The majority of the world believes in one God and one reality and that has an
effect on all the other worlds around us, next to us and within us.
