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Finding Fairies, Part III

Come Fairies, take me out of this dull world, for I will ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountain like a flame.

—William Butler Yeats

***

I believe in everything until it’s disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it’s in your mind. Who’s to say that dreams and nightmares aren’t as real as the here and now?
—John Lennon

Concluding our research into fairies and their existence, let’s look at ways we might open ourselves to finding fairies. 

Have you ever looked for fairies? I went on fairy hunts when I was a child, but have been on very few since then. Therefore I used the following three books to guide me in the things I needed to tell you.

  1. Enchantment of the Faerie Realm by Ted Andrews
  2. Faeriecraft: Treading the Path of Faerie Magic by Alicen and Neil Geddes-Ward
  3. A Complete Guide to Faeries & Magical Beings by Cassandra Eason

What Ted Says


Ted Andrews (1952-2009) was a teacher and writer of esoteric practices and was also known to be clairvoyant. As a child he said he could see things adults could not.

He was an avid reader. And became interested in the occult after reading a short story about a group of Jewish mystics who used the Kabbalah to create a golem of mud to fight the Nazis. He says:

What we consider imagination is a reality in some form on a level beyond the normal sensory world.  

Andrews suggests we humans not only cut the links that tied us to the real world of fairies, but we failed to offer prayer, song, praise, and sacrifice in order to strengthen our connection to nature. 

He says doors closed and some fairies withdrew altogether, while others left with the woods. And others have gone deep underground. Still, others can be found where nature is freest and wildest. 

Any opening in the waters or lands of Earth — such as a bend in the road or a lake — can lead to the realm of enchantment.

He considers the tales of fairy mischief and pranks a result of human abuse and neglect of these beings and their habitat. 

Experiencing the Fairy Realm

Although many beings of this realm hide from human contact, the ability to experience them is accessible to all with a little patience and persistence. Those of this realm are intrigued by humans and the vitality for life we can express. They are around more than you might imagine.—Ted Andrews

In Andrew’s first exercise to find fairies, he asks the reader to answer nineteen questions. He says if you answer yes to any of them you have probably experienced the fairy realm and didn’t realize it. Here are five samples from Andrew’s questions to ask yourself:

  1. Have you ever seen a flash of light or sudden movement out of the corner of your eye you couldn’t explain?
  2. Did you ever have or ever see a child with an imaginary playmate?
  3. When in nature, have you ever felt as if the woods themselves were watching you?
  4. As a child (or even as an adult) did you ever need your closet door closed before you could go to sleep? Did you ever see, think, or believe there was something or someone in your closet? (Andrew reminds us dark elves, who have taken up residence in a person’s home, often use the corners of a closet.)
  5. Have you ever walked through an open field and found yourself brushing spider webs from your face? ( Andrews says if you have then you have probably brushed by field fairies. His logic is that spider webs do not form at face level in open fields because they need something to cling to.)

Did you answer yes to any of Andrew’s questions? I answered yes to all of them. Which isn’t a surprise to me. When in nature, I often feel a presence I can not explain. Being all grown-up and not having time for such nonsense (as mum would say), I disregarded the feeling. Pushed past it and thought it merely my overactive imagination. 

First Steps

In order to open yourself to nature spirits, Andrew gives us a list of guidelines to follow. I’ll share a bit of it here with you.

  • Spend time in nature.
  • Meditate while sitting under a tree or around a lake.
  • Leave an area of your yard to grow wild so fairies can play freely.
  • Keep the child in you alive.
  • Place a sea fossil on your mantle. They are called fairy loaves, made by the fairies. ( In olden times, those who had them never wanted for food and always had fairy assistance.)
  • Be aware of abuse in nature and do your part to clean it up.
  • Involve yourself in a creative activity often. (Andrews says enjoyment of any creative activity will draw those of the fairy realm. And he says you don’t have to be an expert.)

For the purpose of brevity, I’ve only touched on a few of the concepts Andrew presents in his book. He goes into depth on types of fairies, their powers and behaviors, and how to attract your desired nature spirit. His closing chapter gives us advice on living the magical life.  And couldn’t we all use some magic in our lives right about now?

The Magical Life

Andrews says most people fear searching for something that may not exist. They are content with comfort and convenience no matter how limiting and boring their life may be. This smothers curiosity and dreams.

He warns us of the dangers of fear.

Fear closes the door to the magical life. It silences the streams and it stops the wind. Because of fear we see animals and plants as things separate from us. Our fear makes us see the only life as human life. Nature is no longer an enchanted world. — Ted Andrews

The choice is ours, Andrew says. By opening the hidden realms of life and their resources, we affect our life and our environment. The power of nature surrounds and permeates our lives. We can work with it and create. Or separate ourselves from it and destroy.

If you talk to the animals they will talk with you and you will know each other. If you do not talk to them, you will not know them, and what you do not know you will fear. What one fears one destroys.

—Chief Dan George

Finding Fairies


Alicen Geddes-Ward in her book Faeriecraft: Treading the Path of Faerie Magic says each of us will come to experience Fairyland by our own path. As an example, she suggests, if you enjoy gardening and tending to flowers, the sylph fairies (fairies of the air) may initiate contact.

On the other hand, an individual who is drawn to working in the environment or crystal healing, may first be visited by earthly gnomes. 

Seeing an actual fairy is rare, Geddes-Ward says. It is more likely, she explains, to experience fairy encounters through creative inspiration, intuitive feelings, meditation, dreams, visualization, and experiences of the spiritual aspect of nature. An individual may also feel touched by fairies through art and/or literature. 

A person’s search for Fairyland need not exclude their religious beliefs, she explains. Instead, opening up one’s mind to the connection between — let’s say — Christianity and a belief in fairies, can be spiritually enlightening. 

Angel and Faeries are so closely linked that to work with one or the other exclusively is virtually impossible. — Alicen Geddes-Ward

An Altar

Alicen Geddes-Ward begins our journey by explaining the need to create a fairy altar either in our home or garden.

This goes along with what Andrews said about our broken connection with magic land. We failed to offer prayer, song, praise, and sacrifice in order to strengthen our connection to nature.  

Geddes-Ward explains an altar will provide a physical focus for you in your environment. Your own personal window on Faerie Land, if you like. It is a faithful reminder of your spiritual pathway. It can be a constant comfort to be reminded of faeries everyday.

She says the altar builds a bridge from our world to Fairyland and must be housed in a north room of your home or north corner of your garden/yard. According to Geddes-Ward, the north is the most scared direction in faeriecraft. It represents the most profound aspects of our subconscious minds, a place of magic and mystery.

Decorating your altar should be a reflection of your personality. If you are drawn to the otherworldliness of fairies, you might decorate your alter with twinkling lights, crystals, and feathers. On the other hand, if you are the earthy type, you may prefer to decorate your alter with bark, a branch, seashells, or anything that speaks to you of the magic of nature.

Protection

Geddes-Ward cautions: Always, without exception, work with protection.  It is preferable, she says, to work with a friend so you can help one another. She realizes this isn’t always possible, but stresses the importance of protection and grounding routines.

A small piece of iron will work if you feel you are in danger from a malevolent fairy. Carry it with you.

She offers some strict rules to be followed.

  1. Never eat, drink, or dance in Fairyland, no matter how tempting. This could lead to fairy entrapment.
  2. Do not say thank you. Fairies dislike being thanked and profuse displays of gratitude.  Instead, leave them a small gift on your fairy alter.
  3.  Avoid offending fairy folk. Their feelings are easily hurt. 

Gifts/Offerings

Your altar — besides giving you a fairy focus — functions as a place for you to leave fairy offerings. Fairy favorites include: honey, milk, cream, cake, butter, and mead. (Recipe for mead.) Fairies prefer the simple things of our world.

Make sure the offering is left in a biodegradable container. No paper. Geddes-Ward says to remember you are leaving this gift to a being of nature. Forget the bows and wrapping paper. A seashell will work and only leave a small amount, about the size of half a walnut shell. 

A  Slightly Different Approach


Cassandra Eason, author of A Complete Guide to Faeries and Magical Beings, gives readers a step by step approach to connecting with the essence of the natural world.

Eason advises us to go alone to a place where there are trees and flowers and bushes growing wild. Go when it is quiet, either in the early morning or evening, she says. An abbreviated guide of her steps follows.

  • Take a notebook, a pen and colored pencils. Examine different plants.
  • Touch each. Close your eyes and in  your mind’s vision allow an essence to take shape.
  • Record each fairy form immediately afterwards. Do not worry about your artistic ability. Try to capture mood and movement.
  • Later, look at what you have said/drawn and see if a name for the essence suggests itself.

Eason recommends that whenever we are in a place of natural beauty to spend time connecting with it and recording the essences.

Fairy Qualities Within Us All

In our search for fairies, Eason says it can be helpful to study the different fairy essences. Studying those strengths and weaknesses in different types of fairies with which we identify can bring about positive change or assertiveness in the face of injustice. 

Eason offers the A-Z of World Fairies in the back of her book to help us newbies. All fairies worldwide are listed. Fairies from Ireland, such as Ballybogs, to the Yumboes of Africa are included in her index. (I never knew there were so many different types of fairies.)

She also gives readers an exercise to develop an understanding of how fairies can help us in our daily lives, even the benevolent ones. 

  1. Make a series of cards. On each one draw or write (or use pictures from the internet) the names of different magical beings.
  2. Write a few words describing the beings’ qualities.
  3. Leave one side of the card blank.
  4. Select a fairy card with the qualities you are needing. Sleep with it under your pillow or carry it with you in a special place.
  5. Or, each morning shuffle your cards and place them clockwise face down in a circle. Using your intuition select a card to which you are drawn. Let this card guide you as to what is needed that day in order to have a positive outcome.
  6. Choose a core set of magical beings  (no more than thirty) who are most relevant to your present day situation. Select a daily card from these to guide you in your endeavors for the day.
  7. When you are in need of fairy magic, choose three cards from your entire collection (again face down in a circle). The first card will clarify the issue. The second card will indicate the strengths you will need. And the third signifies an unexpected source of help.

Now, To Work on Obtaining My Fairy Magic


If you’re like me, the idea of making a deck of fairy cards is a little like adding another book to the already too heavy load. I did notice Amazon offers two book sets on fairy wisdom and each has a card deck of beautiful fairy artwork. This might be an easier route for some of us looking for fairy guidance in our lives. 

The book set in the blog looks to be the most promising to me. (Click on the image to be taken to Amazon.) The cards in this deck seem to offer guidance for our everyday lives.

(I’ve used a book set similar to this for years and find it extremely helpful in navigating my life. However, my cards are of animals.) 

I hope you have enjoyed our study of fairies as much as I have. (Thank you, Maggye and friends.) I find it more and more difficult to find those quiet, wild, and free places where our magical friends exist.

Of course, I’m lucky.  I always find the magic as soon as my fingertips hit my keyboard and the words start to flow. But as a way of enlightening my path and opening my mind to the possibilities, I will be more observant while in those places  where the wild things still prevail. 

I’m sure a fairy is dancing around my new office l lamp right now as I finish my blog. The crystals on the lamp are swaying, and I think I hear giggling. 

How about you? Do you plan on tripping the light fantastic and searching for a little magic in your life? Let me know how it goes. I love hearing from you.

Come, knit hands, and beat the ground,
In a light fantastic round.  

Comus, 1637, by John Milton

The Probe’s Mission Statement


The Probe is a blog devoted to the exploration of the unexplainable, to finding the truth in occurrences that resemble science fiction, and to researching and reporting on topics that could be flung upon the wall of weird.

New posts are featured when inspiration knocks. Or my readers/friends tell me to get busy because they need something to take their minds off 2020 — the year nightmares came true.

Our little fox. Never forgotten. Wild and free forever. 
Clara Bush
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2 replies on “Finding Fairies, Part III”

An excellent blog post!! Very interesting and informative. I especially liked the quote from John Lennon because I feel a lot the same way about the world. I keep my eyes, ears, and most importantly my mind open. That’s how you experience the full realm of this world and possibly others.

Hi Chris, thank you so much for your comment. You made my day! And I totally agree with you. Keeping ourselves open to possibilities — other than those taught to us — allows us to experience that which others do not. This in turn gives us a fuller and richer life. You are very wise. — Clara

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