Faeries: Part 1

Faeries have forever been my fascination. From the time I was a young child they
were family and friends, adversaries and lovers, home and the world. I listened to their whispers in the green rustling of sunlight-dappled leaves. I looked at their faces in the gnarled roots and gnome holes, in the twisted trunks and canopied branches. My eye espied them in earthen cracks and caverns and cannons, and in deep, dark, nether places, desolate places where human eye would never dare to fall. I heard their song wafting through the tinkling warmth of pearlescent breezes. I heard their songs wafting through the gentle shadows and mists of my dreams. I felt them in my heart because we shared the same heart. They were not Other kin. They were My kin. They still are. And to this day I still listen and look, espy and experience, learn and live and love the secrets they share with me even now.



Faeries are children of Earth and they are as myriad-faceted as Nature herself. They are differentiated in shape and size, character, form and personality. They are utterly unfettered to corporeal manifestation, through which they may reveal themselves when they so wish to. The origin of their name, like their being, is incongruous and obscure. Faerie derives from the Latin fatum, acknowledging the talents faeries have for divining and influencing human destiny. Faerie encompasses both their art of enchantment as well as the entire realm in which faeries have their being. The Good People as they are at times called, held a significant place in a world where each tree had a name and every deer was recognised, known and even called to. They were countless and very powerful. They played a pivotal part in daily living. Now however, the realm of faerie is not so frequently found or so easily explored.



The shadow lands still lie veiled in the heath. Children, poets, psychics and healers oftentimes unearth them without even realising it. Those gifted with the second sight and humans at one and attuned with nature will have these realms and the beautiful being within revealed to them. Although the doorways and gateways to Faerie are elusive, they can be still discovered. The world and ways of Faerie are so fathomless I cannot wish to write an all-inclusive article. However I hope to touch on enough to expose you reader to the entrances of Faerie. Whether or not they open the door and let you in, whether or not you step over the threshold and enter in, is up to you. I will speak of signs and times, places and habitats, and the nature spirits of the earth. Take from it what you will.



Signs of Faerie Approach and Presence

A whirlwind or dust devil
An unexplained loss of time
The bending of grass blades with no perceptible cause
Extreme silliness and times of uncontrollable laughter
Sudden unexplained trembling or whispering of the leaves
Sudden unexplained chills or goose pimples when alone in nature
The feeling of an insect walking through your hair, when there is none
A rippling of the water when not caused by fish, a breeze or something tangible

The Best Times for Faerie Approach - All of the "tween times"



Dawn
Dusk
Noon
Midnight
Equinoxes and Solstices

The Best Places for Faerie Approach - All of the "tween places"

Islands
Lakeshores
Thresholds
Tidal pools
Glades in woods
Bends in the Road
Where streams divide
Beaches and Seashores
Intersections of roads
Fences and Border Hedges
Any opening in sea or land
Stairwells, landings and hallways
Grates, Portals, Doors and Gateways



Habitats of Nature Spirits

Faerie cannot be seen by the vulgar eye. However the eye of the child can see Faerie naturally. This is why it does me well to keep my inner child alive and happy. Faeries live everywhere and nowhere. They are always in woodlands, forests and fields, and living within hollow oak trees. They can be found between bushes, in caves and under water, around lakes and streams. They can be found beneath human dwellings and even within them. They are always found wherever there are manifestations of nature. Faerie mounds, raised areas upon the ground, indicate their underground habitats. Faerie rings, areas of grass marked by a circular perimeter of some kind, indicate the places where they play.



The spirits of nature talk to us oftentimes without us ever realising it, as they exist within all elements of nature: earth and water, air and fire. When you take a walk in nature and catch the whiff of a pine as you pass the tree they talk to you. When you catch the fragrance of a flower while those you are walking with do not, they talk to you. When a tree rustles on a still day while you pass beneath it, they talk to you. When there is a ripple in a pond or creek just as you sit down beside it, they talk to you. When a bird comes and sings especially to you, they talk to you. Their presence and touch are soft and subtle. They teach us how not to take anything for granted. They teach us to appreciate them and to take joy in all things. They will make their presence known and your bonds with them will strengthen with constancy. I will leave you here for now. In Faeries: Part 2 I will write about the nature spirits of the Earth.

Merry meet again and blessed be,
Faemore Lorei.