Faery Craft: Weaving Connections with the Enchanted Realm (12 page)

December 22–January 20
(Primal Earth)

Pan the Faun

Pan is an ancient god of Greek origin, thought to predate the Olympian gods. The Greeks worshipped him as a god of pastures and flocks, and his goatlike form as a faun reflected this association. In modern practice it is generally accepted that Pan is a primal force, the male polarity of nature itself and the rhythm of life. He was famous for his pursuit of passionate exchanges with nymphs of the forest, and also for the sweet music played on his pipes. He is the lord of beasts and the spirit of the wild, sharing many qualities of other horned gods such as the Celtic Cernunnos and the more recent Herne the Hunter of British folklore.

The earthy nature of this sign makes it highly practical in nature. People of this sign like to see results and rewards for their endeavors and can be very driven by material reward. When they are focused on a task they can be relentless if they can see the potential gain from it, but if not they can become uninterested and disheartened. When this happens, Pan people can rapidly fall into very dark moods, but if their needs are met they can be lifted out of the darkness just as rapidly. They have a need to be secure and stable in a relationship and are very loyal if they meet the right person.

January 21–February 19
(Still Air—The Space Between)

Leanan Sidhe the Muse

Leanan Sidhe (“Faery lover”) is a Faery muse of Irish origin said to visit artists and poets and bring them otherworldly inspiration. However, this gift is said to shorten the life of the gifted individual, as if the inspiration of the muse somehow uses up their life force. This can been seen as a malignant act on the part of the Leanan Sidhe, but from another perspective the poet gives up his earthly life to be with his Faery lover. This is most likely a form of Faery pact, with the poet producing beautiful work for a while in his earthly life, and then being taken to the otherworld to dwell with the sidhe.

People of this sign are gifted visionaries who seem to have an inexhaustible well of inspiration at their disposal, as well as the gift to inspire others. However, the constant activity of their minds can exhaust them, and they will often need time and space away from others to recharge their batteries. They can be entertaining in a group, if baffling and eccentric at times, but Leanan Sidhe people only let a few become close and see their true character. Whether through science, religion, or a combination of the two, people of this sign are most concerned with finding a universal truth and with expressing the beauty of truth to the world.

February 20–March 20
(Living Water—Rivers and Streams)

Ondine the Nymph

Ondine was a beautiful nymph from a French tale of love, magick, and loss. She fell in love and married a mortal man, giving up her immortal life and beauty. He swears on his breath that he will be loyal to her forever, but once she bears his child, her looks begin to fade, and he soon betrays her. She finds him sleeping in the arms of another and curses him that if he should ever fall asleep again, he will lose the breath that he swore by. Nymphs are beautiful female spirits of water and are purely emotional creatures. This emotion becomes vengefully and lethally motivated when they are given cause.

People of this sign are highly emotional and intuitive individuals. They are extremely generous with their energy; they love to please others and make them happy, often sacrificing their own happiness and even health to do so. As long as people are appreciative of them, they do not begrudge their sacrifices, though they may have slightly martyred tendencies. However, if they are disappointed in the subject of their emotional investment, they are quick to revenge. They are natural healers and are highly empathic, but they have little control over their empathy, so they often get the emotions of others confused with their own. Ondine people find most happiness through the happiness of others, finding it difficult to pursue their own needs and ambitions. They can be highly creative, as they have wonderful imaginations, but this is also something that is often sacrificed for others.

Exercise:
Faery Zodiac

Consider which sign you fall under within the Faery zodiac and how your personality is reflected in the elemental qualities of that sign. You may wish to do further research into the stories behind your sign, and make notes of any personal significance. If you know your time and place of birth, you can easily get a full birthchart drawn up; there are many free programs online that can do this for you. Consider where your elemental strengths and weaknesses lie, and how you may seek to find elemental balance through your alliances with the Faery realm. Look at the influence of the planets and consider how they have manifested so far in your life. What does this information tell you about the challenges you face in this life? What gifts do you manifest and what still lies latent and in potential? How can you uncover and develop this potential? What lessons are you here to learn? These are all questions that are worth exploring with the aid of your Faery allies.

Suggested Activities

Practice

Take time over the course of a month to perform each of the elemental contemplations in turn, doing as many of them as possible (preferably all) in appropriate outdoor locations. Do not rush by trying to do them all in one day, but you may choose to do more than one if the time you are able to spend in an appropriate location is limited. Remember to makes notes of your experiences, however subtle they may be.

Consider your Faery zodiac sign as suggested in the above exercise. If you are artistic, you may choose to create an image of this sign or of yourself as the elemental being. Alternatively, build a mental picture in your imagination.

Daily Routine

Try to find a few minutes during your day—either first thing in the morning or last thing at night would be best—to build a daily practice, incorporating the
Becoming the Faery Tree
exercise and any other of the exercises so far that you have found effective (for instance,
The Voice
). Since voice work uses physical muscles and is deeply connected to your personal energy, the more you practice, the stronger it will become. You may choose to use your previously created Faery symbol centrepiece as a focus for this work.

Create

Once you have completed all the elemental contemplations at least once, consider what understanding you have gained of each element and apply them to the following creative tasks. Remember these are for you and your Faery allies, not for an outside audience, so do not allow fear of judgement to block your raw creativity.

• Write a poem or song about your experience of the element of air.
  
• Devise and perform a dance that expresses your experience of the element of fire (according to your physical capacity—even just hand movements can carry much energy and expression).
  
• Using modelling clay, create a piece that expresses something of your understanding and experience of the element of earth. It may be as abstract or representative as you choose.
  
• Paint an image in watercolours that expresses something of your experience understanding the element of water, as abstract or representative as you wish.
  

[contents]

chapter three
Trust

“Trust dreams, trust your heart, and trust your story…”

Neil Gaiman,
Instructions

C
hapter 3 is dedicated to the direction of north, the element of earth, and the quality of trust. In this chapter we will explore such themes as the land of Faery, the underworld journey, and finding a Faery ally. We will also look at the sacred landscape and learn about locations where our world and the otherworld interact, leading to a powerful exercise called
Walking in Awareness
.

At first glance you may wonder why this chapter is called “trust,” but in fact it is at this stage that trust becomes a vital quality in order to progress in Faery Craft. By this point you have built a foundation of knowledge and started to develop awareness of and connection with the land around you. In order to deepen your relationship with Faery and form bonds with sacred places, guardians, and Faery allies, you will need to be able to trust. It is usual at this stage to have lots of questions, the most common being “How do I know that what I am experiencing isn’t just in my imagination?” Questioning is an important process, and it is important not to blindly accept everything (remember, you can ask questions of your Faery allies when you start journeying and communicating with them). At the same time, it is possible to get caught up in unconstructive circular questioning that can only be escaped with the aid of trust.

Trust the work that you have done so far, trust your inner guides and allies, and, above all, learn to let go and trust yourself. The exercises and activities so far should have prepared you for taking your journey a step further, and as long as you stay grounded and true to yourself, the path will unfold before you…

The Land of Faery

“Sometimes lying on the hillside with the eyes of the body shut as in sleep I could see valleys and hills, lustrous as a jewel, where all was self-shining, the colours brighter and purer, yet making a softer harmony together than the colours of the world I know. The winds sparkled as they blew hither and thither, yet far distances were clear through that glowing air.”

AE,
A Candle of Vision

Although we may encounter Faery beings in our realm when they choose to appear or in locations and times where the veil between our worlds is thinnest, the world that they inhabit has many differences from our own. It is also intimately linked with our world, and, though separate, is the same. Confused? Seeming contradictions such as this are part of the fascinating enigmatic riddle that is Faery.

Time and form work differently in the Faery realm—indeed, the whole realm is more fluid and less seemingly fixed than our physical world. It is the primal underworld, a place of restoration and renewal, untouched by time and the onslaughts of humanity and yet so interconnected with our world that our changes are keenly felt by them. Just as the seeming appearance of Faery beings changes through our own perceptions, so it is with their land, yet it makes it no less real. As our understanding of the nature of energy grows, so it may be that our perceptions grow closer to the truth, or at least closer to their own. You may find it helpful to consider the Faery realm as something akin to the original DNA of our world, containing the unspoiled blueprint of life, which may be used to restore what has been lost and damaged in our own realm. This is an interesting image when you consider that the road to the underworld is a spiral stair.

The Underworld Journey

As it is so difficult to describe the wonders of the land of Faery, I encourage you to visit yourself. There are many ways by which one might experience the land of Faery, all of which involve entering altered states of consciousness. The following method can be used by anyone, with no need for mind-altering drugs or plants, though in some cases it may take more than one attempt before results are achieved. For this technique you will need either a drum such as a bodhran, which gives a resonant beat, and someone to drum for you, or a recording of a steady drumbeat. These may be found quite readily and are used for shamanic journeying. You may find that you can journey well enough in silence or that you prefer another sound such as running water, ocean waves, the human voice, a musical instrument, or a rattle. This can only be discovered through experience and experimentation.

You will also need a place that you are familiar with in the physical realm that can act as a gateway to Faery. I strongly advise that this be a tree with a natural opening that you can visualize passing through and down into the roots, but other possibilities include a well, a gap in a hedge, or a cave. You do not need to be physically there when you are journeying (though if you are able and would not be disturbed there, it would enhance the experience), but you do need to have been there and be able to re-create it in your mind in strong sensory detail; i.e., sight, smell, touch, and sounds. If your visual imagination is not strong, concentrate on those senses that work best for you.

The following exercise is not a guided visualization, meditation, or pathworking. It is the foundation technique for sending your consciousness into other realms and can be adapted to many different intents and purposes. The most important first task when beginning to explore the inner landscape is to find guides and allies, so this is the intent for the following journey. These allies may take animal, human, or faerie form, and eventually you will gain a group of allies who will have different strengths and specialities, just as you do, that complement each other. They can then aid you in your further purposes, which must not be trivial or materialistic in motive. For example, once you have a guide or ally, you can ask them for assistance in leading you to places of learning to find inner teachers, further guides, or symbols for protection and empowerment.

It is often neglected and extremely important to realize that your guides are beings in their own right and not extensions of your psychology. As such, remember to ask on your journeys whether there are tasks in this world or theirs with which they require
your
assistance. This is the method by which strong partnerships and enduring friendships are formed.

Emily Carding, “The Invitation”

Exercise:
Underworld Journey to Find a Guide

Make yourself comfortable in a place where you are absolutely sure you will not be disturbed. If you are unused to journeying, it is a good idea to find a space in your home or another secure indoor location where you can lie on the floor with uncluttered space around you. If the room is bright, use a scarf or something similar to cover your eyes. If you have someone to drum for you, be sure they know to keep a slow, regular beat, or find a good shamanic drumming track that you can play on headphones. Remember, you are listening for the sound
between
the beats; this resonant frequency will start to sound almost like song, forming a continuous note that aids in entering a trance state. Before you begin, arrange a callback signal with your drummer, such as three sets of three long beats followed by rapid drumming. Use this signal as an anchor or cord that guides you back to physical reality. Most drum tracks will have this, and you should allow about twenty minutes for your journey.

Take deep breaths and listen to the sound between the drumbeats. Allow it to transport you out of normal awareness. Feel the tension slipping from your body as if you are melting into the earth. Before you, you see the tree or other real-world location that you have chosen as your entry point into the underworld. Build as strong a picture as you can of this place—the colours, the textures, the sounds, and the smells. Do not worry if in our world the entrance is too small for you to pass through; normal rules no longer apply. Either the entrance will grow, or you will shrink. It is possible that you may be met by a guardian at this point, or you may not. Allow for what naturally occurs, and remember to ask questions and not follow blindly or be discourteous. This is not fantasy or role-play; consider how you would act in real life. When you are ready, pass through the entrance.

Before you lies an ancient spiral staircase lit dimly by torchlight. It is spiraling downwards through the earth. Feel the walls; feel the stone beneath your feet. Is there any dampness or moss, or is it dry? Travel down the spiral stairs, deep down into the roots of the tree. Take your time, travelling slowly down the spiral stairs.

The stairs start to brighten, and eventually you emerge into a large cavern of reddish clay. The cavern seems to emit its own light. From above, you can see the roots of a great tree have pushed through the earth and are growing all around you. There are several passageways leading off from the cavern. There may be symbols above these entrances or there may not be. If there are, try to remember them, and make note of them when you return. Before you, sitting in the roots of the tree, is a large being who seems to be part man and part beast. He sits calmly, waiting for you to approach. If he addresses you first, state your business politely and firmly. You tell the figure that you are here to find a guide to the otherworld to help you with your journeys and your work with the Faery realm. He may or may not have more questions, which should all be answered truthfully and politely.

The guardian beats a staff upon the ground, and potential guides of many forms appear—some of which you may recognize, others that you may not, and yet others that seem to continually shift shape. Perhaps it will be only one who enters the chamber. If any seem to act aggressively or are clearly uninterested, they are not your guide. One or more may approach you. Always greet them and ask if they are your guide or if they have another purpose or perhaps a message for you. It is also possible that you will find a power animal or teacher at this point.

Once you have found a guide or power animal, it is best not to attempt to achieve more on a first journey unless they have something important to show you. Ask them to return with you.

Together you travel back up the spiral stairs. Eventually you re-emerge at your original starting point. Either wait here and converse with your guide until the call-back signal or cross your arms across your chest as a signal to your drummer that you are ready to return.

When you are ready, open your eyes and make notes immediately, as some details that may be important later can fade with time. Be slow and careful getting up, and have a glass of water and a small bite to eat or rub your hands with salt to ground yourself.

Maintaining the Relationship with Your Allies

Now that you have formed a link with an otherworldly being, it is important to maintain it, just as you would with any friendship. You can use the basic formula of the journey above to meet with your guide or ally, and if you inform them of your intent, they can help you to find your way in the otherworld, perform tasks, learn, and find more allies. Some will be with you for life, others only for a limited time, for specific tasks. Some will be limited geographically to certain locations; others may be able to travel with you wherever you go. Over time, if you journey regularly, you will build many alliances. You do not need to be in a journey to call upon them; they are with you all the time. Whenever you need strength and support, call on your allies. Remember that in return, they can call on you. Trust them, and never take them for granted.

The Sacred Landscape

“This is a faery stream we’re passing; there were some used to see them by the side of it, and washing themselves in it. And there used to be heard a faery forge here every night…”

Lady Gregory,
Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland

Although the imagination is a valuable tool of perception when properly trained with experience, our first point of contact with the Faery realm must always be in the landscape around us, not in our heads. Too much meditation or journey work without a connection with the land can lead to a difficulty in sensing what is genuine contact and what is illusory. This is why it is important that you are experienced in performing the contemplations of the elements outside in the landscape as featured in
chapter two
, Connection, before you progress to deeper journey work such as the Underworld Journey.