I have pieced together the advice and exercises within this book through analysing my own experiences and with the guidance of my own inner contacts. My goal is to help the reader, with time and patience, to create and strengthen a connection to nature and her hidden inhabitants. I have attempted to consciously re-create those simple yet powerful moments in which connection and magick may be found. Alongside these lifestyle building blocks, if you will, is as much information about the different paths and various ways people have of expressing their love and commitment to Faery as I could possibly fit into one book, so that you may find what inspires you. May it be a torch to light your way.
This book can be what you want or need it to be. The simply curious may just read through it to catch a glimpse of the lives of others. Those who are truly called to work with Faery and wish to deepen their connection may find within the contents of these pages a labyrinthine map with many routes. It is not my intention to spoon-feed—rather, I prefer to open the door to an adventure. It is your choice to pass through; indeed, which path will you take? Follow your heart, and your own true path to the hidden realms will reveal itself to you…
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Introduction
“This is what Mr. William B. Yeats wrote to me, while this study was in progress, concerning the Celtic Fairy Kingdom: ‘I am certain that it exists, and will some day be studied as it was studied by Kirk…’ ”
W. Y. Evans-Wentz, The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries
The world of Faery has always been with us—from the time of our ancient ancestors and their deep connection with the land, forged from the need to survive; through the rise of Christianity, merging new beliefs with the old ways; through the Industrial Revolution and humankind’s rising need to “tame” nature; all the way into the twenty-first century. Beliefs and practices have changed much over the centuries, as fluid and mercurial as the shapeshifting realm of the otherworld itself, and yet, through all of that, the core of truth remains.
One hundred years ago, the anthropologist Walter Evans-Wentz undertook a remarkable task. Over the course of many months, he travelled to a great number of locations within the Celtic landscape of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Brittany, the Isle of Man, and Cornwall and interviewed those who had personal tales to tell of contact with the Faery realm or valuable gems of folklore. Most of the eyewitnesses he managed to interview for The Faery-Faith in Celtic Countries were extremely elderly, and it must have seemed as though contact with Faery was a fading relic of the past, a victim of the rising tide of industry and technology. Yet here and now, in an era of rapid progress and almost unbelievable technology, it is clear that the Faery faith is not only alive and well but thriving. After all, here you are—reading this book!
Why Faery Craft, not Faery Faith?
For good or bad, we do not live in an age of faith; we live in an age of science and proven results. However, there is no need to see this as being in opposition to a practice of magick or interaction with otherworldly beings. On the contrary, the need for experiential evidence and transformative results from our actions and interactions can do nothing but strengthen what is true and enable us to discard what is false or ineffective. These results may be subtle indeed, but for those who make genuine contact with the Faery realm, life will not be the same again.
Of course, this is also an age of quick fixes and instant gratification, which is a path that benefits no one. In order to truly gain wisdom and evolve as spiritual beings, we need the discipline of “Craft.” The term Faery faith implies a passive, though respectful, belief passed down through generations without it necessarily involving any experimentation, effort, or discovery. Faery Craft, on the other hand, is more evocative of a practical approach of work and collaboration with the Faery realm. The Craft is, of course, also a well-known term for Wicca and Witchcraft, for much the same reason: it is a discipline that requires practice and skill and produces results. So are you ready to roll up your sleeves?
Of course, it’s not all work and no play—this is Faery we’re talking about, after all! The Craft is, in essence, referring to the art of integrating Faery into our day-to-day lives, not as a form of escapism but as a way of truly engaging with the world on a deeper level.
A Note on the Spelling
For those of you drawn to this subject for the first time, the spelling of Faery/faerie as opposed to the usual “fairy” is used to differentiate between the modern, disempowered fantasy creation and the authentic living beings (faeries) and tradition (Faery), which can be surprisingly different from expectations!
Before We Go Any Further, What Exactly Is Faery?
“Something from the dawn of time. Who could possibly put a name to that?”
Captain Jack Harkness in “Small Worlds” (Torchwood season one)
There is certainly no “exactly” when it comes to Faery! What we understand as the Faery realm today is an umbrella term that covers a huge variety of beings and phenomena, from the piskies of Cornwall to the tall and noble sidhe of the Gaelic lands. But the Faery realm is by no means solely Celtic in nature or tradition. It encompasses the spirits of place and nature and otherworldly beings of the entire globe, which can vary in size and appearance as much as the landscape of the world itself—from the small
