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.
Regular contact with nature not only enhances our link with the Faery realm and our ability to sense Faery beings, but it also helps to keep us grounded in our bodies and aware of the physical world around us. We don’t necessarily need to live near obviously marked sacred sites to find points in the landscape where our realms overlap; in fact, the most powerful place for you will be the site where you find yourself undisturbed by the footsteps of well-meaning spiritual tourists.
Trees
Trees are our closest spiritual relatives in the plant kingdom, with their roots reaching into the underworld and their branches like arms reaching towards the sun. As such, they are an excellent first point of contact with the inner spiritual landscape and its inhabitants. Many trees have a strong individual spiritual presence. Others have something more like a hive consciousness, and others can act simply as a window or bridge into another reality. The latter are often hollow trees or trees that have an
