Faerie Facts

Spirituality
The magical ability of the faerie is awesome; they are the strongest users of magic in the world, and they have awesome speed and quickness to support this ability. It is a very good power to have working on your side.

The first religious tradition of Ireland was that of the Tuatha De Danann – “The People of the Goddess Dana”. It was a Pagan religion which came to be known as the oral Faerie tradition. It is from this pre-Christian Tradition that the modern Faerie Wicca comes. Inherent in it is a deep respect for the wisdom of Nature, and a love of beauty.

“Dana” is the primary aspect of the gods. Wiccan tradition sees the polarity of male and female, Dana is seen to be of this polarity. There are other Celtic deities that are recognized, among them Bean Sidhe (Banshee), the messenger of death or the “Crone” aspect of the Triple Goddess; Brigid, a goddess of poets and smiths; Erie, Goddess Queen of the Tuatha De Danann; Dagda, God of the Tuatha De Danann; and Midhir, King of the Gaelic Underworld. Other facets of the Faerie Faith include interaction with nature spirits, devas, angels, fairies, and the like.

Faerie flowers and other facts

• Foxglove – Name is derived from “Little Folks’ Glove”. Florets are worn by Faeries as hats and gloves.

• Primroses – Make the invisible visible. Eating them lets you see Faeries. If one touches a Faerie rock with the correct number of primroses in a posy, the way to faerie land and Faerie gifts is made clear. The wrong number means certain doom.

• Ragwort – Used as makeshift horses by the Faerie.

• Wild Thyme – Part of a recipe for a brew to make one see the Faeries. The tops of the Wild Thyme must be gathered near the side of a Faerie hill.

• Cowslips – These are loved and protected by the Faeries. They help one to find hidden Faerie gold.

• Pansies – The flower that was used as a love potion by Oberon, a Faerie king thought to have been invented by Shakespeare.

• Bluebell – One who hears a bluebell ring will soon die. A field of bluebells is especially dangerous, as it is intricately interwoven with Faerie enchantments.

• Clover – A four-leafed one may be used to break a Faerie spell.

• St. John’s Wort – Has a calming effect, used when stress is overwhelming. Helps break spells as well.

• Hazel – Celtic legend says it is the receptacle of knowledge; the hazelnut is a symbol of fertility in England.

• White Oak – Bark Cleanses and tones entire alimentary canal (tract that food passes through from ingestion to elimination), excellent astringent. Good for external and internal hemorrhage – bleeding in stomach, lungs, rectum.

• Rowan – Protects against bad spirits. Used in butter churns so that the butter would not be overlooked by Faeries. Bewitched horses may be controlled by a rowan whip. Druids used rowan wood for fires with which they called up spirits who could be forced to answer questions when rowanberries were spread over the flayed hides of bulls.

• Buckthorn – Made from bark, aids liver congestion, helps to carry blood and liver toxins out of the body. Good for gallstones, lead poisoning.

• Oak – Oakmen are created when a felled oak stump sends up shoots. One should never take food offered by them since it is poisonous.

• Willow – At night they uproot themselves and stalk travellers, muttering at them.

• Elder – Sometimes is a witch disguised as a tree. Never lay a baby in an elderwood cradle or the Faeries will pinch them so they bruise.

• Birch – If the spirit of the birch tree (The One With the White Hand) touches a head it leaves a white mark and the person turns insane. If it touches a heart, the person will die.

• Alder – Protected by water spirits.

• Apple – To ensure good harvests, leave the last apple of your crop for the Apple-Tree-Man.

• Ash – Druids wands were made of ash twigs. It also has healing properties. Weak-limbed children were passed through split ash trees which were then bound up. If the tree grew straight, the child would as well. Also may be used as a substitute for Rowan.

• Toadstools – Some have poisonous hallucinogenic properties. The Vikings ate it and gained their reputations as berserkers. In Celtic lore, they are among the food of the gods, as with many red plants. Some toadstools associated with the Faerie are Fly Agaric, Yellow Fairy Club, Slender Elf Cap, Dune Pixie-Hood, and Dryad’s Saddle. Fairy Ring Mushroom Marks the boundaries of Faerie rings.

Faery Offerings
If you want to attract fairies to your garden you should leave some food offerings. This will give the fairies something they want and it leads them to trust you. Try leaving small cakes, candies, ginger, barely, icing candies (like for birthday cakes), etc. They love gardens, so leave some of these offerings there, in a bowl or basket. Planting roses, bluebells, thyme, etc. will also help attract them to you.

Don’t look for the offering to disappear because the fairies don’t physically eat them. Fairies are capable of taking the energy from the offerings, rather than taking the offering itself. In a few days, the cake may still be there, but it may look a bit plasticy or unreal. Of course, if an animal comes along and eats the offering, this is a good sign. Don’t send it away. It may be the fairy in animal form coming for its present.

Fairy Behaviour

Fairies tend to travel in bands, rather than alone. These are called Trouping Fairies and they are the most common. You also have the occasional Solitary faire. They travel alone and tend to be mean spirited, but not all are like that. Fairies can be seen traveling in large bands, playing music and riding their horses. These are called Raids. These usually occur during the holidays and Sabbats. All holidays, Pagan, Christian, etc. are great times to contact the fairies, as they are active then.

Fairy Rings
A fairy ring, also known as fairy circle, elf circle or pixie ring, is a naturally occurring ring or arc of mushrooms. The rings may grow over ten meters in diameter and become stable over time as thefungus grows and seeks food underground. They are found mainly in forested areas, but also appear in grasslands or rangelands. Fairy rings are not only detectable by sporocarps in rings or arcs, but also by a necrotic zone (death grass) or a ring of dark green grass. If these manifestations are visible a fairy fungus mycelium is likely present in the ring or arc underneath.

Fairy rings are rings of mushrooms surrounding the area where the fairies dance at night. If you are near a ring when the fairies are dancing, you’ll be drawn to it. If you enter, you will dance with the fairies, unable to stop. It may feel like only minutes, but it is, in reality, years, around 7. The only way to get out is if someone comes after you and pulls you out, while keeping their foot outside of the circle.

Fairy Behaviour

Fairies tend to travel in bands, rather than alone. These are called Trouping Fairies and they are the most common. You also have the occasional Solitary faire. They travel alone and tend to be mean spirited, but not all are like that. Fairies can be seen traveling in large bands, playing music and riding their horses. These are called Raids. These usually occur during the holidays and Sabbats. All holidays, Pagan, Christian, etc. are great times to contact the fairies, as they are active then.

Fairy Garden
You can plant a garden for the fairies. This is a wonderful idea. You can think about planting bluebells and roses in the garden, since fairies love them. Also, fairies and animals alike love water. You can create a wonderful pool in the middle of your garden. Just dig a small hole and line it. Place rocks around the edge. You can replenish the water each time you water your garden. Or alternatively buy a little birdbath and keep it fresh and clean. Fairies also like the wild. Let a small portion of your garden overgrow an get tangled, without deweeding it. This will be the place for those wild Faeries. I went to a graveyard at St Ives at the weekend. It was called a living graveyard because nature was allowed to take it over. It had daffodils, primroses, bluebells, white bluebells, and many, many other flowers there. You could feel its faery presence.

Fairy Bubbles
Buy one of those cheap bubble bottles (for kids) and sit in your garden. Ask the fairies to join you and just blow bubbles. Watch the bubbles and relax. Don’t be nervous because 1) there is no reason to be and 2) the fairies may sense it. I also add some fine irridescent glitter to the bubble mix, the bubble sparkle and leave glittery marks when they pop on the floor.

Fairy Magick
Fairies can be very helpful in magick, as they have a lot of power and they are certainly not ignorant when it comes to using it. Fairies know a great deal of magick and glamour themselves, so, if you can get them to trust you, they can be a great help. Fairies, with the except of a small few, hate love spells and will not be able to help you with them. Love isn’t a big thing on the Astral Plane, so they really don’t understand it and can’t work for it. Selfish spells, for only self improvement, are not good spells to ask for help for either. Fairies will gladly help, when asked correctly and well thanked by offerings, with spells that benefit others and nature.

When asking a fairy to help you, make sure you are safely inside a sacred circle of power or at least have a protection charm and spell working for you. Never let a fairy inside your circle of energy without calling the four guardians of the watchtowers, as there is no telling how dangerous they could be. If a bad fairy comes through to you, send it on its way and ask for another.

Fairies are not content to simply stand on the outside of your circle and watch. Get them involved. Singing, chanting, and music are great for involving the fairies, along with inhancing your spells. Get them interested. If you’re singing and dancing, they’ll want to come to you.

Thank the fairies when you’re done, but give them an offering too. They prefer food and trinkets glittery items, bells, mirrors and crystals to a simple little “thanks”.

Remember if you do invoke faeries into your circle always call the elements first as guardians!

• March 16– Festival of River Nymphs and Water Faeries. A dangerous day for swimming.
• April 30/May 1 – Beltane/May Day – Faeries ride out from their hills to celebrate Beltane.
• August 7 – Faery hills and dwellings are revealed on this day.
• September 29 – Doors open between our world and the Faery Realm.
• November 11 – Festival of the Backthorn Faeries.

Faery Hours

• Twelve o’clock Noon
• Twelve o’clock Midnight
• Sunrise
• Early Evening
• Dusk
• Full Moon
• New Moon
• Bright Starlit Nights

Faery Offerings

If you want to attract fairies to your home you should leave some food offerings. This will give the fairies something they want and it leads them to trust you. Try leaving small cakes, candies, ginger,barely, icing candies (like for birthday cakes), etc. They also love gardens, so you leave some of these offerings there, in a bowl or basket. Planting roses, bluebells, thyme, etc. will also help attract them to you.

Don’t look for the offering to disappear because the fairies don’t physically eat them. Fairies are capable of taking the energy from the offerings, rather than taking the offering itself. In a few days, the cake may still be there, but it may look a bit plasticy or unreal. Of course, if an animal comes along and eats the offering, this is a good sign. Don’t send it away. It may be the fairy in animal form coming for its present.

Fairy Garden – You can plant a garden for the fairies. This is a wonderful idea. You can think about planting bluebells and roses in the garden, since fairies love them. Also, fairies and animals alike love water. You can create a wonderful pool in the middle of your garden. Just dig a small hole and line it. Place rocks around the edge. You can replenish the water each time you water your garden. Fairies also like the wild. Let a small portion of your garden overgrow an get tangled, without deweeding it. This will be the place for those wild Faeries.

Fairy Altar
You can set aside a table top, corner, dresser top, etc. for a fairies Altar. On this altar you can place your offerings in a basket. Also, you could have flowers and statues. Dirt and water are also good. Make it pretty, but home-like as well. A rose oil burner can be great too.