And there’s the worry that they will.
I feel often like I am talking out of both sides of my mouth, saying on one side to seek Themselves out for their blessings and friendship and on the other to avoid them because of their mercurial nature and danger. And the Heaven and Hell of it, if you’ll pardon the expression, is that both are equally true. Because I do think there’s value in keeping the old ways and the reciprocal relationship with the Good Folk that has existed for many hundreds, if not thousands, of years – and indeed part of my service to Them as a priestess is to do what I can to keep those old beliefs and traditions viable – and I think that people should be encouraged to do that. But I also think that modern popculture has done the Fairy Faith no favors and that people do need to be reminded of the respect and fear that They are due and why they are due it. So it’s seek Them out and encourage Their interest in you, but at the same time be cautious of Them and don’t get Them too interested. And if that’s a contradiction, then consider it your first lesson in fairywork.
I talk a lot about the darker side of Fairy and the dangers of the beings who dwell within it, and I do that on purpose. The Otherworld and its inhabitants are not the stuff of young adult novels or Lord of the Rings fan fiction. I see too many people who plunge head first into seeking the Gentry out, heedless of any potential danger, and my instinct is to warn people. I’ll use the analogy of hiking here, that hiking on a summer day seems really appealing because it’s so beautiful and looks so easy – you just start walking in the woods, isn’t that nice? And you know most of the time it will just be nice and pleasant and nothing bad will happen. Nothing at all will happen except for you getting some exercise. But – oh, there’s always a but isn’t there? – anyone who is an experienced hiker knows that there’s always a chance of getting lost, or falling and getting hurt, or being attacked by an animal, or eating something that looks familiar, but isn’t what you thought it was, or… or. You see? And that’s what I might say that Fairy is like. And if you get lost or hurt or attacked you had really better know what to do about it.
And there’s a part of me that doesn’t like to talk about some things I’ve seen or experienced because I worry that it may give people the wrong idea, may make things seem more alluring or good than they actually are. It may make people forget the danger. It may create that urge in people where they want to have that same experience because they are hearing the beautiful experience and not grasping the fuller context.
I am not yet forty years old and I have seen things that I will never stop seeing – not horrible, terrifying things either, but things so beautiful it breaks the heart and so enchanting it makes everything in mortal life seem a pale shadow in comparison. Beauty is a poison in its own way, and it sinks into the bone beyond removing. The stories talk about that too, but we don’t want to see it most of the time because we like the idea that people can be saved from Fairy in the end and return to their lives and be happy here. But once you’ve heard that music and once you’ve seen those shining halls you lose a part of yourself to the sound and sight of it and there is no real coming back from that. The old stories talk about that too you know. And ultimately I don’t want the responsibility of leading someone else where I am, aching for a world that isn’t here and that nothing here compares to.
Fairywork is worth doing and it has benefits that make it worth the risk, like any other dangerous thing. But it is dangerous both in Fairy’s ability to actually harm a person and the way its enchantment changes a person. It is something that must be done with care and with constant vigilance to be done well, or something that must be done lightly to be done safely, or something that can and will consume a person. I suppose I talk about the things I do because I’d rather be a horrible warning than a great example, to paraphrase Aird.
And so when I talk about it I try to talk enough to encourage people to want to do it, but not enough about my personal deep experiences to give the impression that losing your soul to it should be a life goal. And I try to emphasize the danger so that if things go sideways people can’t say they didn’t know the pitfalls and bears were there along the trail the whole time.
More and more I think some of us are being pushed to talk and teach about this, and we each offer different – and important – pieces of the puzzle. Some of those pieces are heavily filtered through specific concepts, like environmentalism and New Age spirituality. Some of those pieces are filtered through traditional cultures and folklore. Some are shiny and colorful; some are sharp and dark. All call people, one way or another, back to a place very foreign from here.
One thing I am certain of though is that the spirits of the Otherworld are not done with us or our world, not yet. If anything they seem to be working to reconnect and re-establish their footing here – and not just the kindly ones.
Morgan Daimler, Dark Moon, January 2017
Bibliography
Acland, A., (1997) Tam Lin Balladry
Aislinge Oenguso
Ashliman, D., (2004) Folk and Fairy Tales
Ballard, L., (1991) Fairies and the Supernatural on Reachrai
Bedell, J., (2007) Hildur, Queen of the Elves, and Other Icelandic Legends
Bennett, M., (1991) Balquhidder Revisited: Fairylore in the Scottish Highlands, 1690-1990
Bitel, L., (1991) In Visu Noctis: Dreams in European Hagiography and Histories, 450-900, History of Religions vol. 31
Black, G., (1894) Scottish Charms and Amulets
Blain, J., (2000) Wights and Ancestors: Heathenism in a Living Landscape
Briggs, K., (1967) The Fairies in Tradition and Literature
—- (1976) A Dictionary of Fairies
—- (1978) The Vanishing People
Bruford, A., (1991) Trolls, Hillfolk, Finns, and Picts: The Identity of the Good Neighbors in Orkney and Shetland
Campbell, G., (1900) Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland
Campbell, J., (1900) The Gaelic Otherworld
Chambers, R., (1842) Popular Rhymes, Fireside Stories, and Amusements of Scotland
Child, F., (1802) Tam Lin
-— (1882) The English and Scottish Popular Ballads
Cox, M., (1904) Introduction to Folklore
Croker, T., (1825) Fairy Legends and Traditions of Southern Ireland
Curtin, J., (1895) Tales of the Fairies and of the Ghost World
Daimler., M (2014). The Witch, the Bean Feasa, and the Fairy Doctor in Irish Culture. Air n-Aithesc, vol 1 issue 2, Aug. 2014
Dalyell, J., (1801) Scottish Poems of the Sixteenth Century
Danaher, K., (1972) The Year in Ireland
—- (1967) Folktales of the Irish Countryside
Davies, O., (2003) Popular Magic: Cunningfolk in English History
De Chopur in Da Muccida
De Gabail an t-Sida
DSL (2016) Dictionary of the Scots Language
eDIL (n.d.) Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language http://edil.qub.ac.uk/browse
Evans, E., (1957) Irish folk Ways
Evans-Wentz, W., (1911) The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries
Firth Green, R., (2016) Elf Queens and Holy Friars: Fairy Beliefs and the Medieval Church
Froud, B., and Lee, A., (2002) Faeries
Froud, B., (1998) Good Faeries, Bad Faeries
Goblin (2016) Online Etymology Dictionary
Gregory, A., (1920) Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland
Grimm, J., (1883) Teutonic Mythology volume 2
Gruber, B., (2007) Iceland: Searching for Elves and Hidden People
Gundarsson, K., (2007) Elves, Wights, and Trolls
Gwyndaf, R., (1991) Fairylore: Memorates and Legends from Welsh Oral Tradition
Hall, A., (2005) Getting Shot of Elves: Healing, Witchcraft and Fairies in the Scottish Witchcraft Trials. Folklore Vol. 116, No. 1 (Apr., 2005)
—- (2007) Elves in Anglo-Saxon England
—- (2004) The Meaning of Elf and Elves in Medieval England, Retrieved from http://w
ww.alarichall.org.uk/ahphdful.pdf
—- (2011) The Contemporary Evidence for Early Medieval Witchcraft-Beliefs. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/1528964/The_Contemporary_Evidence_for_Early_Medieval_Witchcraft-Beliefs
Harms, D., Clark, J., and Peterson, J., (2015) The Book of Oberon
Harper, D., (2017) ‘Elf’; Online Etymology Dictionary
Hartland, E., (1891) The Science of Fairy Tales
Harvard Classics (1914) Volume 40: English Poetry I: from Chaucer to Gray
Helrune, S., (2016) Essays from the Crossroads
Hyde, D., (1910) Beside the Fire: A Collection of Irish Gaelic Folk Stories
JCHAS (2010) Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society
Jamieson, J., (1808) An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language
Jenkins, R., (1991) Witches and Fairies: Supernatural Aggression and Deviance Among the Irish Peasantry
Johnson, M., (2014) Seeing Fairies
Jolly, K., (1996) Popular Religion in Late Saxon England; Elf Charms in Context
Jones, M (2003) The Wild Hunt. Retrieved from http://www.maryjones.us/jce/wildhunt.html
Kirk, R., (1691) The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies
Lecouteux, C., (1995) Demons and Spirits of the Land: Ancestral Lore and Practices
—- (1992) Witches, Werewolves and Fairies: Shapeshifters and Astral Doubles in the Middle Ages
—- (2000) The Tradition of Household Spirits
—- (1999) Phantom Armies of the Night: The Wild Hunt and the Ghostly Processions of the Undead
Lenihan, E., and Green, C., (2003) Meeting the Other Crowd: The Fairy Stories of Hidden Ireland
Linton, E., (1861) Witch Stories
Locke, T., (2013) The Fairy Doctor. Retrieved from http://www.irishabroad.com/blogs/PostView.aspx?pid=4404
Lockey, N., (1882) Nature, vol. 26
Logan, P., (1981) The Old Gods: The Facts about Irish Fairies
Lyle, E., (1970). The Teind to Hell in Tam Lin
Lysaght, P., (1991) Fairylore from the Midlands of Ireland
—- (1986) The Banshee: The Irish Death Messenger
MacCulloch, J., (1911) Religion of the Ancient Celts
MacDonald, L., (1993) People of the Mounds. Dalriada Magazine
MacGillivray, Deborah. (2000). The Cait Sí
MacLiammóir, M., (1984) Faery Nights Oícheanta Sí: Stories on Ancient Irish Festivals
MacManus, D., (1959) The Middle Kingdom: The Faerie World of Ireland
MacQuarrie, C., (1997) The Waves of Manannan
Magic and Religious Cures (2014). Ask About Ireland. Retrieved from http://www.askaboutireland.ie/reading-room/history-heritage/folklore-of-ireland/folklore-in-ireland/healers-and-healing/magic-and-religious-cures/
McKillop, J., (1998) Dictionary of Celtic Mythology
McNeill, F., (1956) Silver Bough
McNeil, H., (2001) The Celtic Breeze
Merriman, B., (1780) Cúirt an Mheán Oíche
Monaghan, P., (2009) The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore
Murray, J., (1918) The Romance and Prophecies of Thomas of Erceldoune
—- (1922) The Complaynt of Scotland
Mushroom Appreciation (2016) Fanciful Fairy Rings
Narvaez, P., (2001) The Good People
O Crualaoich, G., (2003) The Book of the Cailleach
—- (2005) Reading the Bean Feasa. Folklore Vol. 116, No. 1 (Apr., 2005)
O Donaill, (1977) Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla
O Giolláin, D., (1991) The Fairy Belief and Official Religion in Ireland
O hOgain, D., (1995) Irish Superstitions
O Súilleabháin, S., (1967) Nósanna agus Piseoga na nGael
Parkinson, D., (2013) Phantom Black Dogs http://www.mysterious-britain.co.uk/folklore/phantom-black-dogs.html
Pitcairn, R., (1843) Ancient Criminal Trials in Scotland, vol 1, part 3
Pocs, E., (1999) Between the Living and the Dead
Purkiss, D., (2000) At the Bottom of the Garden
Rieti, B., (1991). ‘The Blast’ in Newfoundland Fairy Tradition
—- (1991) Strange Terrain: The Fairy World in Newfoundland
Rossetti, C., (1862) Goblin Market
Sands, Brymer, Murray, and Cochran, (1819) The Edinburgh Magazine and Literary Miscellany, vol. 83
Scott, W., (1830) Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft
Shakespeare, W., (1974) The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Sikes, W., (1881) British Goblins: Welsh Folklore, Fairy Mythology, Legends, and Traditions
Silver, C., (1999) Strange and Secret People: Fairies and Victorian Consciousness
Skelbred, A., (1991) Rites of Passage as Meeting Place: Christianity and Fairylore in Connection with the Unclean Woman and the Unchristened Child
Spenser, E., (1590) The Faerie Queene
Táin Bó Cuailigne
Táin Bó Regamna
Tam Lin (1997) Child Ballad 39A http://tamlin.org/versions/39A.html
Tochmarc Etaine
Towrie, S., (2016) The Selkie Folk http://www.orkneyjar.com/folklore/selkiefolk/index.html
—- (2016) Orkney’s Standing Stones
—- (2017) Trows
Walsh, B., (2002) The Secret Commonwealth and the Fairy Belief Complex
Wedin, W., (1998) The Sí, the Tuatha De Danann, and the Fairies in Yeats’s Early Works
Wilby, E., (2010) The Visions of Isobel Gowdie
Wilde, E., (1888) Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms & Superstitions of Ireland
—- (1920) Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland
Williams, M., (2016) Ireland’s Immortals: A History of the Gods of Irish Myth
Williams, N., (1991) Semantics of the Word Fairy: Making Meaning out of Thin Air
Wooding, J., (2000). The Otherworld Voyage in Early Irish Literature
Yeats, W., (1888) Fairy and Folktales of the Irish Peasantry
—- (1892) Irish Fairy Tales
—- (1893) Celtic Twilight
You might also enjoy…
978 1 78535 051 1 (Paperback)
978 1 78535 052 8 (ebook)
Following the call of the Old Gods along the path of the Fair Folk
An in depth manual for practicing Fairy Witchcraft including theology, fairy lore, rituals, holidays, and magical practices.
Moon Books
PAGANISM & SHAMANISM
Recent bestsellers from Moon Books are:
Journey to the Dark Goddess
How to Return to Your Soul
Jane Meredith
Discover the powerful secrets of the Dark Goddess and transform your depression, grief and pain into healing and integration.
Paperback: 978-1-84694-677-6 ebook: 978-1-78099-223-5
Shamanic Reiki
Expanded Ways of Working with Universal Life Force Energy
Llyn Roberts, Robert Levy
Shamanism and Reiki are each powerful ways of healing; together, their power multiplies. Shamanic Reiki introduces techniques to help healers and Reiki practitioners tap ancient healing wisdom.
Paperback: 978-1-84694-037-8 ebook: 978-1-84694-650-9
Pagan Portals – The Awen Alone
Walking the Path of the Solitary Druid
Joanna van der Hoeven
An introductory guide for the solitary Druid, T
he Awen Alone will accompany you as you explore, and seek out your own place within the natural world.
Paperback: 978-1-78279-547-6 ebook: 978-1-78279-546-9
A Kitchen Witch’s World of Magical Herbs & Plants
Rachel Patterson
A journey into the magical world of herbs and plants, filled with magical uses, folklore, history and practical magic. By popular writer, blogger and kitchen witch, Tansy Firedragon.
Paperback: 978-1-78279-621-3 ebook: 978-1-78279-620-6
Medicine for the Soul
The Complete Book of Shamanic Healing
Ross Heaven
All you will ever need to know about shamanic healing and how to become your own shaman…
Paperback: 978-1-78099-419-2 ebook: 978-1-78099-420-8
Shaman Pathways – The Druid Shaman
Exploring the Celtic Otherworld
Danu Forest
A practical guide to Celtic shamanism with exercises and techniques as well as traditional lore for exploring the Celtic Otherworld.
Paperback: 978-1-78099-615-8 ebook: 978-1-78099-616-5
Traditional Witchcraft for the Woods and Forests
A Witch’s Guide to the Woodland with Guided Meditations and Pathworking
Melusine Draco
A Witch’s guide to walking alone in the woods, with guided meditations and pathworking.
Paperback: 978-1-84694-803-9 ebook: 978-1-84694-804-6
Wild Earth, Wild Soul
A Manual for an Ecstatic Culture
Bill Pfeiffer
Imagine a nature-based culture so alive and so connected, spreading like wildfire. This book is the first flame…
Paperback: 978-1-78099-187-0 ebook: 978-1-78099-188-7
Naming the Goddess
Trevor Greenfield
Naming the Goddess is written by over eighty adherents and scholars of Goddess and Goddess Spirituality.
Paperback: 978-1-78279-476-9 ebook: 978-1-78279-475-2
Shapeshifting into Higher Consciousness