Crystal"s Palace Of Herbs

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The fairy tradition is an important and essential aspect to shamanism worldwide, and especially to the Celtic Bardic/Druid Tradition. WY Evans-Wentz documented the fairy faith in his famous book, The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries.* He traveled throughout and studied native Celtic speakers in the six Celtic lands of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, and the Isle of Man. He was able to document and preserve the many stories, legends and myths of the ancient Celtic druid traditions, as it had been preserved by the country people in the various Celtic lands. He documented that the country people in their "fairy faith tradition" had preserved the druid bardic Celtic spiritual tradition. This research study luckily was done before World War One, which resulted in such great devastation that the fairy tradition rapidly dissipated. World War I resulted in the massive destruction of communities. It eroded people's connection to ancestral lands and resulted in the dispersal of families and traditions, which had dwelled in the lands for thousands of years. RR Tolkien wrote his famous trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, being heavily influenced by his experience in World War I and World war II and their destruction of British and European families, cultures and traditions. World War I and World War II completed the destruction and dispersal of British and European families, which had begun with the Industrial revolution in the 1700's.

Modern Conceptions of Fairies.

It is important to note that most modern peoples conception of the fairy is a diluted degraded demystified dishonored, and corrupted version of the elder tradition's powerful view. RJ Stewart , the important Celtic underworld and faery teacher, has emphasized this degeneration in his many books. This degeneration of the fairy tradition has occurred since the 18th century CE and the industrial revolution. This has resulted in a particularly nasty and vacuous view of the powerful fairy beings. For example, they are seen as small beings with little butterfly wings and wands like Tinkerbell.

Types of Faeries

In ancient traditions worldwide there are perceived a multitude of faery beings and faery tribes who come in a huge variety of shapes sized and qualities. Katherine Briggs, for exapmle, in her book "The Vanishing People, Fairy lore and Legends (1978, Pantheon Books/Random House, New York/Toronto, originally published by B.T. Batsfield, London)) points out a few of the many faery races. Brownies, hobglins, pixies, bwcas, shelly goats, corrigans, spiggrans, phynnoderees, name but a few. Others include Trooping faeries, house spirits, nature fairies, fairy midwives, faery changelings, Bogie Beasts, Bwbachod, Sidhe, Dwarfs, Elves, Fees, Gnomes, Goblins, Kelpie, Korrigan, Meg Mullach, Mermaids, Mermen, Moss Women, Water Horses, Padfoot, People of Peace, Pouka, Sluagh, Spunkies, Swanmaidens, Trolls, Tuatha De Danann, Tylwyth Teg, Will o' the Wisp.

Faerie Beings as Demigods

In the elder traditions the faery beings are perceived as being immortal. They were created at the beginning of time and have cohabitated the earth with humankind along with other creatures. The fairy beings are perceived as being closer in consciousness to humanity than other spiritual beings, such as Angels. They are perceived as being living beings like humans and creatures, but without physical form.

Faerie Beings as Shape Shifters

Many faery beings are perceived as having the ability to shape shift, being that they are non material, They are believed to psychically read humans minds and are able to change into a shape that conforms to the human expectations.

Therefore a faery being in Ireland may appear as a little leprechaun with a green coat, red hair and pipe, whereas in native North American traditions, one of the traditional native faery beings is the Sasquatch . Also, in he USA the faery being may appear as a gray alien with a big head coming out of a space ship. Faery beings appear to shape shift according to the particular land and people where they reside.

Human Faery Creature Alliance

RJ Stewart, in his books, The Living World of Faery, Earthlight, and Power within the Land emphasizes the faery underworld view that are three kinds of life or consciousness upon the Earth: The Human Beings, the Faery Beings, and the Creature beings (all living beings other than human and faery which includes animals trees, plants, etc.)

According to RJ Stewart, The Faery Tradition's core beliefs involve the need for the preservation of the Earth, of alliance and communion between the three orders of life that human beings, the fairy beings, and the creature beings. In this tradition all powerful magic and spiritual work must include a communion and collaboration between these three orders of life. It is the belief of the modern faery tradition that our major spiritual work is the rebuilding of the cosmic web and through the rebuilding and reawakening of the alliance between the humans, faeries and creatures. Shamanism worldwide emphasizes the same necessary goal. The most important rituals and magic must be done outdoors within a grove of trees under the sky, stars and moon so that the faeries and creatures can be fully present to ally with the humans present

Daemons

In European, Mediterranean and African traditions, faeries are frequently referred to as the "daemon". A daemon is perceived as a kind of demigod. They are immortal and of a spiritual rather than of a physical nature. They have many godlike powers of foreknowledge and magic. The Daemons are believed to mate with human partners and create humans who have godlike superhuman abilities. The Greek and Roman examples of gods mating with humans and creating mortals who have super human powers are good examples of this tradition. Many outstanding human beings in ancient history according to myth and legend are purported to have daemon fathers, including Socrates, Merlin , Alexander the Great, King Arthur and Jesus.

Confusion occurs in terms of faery lore because there are a multitude of different beings called "Faery". Some of these beings are really primitive elemental spirits who inhabit particular trees, streams or land. They may be of the four different elements, Earth, Air, Fire, And Water. The most powerful faery beings are the ones referred to in the Irish Tradition as the Tuatha De Danann, the high faery, the Luminous Ones, and the Shining Ones. These faery consciousness are closer to the ancient gods and goddesses in their nature, and involve a great deal more magical power than an elemental spirit. The daemons of Europe are analogous to the Tuatha De Danann.

Fairy Marriage

The Celtic tradition, like the Daemon tradition of Europe, has numerous myths concerning outstanding humans such as the Irish warrior hero, Cuchilean, who have faery fathers and have inherited the faery gifts. Such individuals are referred to as "Half-lings". Many Celtic families retain myths that have faery ancestors and a history of faery marriages. Dr. Karr himself has such a tradition in his father's family. Based upon numerous legends, it is hypothesized that in order for a human being who is material in this world to have a faery parent one must have a faery father and a human mother because the faery are not material and in order to be born in a material form we require a material mother. The half humans in myth who have physical form in the material world, appear to have faery or daemon fathers, not faery mothers.

There are also many stories and legends about human beings going into the faery realm and mating with the faery beings. A classic example lies in the poem, Tam Lin, in which a young handsome man is taken by a faery queen into her realm of faeries, to be her lover. It is hypothesized that the children produced in the faery realm must be of the mating of a male human and a faery woman because the faery realm because the faery realm is non material, but rather spiritual and that one must be born of a spiritual nature rather than of a material nature in the material realm. The myths of faery maidens in the faery realm seem to be concerning a young man and a faery woman.

The concept of the fairy marriage in Celtic tradition is related to another concept, the faery cousin. The concept of the fairy cousin involves the belief that human families which have a history of fairy marriage also have as a result, fairy cousins are fairy beings related by marriage. They might be the ancestral fairy father of ones halfling line, or fairy beings related to ones faery father. Fairy cousins are faery beings who form close bonds with particular families or lines and maintain this relationship for thousand of years, being that faeries are relatively immortal. There are many stories regarding faery cousins who even migrate across the ocean to America with their human families. This is part of Dr. Karr's family mythos as well as many other Celtic families who have immigrated to America. Faery cousins bring many gifts to their human families. These gifts include the gift of mediating second sight of foreknowledge for members of their human family. It is common for members of such faery-human families to have the gift of second sight. Dr Karr's mother, for example, developed extensive, psychic gifts.

Faery Cousins

Fairy cousins in such families often intervene in crisis situations for the benefit of their human cousins. For example, when Dr. Karr's aunt was accidentally about to administer poison instead of medicine to her sick daughter, the poison was knocked from her hand by a faery cousin, saving the life of her daughter. There are classic faery cousin stories in Scotland in which faery cousins deflected bullets aimed at their human cousins.

Faery Immortality

A strange and interesting aspect of faery beliefs is the concept of relative immortality of the faery beings. The faery beings are perceived as almost immortal. This connects to the viewpoint that they are much closer to archetypal perfection than humans, but not quite there. It is believed that the faeries have a little way to go before becoming once again gods and goddesses (fully immortal). This concept is explored in The Lord of the Rings when the ring of power tempted the elf queen, and she overcame the temptation and passed the test. The Elf Queen, Galadriel, after passing this test, the elf queen and the other elves prepared to leave the world and go to a higher realm. An important part of the fairy tradition is the belief that under certain specific conditions, faery beings may be killed or destroyed. It is believed that faery beings are extremely uncomfortable with iron or steel. It is believed that they may be made weak or ill by weapons of iron or steel. There are also other magical rites which may destroy faery beings in faery traditions. Given the above, humans working with the faery tradition do not use or have around objects or tool of iron or steel when performing faery workings. Rather sacred tools of copper, silver, gold, stone wood, (anything but iron or steel must be used).

Faery Time

A related issue to faery beings near immortality and great age is the belief that faery time is very different than human time. The faery beings, being nearly immortal, have experience millions of years upon this planet and therefore, one year is experienced by them as les than a second of our time. Many of the myths concerning humans entering the faery world undergo a profound shift in their experience of time. For example in the myth of Rip Van Winkle, he goes into the faery world and thinks that he has been gone a few months, and when he returns, over a 100 years has passed in the human world. Related to this difference in time is that because faery beings exist in such a long time and a year appears as just a moment to them, they perceive us humans not individually, but as an ancestral line. They therefore relate to a Rodney Karr as a Karr, not as a Rodney Karr.

Faery Hive Consciousness

Another kind of faery consciousness involves a kind of hive consciousness, which is a collective consciousness. A multitude of faery beings may form a collective consciousness in which all are connected psychically. The trooping fairies are one of these types of faeries. This collective faery consciousness creates and manifests a faery queen who represents and speaks for the collective consciousness of the hive. A collective faery consciousness is extremely different from the individuated high faery known as the Tuatha De Danann. It is believed in many faery traditions, that when the current era of Christianity came, that the high faery withdrew into the Earth or went away far out to sea in ships, to Avalon, and that the old gods of the elder tradition became the high faery. The gods and goddess are archetypal energies which live exist and feed upon their worship and honoring by human beings. They are not exactly immortal. When their people lose faith lose memory and forget them they can no longer exist and manifest heir power in the middle world (material world). They then retreat and wait within the Earth or out to sea and await the time when they may be honored and remembered again and brought to life. The elder tradition believes that there are great cosmic cycles similar to the seasons, which come and go and return. These cycles may last thousands of years. The elder tradition believes that the cycle will cycle back and that there will be the time of return. The faeries and elder gods and goddess have been patiently awaiting their time of returning which is at hand. A big part of the faery tradition is the mythos of the faery beings (gods and goddesses) leaving the middle Earth because of the changes and shifts in human consciousness. This theme is clearly expressed in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy when the Elves get upon the boats and go out to sea, to the west, to Avalon. It is the purpose of the modern faery tradition as well as the pagan revival movements to reawaken and re-enliven the old beliefs of the old traditions of the Gods Goddess and high faery to build the bridges for their return in this time of ecological, social, political, and spiritual crisis and destruction.

Threefold Alliance

In faery tradition, each of the three kind of consciousness human, have different abilities and gifts. There are many gifts, which faery beings have which include second sight, seeing through time and space, which seem godlike to us human beings. Whereas we humans have many abilities which are as foreign and impossible for a faery being, such as building a castle, of moving a rock or tree. It is incumbent upon us humans to open the gateways for the faery beings and God and Goddess to return. They cannot do so by themselves.

The Four Cities

There are four cities* that no mortal eye has seen but that the soul knows; these are Gorias that is in the East; and Finials that is in the South, and Murias that is in the West; and Falias that is in the North. And the symbol of Falias is the stone of death, which is crowned with pale fire. And the symbol of Gorias is the Dividing sword. And the symbol of Fineas is a spear. And the Symbol of Murias is a hollow that is filled with water and light.

Fiona Macleod (William Sharp, 1855-1905) used an obscure model of four cities in several poems. These are said to be the original dwellings of the Tuatha De Danann, and are listed in early Irish poetry. The concept is closely related to the ancient provinces of Ireland (see fig 6) and the Four Implements or magical weapons of the Tuatha De Danann, the ancient Irish gods and goddesses who in later oral and written traditions became identified with the High Faery race (Wentz, 1911).

In ancient Irish tradition their gods and goddesses, the Tuatha De Danann, came to Ireland from four sacred cities associated with the four elements (earth air fire and water) and the four directions. In some mythos it is believed that the Tuatha De Danann came from the stars located in the four directions of the sky..

--
Wind comes from the spring star in the East; fire from the summer star in the South; water from the autumn star in the West; wisdom, silence, and death from the winter star in the North. -from The Divine Adventurer, by Fiona Macleod

The ancient Irish gods and goddesses, at a later point during the Christian era, became the High Faery of the Irish traditions. They retreated into the faery mounds, and the underworld.

Part of this tradition is the belief that the fairy people of each of the elements and directions brought with them from the stars a sacred tool of power. These sacred tools are known as the sword of the element of air and the direction of the East, the spear of the element of fire and the South, the cup or cauldron of the element of water and the West, and the stone of the element of Earth and stone and the direction of the North.

RJ Stewart in his book, Earthlight, recommends the using of the four fairy cities or realms in visualizations in order to lead one to experience deeper levels of the fairy realm and connect to powerful forces within the sacred land.

In neo-fairy traditions, the four fairy realms are used extensively. All of the four fairy realms are associated with categories or groups of faery beings or tribes, which are connected and manifest each of the four directions and elements.

Gorias

Fairy city of the east and the element of air and wind. The fairy sylphs, or air fairies, are associated with this realm. They are characterized often as having wings. The high fairies are often associated with this realm and element. The sacred tool of the realm of Gorias is the sword. Excaliber, the sword of Arthur, is a prime example of this tool.

Finias, the sacred city of fire and the South.

The salamanders of fire are the fairy beings of the realm of Finias. They may appear as fire dragons or serpentine fire forms. The sacred tool of Finias, of fire and the south, is the staff or spear. An example of this tool is the spear of the god Lugh.

Murias

The fairy beings of Murias include the undines (mermen, merwomen,), and Selkies(seal people), water nymphs. The sacred tool is the chalice or cauldron of the goddess. An example of this would be the Grail.

Falias

The faery folk of the realm of Falias include gnomes, trolls, and various other Earth Elementals. The sacred tool of Falias is the stone of Fal or Fallal. An example of the sacred stone of Ireland, which named the King and screamed if someone lied in its presence.

We in five shaman circles do extensive fairy realm work utilizing the seasons of the year to connect with their associated fairy realms. We also use fairy healing processes taught to Dr. Karr by his teacher, RJ Stewart in advanced training workshops in the fairy tradition. These healing processes utilize the healing qualities of elements and elementals, such as water and stone. We also create and empower for each group member the four sacred tools for each fairy realm at the appropriate season of the years. Sword (Athame) in the Spring; Wand, tool of the south and fire, in the Summer. Chalice/cauldron, tool of water and the west in Autumn. And crystal stone, tool of the North and the element of Earth and Stone. We then teach the use of these tools for healing, magic and intention.

* From The Little Book of the Great Enchantment, Fiona Macleod

The Faery Tradition

By Anna Korn

Among the distinguishing features of the Faery tradition is the use of a Faery Power which characterizes the lineage. It is an ecstatic, rather than a fertility, tradition. Strong emphasis is placed on sensual experience and awareness, including sexual mysticism, which is not limited to heterosexual expression. In this, as in the general spirit of spiritual exploration, there is more risk-taking encouraged than in other Wiccan traditions which may have specific laws limiting behavior, and there is a certain amorality historically associated with the Tradition. We see ourselves, when enchanted, as "fey"--not black, not white, outside social definitions, on the road to Faeryland, either mad or poetical. We are aware that much of reality is unseen, or at least has uncertain boundaries.

The Gods are not just constructs or psychological forces from the

collective unconscious. The Gods are real, with a system of morality different from our own, and we have a responsibility to them. The Faery Tradition, in common with initiatory lineages of the Craft which practice possession, is a mystery tradition of power, mystery, danger, ecstacy, and direct communication with divinity. This is in contrast to traditions which practice psychodrama or psychotherapy through ritual. The negative side of this style of working is that we have a lot of initiates who did not return unscathed from between the worlds. The tradition is not for everybody, and it is not amenable to mass attendance, like many Pagan paths.

There is a specific corpus of chants and liturgical material, much of it stemming from Victor Anderson and Gwydion Pendderwen, which provides a frame for many Circle-workings, and poetic creativity is highly valued. The magical practices of the Faery (or Feri, as Victor spells it) Tradition are heavily invocatory, to encourage possession, which relies mainly on psychic talent or sensitivity to occur. Rites are stylistically diverse, and may draw from many sources. There is an initiatory lineage, traceable to Victor or Cora Anderson or Gwydion Pendderwen. Victor tells of antecedents of the present tradition in the Harpy Coven in which he was involved in the l920s and 30s in Oregon. Hallmarks of the tradition are possession of secret names, energy-working using pentacles and visualization of blue fire, a body of poetic and liturgical material, deities and archetypes specific to the Tradition, the doctrine of the Three Selves, a cingulum of a specific color, a "tribal" or "clan" feel to the coven, the use of the horned (sometimes called "inverted") pentagram, and the honoring of a warrior ethic. For example, we are urged not to coddle weakness, support others in insincerities or self-deceptions, or to submit one's own Life force to anyone or anything, which leads to a fierce openness called the "Black Heart of Innocence." The Faery Tradition is gender-equal, and all sexual orientations seem able to find a niche. For many, there is a strong identification with the realms of Faery and with shape-shifting.

Although Victor is universally recognized as the founding teacher of the tradition, it is possible to identify influences which shaped the tradition before its present form evolved. There is a strong African diasporic influence, primarily Dahomean-Haitian, and the Three Selves theory is an outgrowth of Huna beliefs. Neither is Victor the only source for material presently within the tradition. Each initiate seems to draw the tradition in a new direction and uncover new ground. Some practitioners, such as Gwydion and Eldri Littlewolf, went deeply into shamanic forms. Gwydion also worked extensively with Celtic religion, even learning Welsh early in his Wiccan training. Other influences (Arica, Tibetan meditation, and Ceremonial Magick) entered as Gabriel Caradoc began teaching. Victor, Gwydion, Caradoc, Brian Dragon and Paladin wrote darkly beautiful ritual poetry and liturgy. Gabriel's classes provided an excellent training in magical visualization and his students continue his teachings. Poet Francesca De Grandis and songwriter Sharon Knight have added their inspiration to the corpus of material. Starhawk has used concepts developed in the Faery Tradition in expressing her beliefs and practice, and has given the clearest explanations widely available of concepts such as the Three Selves or the Iron Pentacle.

What is the F(a)eri(e) Tradition?
by Storm Faerywolf

I sit in a circle of my own design, making call to the powers that surround and guard us.
I listen for their answer and from beyond the firelight it comes. Forces from the outer darkness make themselves known to me; Dian na Glas, the Blue God, comes with childlike vigor, dancing silken spirals, the music of the spheres alive in his footsteps. Mari, full-breasted and powerful, complete and bountiful, emerges from within my cells, and calls to me, asking that I walk with Her feet.

Through my breath, I commune. My fetch, pulsing, glowing, delicate and fierce, throbs with power, it's undulating rhythm lulling me into a place where I know power. The Blue God- no longer separate from myself- flows like silver water from the depths of my GodSelf to quench the thirst of my souls, bringing with His sweet nectar the drunkenness of the Divine, and I dance. I dance in circles and rejoin the spinning of the universe with each step. I am touched by the Gods, and my dance is theirs.

hen I first heard of the F(a)eri(e) tradition of witchcraft, it was in the pages of Starhawk's book The Spiral Dance. I remember being almost entranced by the (brief) description of the Blue God, the laughing god of love, as she described him, wondering about his stories, his touch, and longing to look upon his face. For me there was a connection. Although I couldn't have known it then, I was touched by His power; this Deity who dances in the springtime of the soul. It was this touch that eventually led me to find a teacher and to study the wild road we call Feri.

When listening to the stories of others I find certain ideas that are commonly used to describe personal experiences of the tradition. Of the tradition itself, it is often referred to as a "Chaos" tradition, referring in part perhaps to our particular relationship to the Star Goddess, the raging cosmos pregnant with possibility. Being a "left hand path" we embrace the fullest spectrum of possibility; we bask in the sunlight of the body, and revel in the darkness of the soul. The natural state of the soul unfettered by conditioning and restraint is sometimes referred to as "The Black Heart of Innocence", and is a phrase that poetically evokes the raw-ness of pure experience, forming the basis of what may be called the Feri perspective. Far from being a mental construct, this is a personal relationship to the universe, a relationship which does not seek to contain or even necessarily to define our experience with it. At it's core it is simple. We open, and the power flows through us, taking what form it will. It is a form of shamanism in the truest sense of the word.

In a tradition that is inherently shamanic, practitioners draw inspiration from many sources. Whether these are an established liturgy, the appearance of a certain plant or animal, a ritual given by a teacher, or a song learned while in trance, they do not in and of themselves define the practice as a whole. It is the experiential perspective relationship to them that is the unifying factor, and it is this relationship with which we are most concerned.

We are guided by those beings who are attached to this tradition: the Guardians, the Feri Gods, and join with them in spirit, allowing them to move through us, changing us forever. Our view that the Gods are real (as opposed to being simply psychological constructs or metaphor, as seen in many branches of the modern Craft) reflects our relationship with them, revealing it to be both personal and dynamic. When we call on our Gods, and they move through us, we have been changed even to our deepest levels. We know, in our bodies, the joy of Nimue at the Summer Solstice, or the dark power of the Arddu in the dead of winter's night.

Unlike most other branches of modern witchcraft Feri is not a safe tradition. As seekers into the outer dark, bringing only our wits with us into these uncharted territories of the spirit, we find ourselves most often vulnerable and alone. Searching for avenues to power and healing for both ourselves and for the land, we scratch and claw our way through ourselves, being confronted by our demons, our fears, and our true desires. Through preparation, both psychological and spiritual, we are taught how to touch the source of the Faerie power, and how to handle it once we have.

Another distinguishing factor of our path is initiation through the passing and use of the Faerie current of power. When we are initiated we are connected to the living current of energy that is unique to the tradition. We become conscious channels, allowing it to flow through us and into the world around us. This is the true function of any priest/ess: to be a mediator of universal power.

But what is the Feri tradition? How do we know when we are practicing Feri or we have moved into another realm? If Feri asserts personal experience over established liturgy, then how can we be certain that we, as a whole, are even practicing the same thing?

It has been suggested, in some circles, that material which varies from the original (or current) teachings of Victor Anderson is not part of the actual tradition. Being the GrandMaster of Feri, the initiatory lineage of each practitioner traces ultimately back to him. He is, in one sense, the origin of our tradition, being responsible for bringing it into the world at large, through his teaching and training of others who have carried the power outward to share with even more. Does this mean that material and insights created and used by other initiates of Feri should be viewed as being separate from the tradition itself? If we are practicing a tradition that is at it's core an energetic relationship with the Feri power/Deities, then we cannot expect the outer forms to remain unchanged if we want the tradition to evolve and flourish. By asserting that we must always use the same outer form constitutes a type of dogmatic thinking that is dangerous in a shamanic tradition. To do so requires that we invalidate the unique experiences that we have when mediating the Gods; powers that are very real and alive.

The Feri power when mediated into the world through each of us, takes on other forms as deemed by the power, the Deities, and of course the individual practitioner themselves. To expect it to always conform to earlier forms/teachings is to deny it's very real life-force; it's ability to evolve as we each come to understand it's beauty and simple complexity. Without the outer forms of ritual, invocation, and symbolism, we are left with only one thing that defines us as Feri: our relationship with the energetic current. It is this point that marks the validity of our tradition; we are Feri because we are of Feri; we have been remade into willing vessels of its' power. It must, by it's deeply personal nature, touch each of us differently. It is these differences which, I believe, validate the path, not detract from it. By sharing our experience and perspectives with each other we become stronger for it. May we have the courage to always do so

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