Faery Lore 

Lore / Faery Types / Elemental Faeries / Attract Faeries / Faery Garden / Garden Dedication

Lore

Beltane is the time when nature comes alive and the Spirits of Nature are most active. It is the time when faeries are most likely to be seen. Faery folk, or the fae, are an ancient race of people who lived in the British Isles long before the Celts or the Anglo-Saxons arrived. They are believed to have descended from the Tuatha De Danann (the tribe of the goddess Dana), a magickal race who flew into Ireland in ships descending from the clouds on Beltane. They came from the four great magickal cities -- Falias, Gorias, Finias and Murias -- and brought with them the four great treasures; the Lia Fail (Stone of Destiny), the sword of Lugh, a magic spear, and the cauldron of the Dagda.

It was from these cities that the Tuatha De Dananns learned all their knowledge, skills and magick. Indeed the De Dananns were said to be unmatched in their knowledge and beauty. From them, comes the vast majority of Gods and Goddesses of the Irish Pantheon.

The enchanted dimension of Faery has existed side by side with our human one for thousands of years. It is said that there was once a time when the human and Faery worlds were one. But legend tells that our human ancestors became trapped in the physical world. They became less and less aware of what was hidden just beyond their physical sight, and the vision of the Faery became lost to them.

Types of Faeries

Elemental Faeries

The idea of calling the elements into our circles is a carry over from the days when the faeries were asked to participate in our magick. But elemental faeries are not merely the four alchemical elements of earth, air, fire, and water. We do them and ourselves a great disservice when we merely call them to witness our circles. These faeries have personality and individuality. They are fully sentient beings with feelings and rights. Think of that the next time you call them to your circle. It will greatly enhance your experience. Elemental faeries can, and often will, aid human work, ritual, and magick if approached properly.

The artwork to the left is "The Pathseekerr" by Renee Yates

 Faery
Direction, Element
What they do
Gnomes 
North, Earth
 Givers of material gain and stability. The rulers of the forest. Protectors
of outdoor circles and groves. Seen as "Little People" or green
light.
 Sylphs
East, Air
 Givers of wishes, knowledge and dreams. Delicate beings with beautiful
wings. Protectors of magickal applications. Seen as "faeries"
or white light.
 Salamanders
South, Fire
Givers of passion and creativity. The rulers of fields and fire. Protectors
hearth, home, or business. Seen as dragons, lizards, or blue flames.
 Undines
West, Water
Givers of love and friendship. The rulers of all water. Protectors of the
gates of death and karma. Seen as merpeople, sirens or bright pink lights.

Attracting Faeries

Beltane and Midsummer are two particularly good times to contact the Faery world. The Faery spirit is the great force of energy moving through all things, empowering our magick.

The fae are shy creatures, made so by years of mistreatment and misunderstanding by humans. They are jealous of the physical world which contain the living, breathing, trees and plant life they so love and have so carefully reproduced in their own world. Our callous treatment of nature infuriates them.

You must work first to win their trust. Plant a faery garden as a refuge for the little folk. Leave a corner of it wild and uncultivated. Leaving out gifts of food and treasures for them is a good first step. They love ground ginger, barley, sweets, cream, and anything that glitters. Also clean water, butter, wine, honey, and bread. Never toss out faery libations like you would food for wild animals. They consider this very disrespectful. Make up a little basket of your offerings and leave them on your step, in your garden, or under a tree. Favorite faery stones are tiger's eye, peridot, jade, lava, fluorite, and especially emerald. Don't expect these gifts to disappear, as faeries are able to extract the spiritual essence of our physical gifts to them (so be sure to leave them in love and with deep respect.) You will, however, have to replace these gifts often in order to keep the faery folk hanging around.

The Faery Garden

Whatever you do to bring life to your garden will bring faeries as well. First of all, plant plants that attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. This will also attract the fae. So put up hummingbird feeders, bird feeders, bird baths, bird houses, even bat houses. Small fountains, ponds, faery statues, or waterfalls are all good.

Here's a short list of plants that attract faeries to your garden:

Common yarrow, Achillea millefolium
New York aster, Aster novi-belgii
Shasta daisy, Chrysanthemum maximum
Western giant hyssop or horsemint, Agastache occidentalis
French lavender, Lavendula dentata
Rosemary, Rosemarinus officinalis
Thyme, Thymus
Fountain butterfly bush, Buddleia alternifolia
Orange-eye butterfly bush, summer lilac, Buddleia davidii
Shrubby cinquefoil, Potentilla fruitiosa
Common garden petunia, Petunia hybrida
Verbenas, vervains, Verbena
Pincushion flowers, Scabiosa caucasica
Cosmos, Cosmos bipinnatus
Common zinnia, Zinnia elegans

They also love the following plants and trees:

foxglove, primrose, ragwort, cowslips, pansies, bluebells, clover (3-leaf, not 4-leaf), St. John's wort, hazel, rowan, blackthorn, oak, willow, elder, birch, alder, apple, ash, and especially toadstools.

Dedicating the Faery Garden

Once the garden is started, you might want to ritually dedicate it as a Faery garden sanctuary. Begin by walking the around the garden with an athame pointed at its boundaries (much like casting a circle). Then sprinkle the perimeter of the garden with a branch of fir dipped in salted spring water. Finally, walk the boundaries of the garden with a lighted incense stick. (It can be left to burn in the ground when you finish.) Then with a wand of hazel, slowly walk around the garden greeting each plant with words like:

Spirits of the (insert plant name),
I welcome your presence in the garden.

Feel your love flow from your heart, down your wand, and out the end of the wand. Be sure to welcome all plants, stones, and trees. (Nature spirits are easily offended.) Conclude your ritual with these words:

In the name of the Goddess and the God,
I declare this garden a sanctuary
For the spirits of nature
And the children of the Gods.

When you are finished, leave a gift -- cookies, soda, ale, cream, or bright, shiny things like rings, beads, or stones.
from Ancient Ways by Campanelli

Visit the Faery Garden, a delightful site dedicated to the faeries.

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