Faery Craft: Weaving Connections with the Enchanted Realm by Carding, Emily (sad books to read .TXT) 📗

to exit the bottom of your lungs first, leaving the rib cage expanded until the last of the air is expelled. Now try this again, but with a humming sound. Settle on a note that feels comfortable and resonant within your body. You may feel your back and chest or perhaps even other parts of your body vibrate. When you have found this note, allow your humming to become stronger and increase in volume. This can all happen over as many breaths as you need it to, but remember to take good, deep breaths and keep your rib cage expanded. When you are ready, open your mouth and allow the humming sound to expand into a vowel sound, any vowel sound that comes.

When you are confident in this technique, allow the note and vowel sounds to vary, and you’ll soon find yourself bringing through simple and powerful melodies. However, you don’t need to use your voice to sing tunes; the act of finding your true resonant note is a powerful exercise in itself. All things in existence vibrate at different frequencies and join together to create the harmony of the song of the universe. By performing this exercise we are consciously joining the song and expressing our true spiritual self.

When you have found your voice, allow it to emerge out in nature, carrying the intent of connection. Picture your voice carrying a golden light from your centre that extends out like a web to touch all the life around you. Know that you are a part of the land and that the land is part of you, and allow your voice to celebrate this knowledge.

The Elements and Elemental Beings

Different cultures around the world have interpreted, categorised, and divided the elements in different ways according to their understanding. The Western Mystery tradition, which is based on the teachings of ancient Greece and Egypt, uses a system of four elements. These elements are air, fire, water, and earth, and they are considered to be the building blocks of physical existence.

Although many Faery beings are often slightly inaccurately referred to in a number of modern works as elementals, like us, they are normally composed of more than one element (although they may show strong inclinations towards one in particular). The true elementals are the spiritual expression of the elements in their purest form. They were first called elementals by the medieval scholar and occultist Paracelsus, but the recognition of spiritual beings of the elements dates back to ancient history. The elementals are not part of the Faery races as such, but connection and awareness of them and the interaction of elements both around and within you are important parts of Faery Craft, as they are an intrinsic part of the natural world. Awareness of the elemental beings, who are immanent and active in our physical realm, can lead to greater awareness of our mutual Faery cousins.

Laura Daligan, “The Lady of the Lake”

(www.lauradaligan-art.com)

Sylphs

Sylphs are the elementals of air and are often described as taking a beautiful, winged humanoid form. In fact, sylphs are closer in appearance to the popular idea of Faery beings than most faeries themselves! The energy of the sylphs can be most keenly felt in high places, where the earth meets the sky, or in the great winds of a storm. Keeping personal safety in consideration, standing in a storm and allowing the elements to rage around you is a powerful way to feel the presence of these elementals. Sylphs enjoy the sound of woodwind instruments and the human voice, so this is one way you could try to attract their energies. Morning is the most favourable time of day to contact this elemental.

Salamanders

The elementals of fire are known as salamanders, yet they should not be confused with their physical amphibian counterparts. Though they have been known to take reptilian, almost draconic, form, they can appear in various guises. You may experience them as sparks, tongues or balls of fire, or even as I once did: as incredibly ornate wings with beautiful patterns of fiery colours.

Open your awareness whilst standing in the presence of a mighty bonfire to experience the power of these elementals. One way of attracting the attention of salamanders is to sing or play a stringed instrument whilst sitting by the fire or in the midday sun. Something simple, like an Appalachian dulcimer, can make lovely sounds even if you have no musical training. Sometimes simple is best!

Undines

Undines, also known as nymphs, are the elementals of water. Like sylphs, they take the appearance of beautiful humanoids (though wingless) and are generally female and seductive in nature. In folklore there are many tales of their kind interacting with and even marrying humans, this romantic element seeming appropriate for a being that consists entirely of the element associated with our emotions. Since most of the human body is water, perhaps this is why we can relate so intimately with them?

If you can find time to sit by a rushing river or a waterfall, listen and pay close attention to feel the presence of the beautiful undines. If you can sit by water at sunset and play bells or perhaps a singing bowl, this is a good way to attract the attention of undines. Like sylphs, they also love song.

Gnomes

Gnomes are the elementals of earth, and in my experience they are the closest among the elementals to Faery beings, sharing many of the same qualities and in practice being often indistinguishable to the point of wondering why we try to distinguish at all between them. Theirs is the underground realm of soil, stone, and minerals, as well as the roots of growing things. You may experience their presence when spending time in peace and stillness in the roots of a tree surrounded by woodland, or on the side of a mountain where the heartbeat of earth can be most profoundly felt. To attract the attention of gnomes, try playing a drum out in the woods at dusk or