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

your centre, and return the energy back to the above and below, thanking the land and its spirits for the experience. Sit with the experience for a while, and make any notes that you wish. A drink and a small bite to eat, or rubbing your hands in salt, should ground you. Though everyday life cannot be conducted in this intense level of awareness, your everyday awareness and sensitivity will naturally be expanded. This exercise can and should be repeated on a reasonably regular basis and in different locations.

Suggested Activities

Practice

Perform the exercise Walking in Awareness as featured above at least once during this month. If possible, try doing it during different phases of the moon, and make notes on any differences in energy and experiences.

Experiment

Experiment with a number of different dowsing techniques, and compare results. Find a simple technique that works best for you.

Create

Using the techniques covered in this chapter, find a natural object that you feel will help you connect to your Faery ally. For example, if your ally seems particularly earthy, you may choose a stone, pebble, or piece of wood, or if they seem connected to the element of air, perhaps a feather, and so on. Obviously, if there is a definite combining of elements, you may choose to combine a couple different items. Be sure to reach out to the spirits of place with your heart and mind and ask permission before you take anything, and leave something in its place if it feels necessary.

Now you may choose to embellish your object as much or as little as you like, to empower it with a personal creative touch. Perhaps if a symbol comes to mind that relates to your ally, you could paint it onto your item, or you could decorate it in any way that seems appropriate to you, bearing in mind keeping it as natural and organic as possible.

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chapter four

Honour

“The nature of those spirits, or Elves, is they are affected with and Love all those that Love them, & hate all those that hate them; yea they Know both our minds & thoughts in a great measure, whereby it comes to pass, that we may Easily Move them to come to us, if we Rightly understand the Rules thereof.”

The seventeenth-century Sloane MS 3825

In this chapter we will look at ways we can best honour our relationship with Faery and the world around us. This most important quality, so often neglected in our modern consumerist society, is connected to the sun and the direction of within. The symbolism of this assignation in itself says much about the focus of these pages. The sun represents the centre of our spiritual being and our own innate divinity. Just as the actual sun brings light, warmth, and life to the world, dispelling shadows of illusion, so we should draw on and express that energy within ourselves, casting off lies, doubts, betrayal, and deception to shine with an inner light of truth and honour. If we live our lives true to this inner radiance, then the Faery beings, spirits of place, and ancient gods will sense it and respond accordingly.

Here we will cover in detail the all-important subjects of shrine building and offerings, as well as a reminder of the importance of etiquette when dealing with Faery.

Shrines

To create a permanent sacred space that honours your Faery allies and strengthens your connection with them, you may wish to build a shrine, either within a special designated area of your home or (more appropriately for work with Faery) in an outdoor space. This can be as subtle and minimalist or as extravagant and over the top as you like—it is your personal expression of your devotion to Faery.

A shrine becomes a focal point for your interactions with Faery. Through regular use and leaving of offerings, it will become a meeting point between the worlds, and Faery beings and elemental spirits will be attracted to it. For this reason, if you choose or are compelled by circumstance to build your shrine within your home, do try to keep it as far as physically possible from any electrical items, especially computers! Not only will they play havoc with your equipment, but the electrical energy interferes with their ability to interact with you clearly as well. Imagine it as being rather like static noise or crossed lines on a telephone.

A common problem that some people have is that they share their space with people who may not be very understanding of their beliefs. Your shrine can be a simple as a painting or a single statue on a table or shelf. If it serves as a point of focus and you can regularly burn a candle or some incense near it, it can be just as potent a shrine as the most flamboyantly decorated creation.

Most shrines tend to build up over time around a main focal point, for which I recommend a statue, painting, or photograph. If there is a painting or photograph that transports you or that gives you feelings or impressions when you spend time looking at it, that will be perfect. Be creative and let yourself be inspired; shrine building can be fun!

Candles (remember never to leave them burning unattended), statues, crystals, stones, and objects collected from nature can combine to make a beautiful sacred space. You may also choose to keep your Faery Craft tools on your shrine (more about these in the next chapter), as once they have been dedicated you would be well advised to keep them in a special place and not let others touch them (unless you feel called to do so or it is under special circumstances). Certainly if you have space it is a good idea to have representations of the four elements on your shrine. Although you will probably accumulate all kinds of bits and bobs over time and your shrine may become quite abundant (cluttered), try to keep it as clean and