I always speak for my own personal experience and belief, so I will be explaining to the best of my ability what I practice and believe.
I work with the hidden folk, sometimes called fairies or elves, and have been welcomed into their fold.
I guess it's sort of introduction to this concept might be needed.
There are many parallel stories in cultures all across time and space that mention a hidden world full of mysterious people, from the elves of the ancient Norse to the fairies of Ireland. And many other cultures that I don't have as much knowledge of at the moment, so I will just speak on what I do know.
In Irish lore, fairies are not the cutesy little Disney creatures that many think of, but neither are they the vicious monsters that tear people apart that people often think of as well, swinging the pendulum all the way to the other side. They're just people, each with their own habits, some solitary and some in groups, some attached to this world and some not as much. Some can be small, and some can be akin to gods.
They are naturally hard to define and they like it that way but things that tend to run through all of the hidden folk or that they-
Are beings from another world, not this one.
Enjoy contradiction, doing things reverse to humans, embracing duality and juxtaposition and grayness
Enjoy beauty, and even feed off of it
Are not necessarily of nature, but often dwell within it
Feet off of humans in some way. This is not a requirement Many are entirely separate from humans and have no interest in US
Some live alongside humans and are curious about our activities.
They rarely show themselves, except to a select few. Even those who seen them do not see them fully in all the time, except perhaps with rare exception. We get glimpses and signs.
When they do manifest, it is often as Small wonders, like knocking on the walls where there could be none, disembodied sounds, snatches of voices and music
It is extremely rare that a human ever gets a full look. I would say impossible. This seeking, this mysticism of wondering and wondering and winding and always looking for more, is also part of the path.
They are very fond of masks, costumes, disguise, and intrigue, always changing up how they present themselves
They experience time differently from humans, not in a linear fashion, but perhaps it's something that they can move through as easily as space. They have zoomed out and have a much better understanding of the working of the world because they have lived longer.
and are with us through many lives if we work with them
They also adhere to certain beliefs that I will expand on.
So the first element of fairy faith that I guess I have tried to explain has been what a fairy even is. Please do not consider this a definition, but just a couple common threads.
So then what is fairy faith?
This is to exist in communion with the fair folk. This is to share in their ways and their knowledge, to live with them. This is to honor what they honor- beauty, art, science, poetry, the stars and the cosmos and the universe.
The fair folk honor the harmony of everything, the Great cycles of all that exists. This can be seen in the archetype of the spider, the Weaver of the Stars. She has many arms and many eyes, is delicate and careful, as well as extremely powerful. I would venture to say that this is a main god.
We also honor the fire. This is the Promethean flame of knowledge, life, creation. It is a sacred duty to witness, to experience, to preserve, and to pass on this fire. We hold on to stories and wisdom and see that they live on.
Wonder is so important. Living with these folk ads childlike awe back into your life. I swear it is the key that I was searching for my entire childhood and adolescence, the secret sauce that makes life worth living.
For me, I cannot live without this magic and the Wonder, and this is what it is like to be of the fairy faith. There is a need and a craving, at least for me, experienced all through life. Every time I found a bit of folklore that hinted at the greater truth, I felt a surge of energy and life through me.
I'm just so happy that we found each other, and that the spirits have chosen me, in their ways.
Lastly, I would like to mention that another major belief is that this world is temporary. I think of the physical world as a small film on a well of much deeper mystery and beauty. We are so small and there is so much more to everything. It keeps you humble.
What is destroyed in this world lives on in the next, in its most beautiful and perfect form. This could be called heaven, or elphame, where the hidden folk live. Sometimes, human dead are fortunate enough to live in this world after they pass on. I find that that is often reserved for those who have worked with them in this life, or are chosen or marked to be with the hidden folk.
So, we honor the cycles of everything, hold on to the flame of knowledge, know that this world is not all there is, and live in close proximity with the hidden world. That's a pretty good overview for now.
