Who am I, and why do I do this?
My name is Daniela Simina. I was born in Romania, in a culture where zâne, the Romanian fairies, feature prominently. I grew up with fairytales and stories of encounters with fairy-beings told to me by my sweet and magical Grandmother. Grandma, herself a skilled medicine woman, was also my first teacher in the witchy arts. Like her, I could see things invisible to others which has its own advantages but also plenty of disadvantages. I can't help thinking, who knows what would had happened to me without her love and support?
Magic and fairies were thus part of my formative years under Grandma's watchful eye. She diligently oversaw my becoming a healer, guided me and shared with me what she knew about the amazing, difficult, and oftentimes dangerous magical path - a path that included, of course, fairies.
When I remained entirely by myself, I realized that a path involving fairies, spirits, deities, can be painfully solitary and disorienting. In the pre-internet era, access to information was difficult. I was also living in a society frowning upon mystical and occult pursuits. This set of circumstances together with the desire to fit made me at some point turn my back on the magical path Grandma had opened for me. How different the situation could have been be if instead of being alone I had a small community to share and talk openly about all things pertaining to fairies? How diferent my life could have turned if I did not silenced my own voice from fear of ridicule, judgement and even persecution? (Sigh...)
Those years are far behind but my desire for a community is as strong as it has always been. "Whispers in the Twilight" is the kind of space I wish I had back then, the space and the kind of community that I have been longing for. I believe that I'm not the only one who feels this way.
About two decedes ago, fairies and ancestral deities called me back to the path I had abandoned. I resisted for sometime but eventually gave in. Information was no longer scarce or unavailable, quite the opposite, which created a new dilemma: in seeking to regrow my fairy-centered practice and needing some guidance, what sources shall I trust? Fortunately, chance or luck guided (2) in the right direction. I crossed (cyber)paths with Morgan Daimler, scholar and researcher of fairy lore and folklore, translator of Old Irish, distinguished teacher and writer. I had the good fortune to encounter Seo Helrune whose work in the area of Norse-Germanic paganism broadened my horizon. I connected with other scholars and researchers of folklore and cultural anthropology who have inspired my work and my spiritual path. (3)
Why are spaces such as "Whispers in the Twilight" important? I believe that through education, sharing resources and learning from one another people expand their understanding of fairy traditions and gain a more realistic view of relationships between humans and fairies. In my view, the relationship between fairies and humans is, or should be, symbiotic . Through educating ourselves about Fairy(4) we can establish relationships that are mutually beneficial as well as safe, for how safe can be all things involving fairies.(5)
In their book "Living Fairy", Morgan Daimler discusses the need for re-enchanting the world. On the one hand, enchantment is already here and humans only need to tune it to experience it. On the other hand, over the past centuries things have gotten out of balance. Religios radicalism coupled with aggressive materialism marginalized fairy-related traditions while also altered dramatically the socio-economic landscape. As a result, fairies themselves have been pushed farther out from both physical landscape and living traditions. Our world fell for this and other reasons out of balance. To restore balance there is an acute need to bring the fairies, the ostracized Other, back into this world.
"My view has always been that to achieve this re-enchantment of our world we need only to change how we perceive it because it is plenty of enchantment here already.... I believe now that it is essential that we actively seek to bring the Other into our world and that it is essential for us to return our world to a state of balance with the Otherworld by opening the way again."
(Morgan Daimler, "Living Fairy: Fairy Witchcraft and Star Worship", Moon Books, 2020)
Personally, I couldn't agree more.
As far as interactions and partnerships with Fairy in my own experience , some things do align with the lore while some other things not so much. Nonetheless, I firmly believe that learning the lore that is authentic to whatever culture we may be interested in is critically important. Aside from my own experiences regarding fairies - zâne, iele, the Othercrowd, Good Neighbors or Hidden People, I do pay attention to the lore and traditions surrounding them. It is like building an edifice, which is how I regard a practice structured around Them. I start with a solid foundation which combines both personal experience and century-old lore and practices then add layers of learning and experimentation.
To give a personal example (6): I was born and grew up in Romania surrounded by fairy lore and interacting with the land and with various kinds of fairy beings. I know that the Fairy folk and spirits from Romanian land factor into my spiritual inheritance(7). It makes sense for me to keep learning the lore of the native zâne/iele, continue to study Romanian traditions related to fairies and to incorporate such elements in both my writing and my spiritual practice.
I am now live in North America. As a transplant to this land, I seek to establish healthy relationships with the spirit of the place where I live, with the local fairy or fairy-like beings, which are my neighbors. But I don't feel called to focus my research entirely on the fairy beings native to this land, nor do they tug at my heart the same way as the Hidden People or elves do. However, I am bound to show the native fairy-beings respect and I do so through learning about local fairy lore, not appropriating native practices, and acknowledging Them each time I make offerings and hold rituals. (8)
Personal altar dedicated to An Dagda. Photo by Daniela Simina, 2019
The Irish side of my relationship with fairies is in a sense a little bit more complicated. For now, suffice to say that a number of occurrences made me aware of a connection that I have with Irish and Norse-Germanic traditions. The Good People, an euphemism used in reference to Irish fairies (9), and the Hidden People or elves became preeminent in my practice. As a child, I had some exposure to German traditions and folklore, but I didn't grow up stepped into Irish culture. I did connect deeper with both of these later in my life. It is precisely this connection, this awareness that I gained later in my life that prompts me to diligently study all the Irish and Scandinavian folklore and fairy-related material I can lay my hands on, educate myself on Irish culture and learn at lest some of the language.
As I learn more about the fairy lore of the past, my understanding of Them in the present expands and so do my abilities to connect, communicate and partner up.
There's nothing more enchanted and fulfilling to me than walking the Fairy path. It blends syncretic with my daily life. It shows up in my being a mother, spouse, friend, teacher, healer. It makes me who I am, oftentimes through fiercely challenging me, but I wouldn't want it otherwise.
"Whispers in the Twilight" is a little corner of my world which I'm very, very happy to share. I hope this space will grow through participation of readers like yourself. I greatly appreciate comments, questions and suggestions on what you would like to read about here.
See you soon,
Daniela Simina
(1)The word 'Faith' as it is used here has no religious connotation whatsoever; it simply means believing in the existence of fairy beings.
(2)I am a polytheistic pagan of Irish and Norse-Germanic persuasion. I practice my own version of Fairycraft which is based on my personal experience, Romanian, Irish and Norse-Germanic fairy traditions, and Morgan Daimler's work.
(3)See 'Resources' at the end of the article.
(4)I will use Fairy capitalized, in reference to the Otherworldly spaces where fairy beings of many kinds dwell. More on Fairy, fairies, and Otherworld in future posts.
(5)I personally don't subscribe to the idea that all fairies are nature spirits, cute and minute, nor to the homocentric model that present fairies exclusively as helpers to the humankind. More on fairy nature, appearance, and relationships with humans in a future post.
(6)I use a lot of personal examples not because they are any more special or "better" than other people's experiences; it is simple due to the fact that I can understand my experiences at a level deep enough to venture explaining them to others. I would not feel comfortable doing this with other people's experiences: it holds the risk of me becoming judgmental or biased or simply not having the right understanding.
(7)The crossover between fairies/zâne/Na Daoine Maithe and the dead will be the subject of a separate post. This aside, I do not support any kind racial and supremacist views, and any such voice will be banned from this page.
(8)Offerings of food, water, art, poetry, dance, song, incense etc, are part of my devotional practice. More on offerings in a future post on how to establish and maintain relationships with the fairy beings.
(9)In Ireland and in Romania euphemisms are deemed as appropriate when talking about fairies. In Irish, Na Daoine Maithe translates as the Good People. In Romanian, Iele/iele is the appellative used for zâne; not really an euphemism, iele translates as Themselves/Them.
(10) In Older Irish, Aes Sidhe translates approximately as the Shining Ones, and also as People of the Mounds. This is in reference to the fact that after Ireland was invaded by the Milesians, on of the Celtic tribes moving across Europe during Bronze Age, the local gods, or race of super-humans went down into the mounds, Neolithic Burial sides, to live with the Na Daoine Maithe, becoming part of the fairies of Ireland, especially as fairy kings and queens. For example, the Irish god An Dagda, literally The Good God, the god good at everything, is also known as the king of fairies in Ireland. This does not implies necessarily a hierarchical subordination as we sill discuss in a future article that analyzes fairy kings and queens in Irish and Romanian lore.
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Resources:
Morgan Daimler:
https://lairbhan.blogspot.com/2019/ and https://www.facebook.com/morgandaimlerauthor
Jenny Buttler:
https://www.facebook.com/DrJennyButler and http://drjennybutler.com
Dr. Simon Young:
https://www.facebook.com/The-Fairy-Investigation-Society-928941547185066
Lora O'Brien:
https://www.facebook.com/TheIrishPaganSchool and https://irishpaganschool.com
Jon O'Sullivan:
https://irishpaganschool.com and https://www.facebook.com/groups/514274122282006
Mael Brigde:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1589353934650280/user/100004311310895
Orlagh Minxie Costello:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/318562765289760
https://mybrigidsforge.com/2021/08/13/stress-management/?fbclid=IwAR2B8HahmfhmykN_o8Qf8ds3c8KvpJhR9NdZUw-syoFHusFRa2Zg0i1DFWM
Seo Helrune https://seohelrune.com/category/blog/
