Thursday, July 13, 2023

Blending Fairy Apotropaic Elements in Home Design and Décor

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What this post is about

Whether rewarding lavishly, or mercilessly punishing trespassers, capable of influencing   weather, crops, and people’s fortune, fairies– going by different names in different cultures- are forces to reckon with. Every culture in Europe and North America has fairy lore that speaks of encounters between humans and denizens of Fairy. Such encounters, sometimes accidental but many times sought on purpose, had various kinds consequences, ranging from fortuitous to outright disastrous for the humans involved. 

 

Based on necessity, humans learned to propitiate the presence of goodly inclined fairy beings while keeping the less benevolent ones at bay. Both, inviting fairy blessings and repelling fairy presences were once part of every sector of activity and stage of life: birth, marriage, death, farming activities, healing, financial security, relationships with neighbors, and expelling enemies to claim sovereignty over land. When building houses, it was thus only natural for people to consider the range of fairy impact, and incorporate both propitiatory and apotropaic elements in the house structure and home décor. 

 

This is an overview of how propitiatory and apotropaic elements targeting fairies were and still are incorporated in home building and decorating in various cultural traditions. The presentation includes practical ideas about incorporating such elements into modern-day home design and décor.  


 

What is not covered in this post

I will not go through the whole array of possible mishaps resulting from fairy encounters taking place outside the bounds of someone’s property, like random encounters in the woods or while traveling on lonely roads for example. Nor am I going detail what happens when people intrude fairy places, spy on fairies, or join fairy parties or partake from fairy food. I am limiting the discussion to only what can possibly occur, fairy-related, good and bad, within the bounds of one’s property and mainly inside the household.

 

Who are the fairies?

I believe that it is necessary to first explain the use of the word fairies. In the context of this discussion, the word fairiescovers loosely those beings who appear humanlike or are humanoid, have various degrees of corporeality, have magical powers, and inhabit a world adjacent to the humans’ world. (Daimler, 2027; O’Brien 2021) In certain places or times, the boundaries between their world and ours thin out resulting in a more noticeable fairy presence on our side.




The term fairy is typically used in the English-speaking cultures (Young, 2017) in the same way as the elves are typical to Germanic and Scandinavian areas, Little People, Yunwi Tsundsi, are the fairy-like beings known to the Cherokee Nation (Lossiah, 1998), and Sânziene and Iele are the Romanian equivalent of the English fairies and Scandinavian elves. So, please keep in mind that I am using here the word fairy generically, because it would be impossible to name every type of being each time it makes it into conversation.

 

“Good” Fairies? “Bad” Fairies?

Victorian age literature and the subsequent children literature introduced the infantilized fairy, small, cute, winged, and relatively harmless. The nineteenth century Spiritualist movement, which had a massive influence on the development of modern witchcraft and Neo-Paganism, reduced fairies to elementals, spirits not fully developed and inferior to humans.  (Doyle, 2019; Rudbøg, 2019) These views are largely at odds with the hundreds of years of recorded fairy lore and with recent testimonials about fairy encounters. (Magliocco, 2019; Seo Helrune, 2016; Simina, 2023) However, differently from the lore recorded in a distant past, modern accounts of fairy encounters tend to be more positive overall. Does this mean that fairy nature has changed so much in time to make protective measures redundant?  Let’s once again remember that in talking about fairies - any kind, any culture – blanket statements do not apply. 




What kind dangers could fairies pose?

-A very old belief encountered in both Irish and Romanian lore, is that of fairies’ ability to interfere with crops. Fairies can make crops scarce or destroy them. (Evans-Wentz 2011; Pócs, 1989) In Ireland, fairy winds can pick up bales of hay and dump them far away (Lenihan, 2004)

- Irish lore and lore from the Cape Breton area in Canada is littered with stories that show fairies’ proclivity to mess up with farm animals: stealing, killing, riding them to exhaustion, braiding or entangling manes are examples of what fairies can do to cattle and horses. (Munson, 2021; Evans-Wentz, 2011; Lenihan, 2004; School Collection, Volume 1118, Page 231)

- Fairies can ride horses to exhaustion, steal cows, milk and butter. (Lenihan, 2004; Evans-Wentz, 1911)

-Fairies are known to disturb people in their homes, oftentimes because the house has been positioned on a fairy path, but also without any obvious reason. (Lenihan, 2004; Daimler 2017; Chronicle Books, 2019)

-The lore is littered with stories of fairy stealing babies, and sometimes leaving a substitute in place. (Daimler, 2027; Lenihan, 2004; Simina, 2023)

-Irish, Scottish, and Anglo-Saxon material has countless accounts about fairies stealing nursing women. (Lenihan, 2004; Kirk, Lang, 2018)

-Another theme well represented across folklore is that of fairies stealing brides, young women and children from households or immediate surroundings (Rieti, 1991, Evans-Wentz, 2011)


 

Are there any “good” fairies?

-From listening to fairy folklore from pretty much everywhere, we learn about what fairies could give to humans.

-Protection for mothers and babies. There are accounts of fairy familiars and at least on one occasion a fairy queen being present when women give birth and gifting newborns good luck, great beauty, or special talents (Evans-Wentz, 2011; Lenihan, 2004; Daimler, 2017, Wilby, 2022)

-Fairies oftentimes reward courage, fairness, cleverness by granting good luck, health, and beauty. 

-Fairies may come to the aid of a financially stranded human. In Irish lore there are stories of fairies giving gold coins to people to help them avoid eviction. Fairies instructed these people to dispose of the gold according to the purpose it was given for. Humans who did as they were told turned out well, but the greedy landlords ended up with gingerbread or dry leaves instead of the gold coins they cashed. Humans who held onto the gold instead of using it right away, also ended up with a pocketful of leaves. (Lenihan, 2004)

- Fairy allies can protect the household against malevolent fairies. Even within the same culture, fairies are not one homogenous population. There are oftentimes rival factions, and humans finding themselves in the good graces of some types of fairies are not guaranteed diplomatic immunity everywhere in the Otherworld. In a crisis situation the intervention of fairy allies could save the day. Some fairies protect certain communities of people while acting predatory toward others (Pócs, 1989; Kligman, 1981)

- Fairies can gift food or other supplies that would never run out unless some taboo or vow of secrecy is broken (Lenihan, 2004; Daimler 2017; The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1098, Page 288)  

- Fairies help farmers by increasing fertility in farm animals, make these animals give large amounts of milk, and increase a household’s butter production. To us, especially those living in the city, these gifts may not seem in any way special.  But for people living on farms in a time when survival depended entirely of domestic production having more calves and ewes, sheep giving more wool, and surplus milk and butter were all very significant. Icelandic and Irish lore have many stories of elves and fairy beings granting humans such gifts. (Brown, 2022; Sigmundsottir, 2019) 

-In some cultures, fairies are known for blessing herbs to be used in healing and magic, and for making crops more abundant. Agrarian societies held rituals to both acknowledge the help received as well as to propitiate fairies’ benevolent attention. These rituals still exist albeit not as widespread as they were in a remote past. (Ghinoiu, 2020; Pócs, 1989; Simina, 2023)

-Fairies may grant the gift of musical talent, prophecy, or knowledge of healing (Wilby, 2022;

Lenihan 2004; Daimler 2017) 



Are fairy traditions a thing of the past?

When talking about fairies and fairy-related traditions, we tend to use the past tense and cast these into a “once upon a time” kind of timeframe. But fairy encounters occur today as they did in the past, and more people break the silence and talk about these encounters. Fairy seers albeit rare are still present. (Vivod, 2018; Simina, 2023; Wilby, 2022)

 

Although the materialism and pragmatism of the modern age exacted a toll on the spiritual lives of many, it did not obliterate fairy traditions. One of the reasons fairy traditions didn’t die out is people clinging onto them due to necessity; such is the case of practices that pertain to protection, and rituals related to the agrarian calendar. Some things are just too obvious to deny their objectivity, and too important to renounce even under pressure.



Fairies in North America. 

At this point, I believe the emerging question to be about the usefulness and practicality of the information discussed so far: how is this type of knowledge relevant for those living in North America (and in other parts of the world that have seen a large influx of immigrants), and how do fairy traditions, including the need for apotropaic measures, apply now?

 

“American folk magic and witchcraft is a crossroad of clashing cultures. Brought together by adversity, theft, enslavement, expansion, love, war and liberty, our culture as Americans is defined by our diversity, and our traditions of magic were birthed first by a synthesis of European, African and Indigenous spiritual beliefs and superstitions, and then later by all the many parts of the world” (Via Hedera, “Folkloric American Witchcraft and the Multicultural Experience”, p.53)

 

Let’s pause for a moment to ponder the words “...European, African and Indigenous … and… all the many parts of the world…” as they describe the sources of provenance - in this particular case- for fairy-related traditions. It is not only the lore and the stories that travel, but also the fairy-beings themselves. Unless they are bound in some way to certain features, natural or man-made, which they cannot or do not want to abandon, fairies accompany migrating humans. One such example is the large number of stories about the ban sidhe (banshee) following families of Irish immigrants to America. (Young, 2018)



Witches’ familiars are oftentimes from among fairies (as fairies have been defined in the beginning of this presentation). For example, from the records of the Witch Trials in Scotland, we learn that Tom Reid was Bessie Dunlop’s familiar, and he was a fairy man. (Wilby, 2022)

Colonial and post-Colonial America were weary of witches and feared the harm caused by witches directly and through their familiars (Hedera, 2021). These circumstances brought up the need for apotropaic measures against witches themselves and against their familiars, some of them fairies.


 

Apotropaic and Propitiatory Practices

So, what do people do to protect themselves, their families, and homes? 

Firstly, worth reminding that not all fairies act benevolently but not all fairies are malevolent by default, and some fairies actually become rather close to certain humans.

 

With such large spectrum to cover, one general rule is to make sure about offending no one. Sometimes this means putting some distance between us and them, but doing so in a way that would not be perceived as hostile or insulting. One way of doing this is leaving offerings for fairies at specific times, especially during holidays which bear fairy association. May Eve is an example of such a holiday. Offerings would be left at a distance from house and byre. 

 

We shall have in place protections that keep away any fairy who approaches with ill intent. In the same time, we would not want protections to repel indiscriminately. Both types of practice, apotropaic and propitiatory, have their place.



Old practices in modern garb

It goes without saying that we should know the local lore, the lore of the culture we seek to connect with, and know how our own fairy allies react to different things so won’t offend anybody by mistake. We want to make a place to feel inhospitable only for those fairies whom we seek to keep out. When working alongside fairy allies, one must be sure that whatever ingredient is used it has the allies’ seal of approval. We can meditate, journey, do divination, or take omens to find out whether the chosen ingredient is suited or not.  Fairy allies themselves could play important roles in defending us and our places against psychic threats of various kinds, so it is important not to upset them. (*At the end of the presentation, listed as Bonus Resource, there is a link to a meditation to connect with a fairy guide and interact with them on an as-needed basis) 



House fairies. For those who don’t currently have fairy allies but nurture an interest in building such connections, then the place to start is one’s own house. Houses have their own spirits and/or fairies. Kobold, tomte, brownie, are the names of household fairy-beings as they are known in German, Scandinavian, and English folklore. Bean tighe is a 21century creation derived from an Irish story of a fairy coming in to spin, causing chaos, and ultimately, the woman living in the house had to trick the fairy and her companions to get out. 


 

I did not come across any names used specifically for house fairies in America, except the generic hob (pl. hobs) common in the Anglosphere. Whatever you call the fairies in your house, it is a good idea to set up a little place for them somewhere in the kitchen, on the fireplace mantel, windowsill, or a shelf, and leave out offerings for them.  Offerings can be made daily or almost daily, weekly, or on specific occasions. Find out what works for you and for them, and if you promise to follow a certain schedule then you must abide. What you do for them doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive, but make it heartfelt.

 

House fairies don’t mind iron and, in my experience, not even salt. House fairies would be powerful allies who help protect the house and those who live in it. It is thus important to have their trust and support.

 

How does this relate to home décor though?  A crystal, a figurine or set of figurines, a painting, a flower vase, a bottle - any of these items could be both a nice addition to the space dedicated to house fairies, and a decorative piece for the living space.



 

Herbal protection for the house

Mugwort, Broom, Vervain, Basil, Rosemary, Juniper, Rowan, St John’s Wort (Sunnawort), are few herbs known quite universally for their apotropaic qualities. However, since fairies are such a diverse group, they are not all repelled or attracted by the same things. This is important to keep in mind because we wouldn’t want to repel those beings that we seek to keep close, and keep close whoever we wish to repel. 

 

St. John’s Wort for example, which I prefer to call Sunnawort (Gundarsson, 2021) is perceived differently by different fairy groups. Irish lore recommends it as protection against fairies in general. Romanian experience is slightly different: a major group of fairies that people petition for help are fond of this herb while inimical beings are strongly repelled by it. In Norse traditions, Sunnawort is favored by certain elves but it is deterring for some others (Gundarsson, 2007)

 

To make the right decision about what plant material to use, read the lore that is specific to the area where you live and to the culture you are engaging with. Oftentimes you will have to synthesize and adapt information you find in the older lore. Today we are much less separated, one human community from another. We do intermingle and exchange information more and faster than at any other time in the history, so the landscape that we operate in today is very different from the one in the past.  Check with the fairies in the house where you live if any of the above herbs bothers them. If it does, then leave it out or substitute with something else that has their approval. Ask your house fairies and/or other fairy allies that you have, to point you toward the herbs that are right for you and for them. 

 

Herbs and plant material can be fashioned into decorative bundles or potpourri dishes to display on tables, desks, or windowsills. These are pleasantly fragrant, and potpourris especially are unobtrusive enough to be kept in the office without drawing attention.  Spray bottles filled with infusion made from apotropaic herbs can be used in addition to or instead of bundles and potpourris. You can add roses, lavender, frankincense or any plant material that your fairy allies like to make the space welcoming for them. When spraying around, explicitly welcome your allies and demand that by the virtue of the herbs that you use and the power of your will no ill-meaning entity can approach. 



 

Another option is to have planters, pots, or herb gardens – your choice depends on the space you have at disposition. After consulting with fairy allies and house fairies, decide what do you wish to grow and where.  

 

Whether making herb bundles, spray bottles, or planting, address the plants themselves as sentient beings whom you invite into your space which you ask them to protect.

 

Fire is well known across the breadth of folklore for its purifying and protective properties. Irish lore recommends fire as apotropaic against fairies who would try to abduct babies, women in childbirth, and nursing mothers. 

 

But not every fairy-being is repelled by fire. House fairies are fine around fire because fire is an intrinsic part of the household life and the fairies’ environment. Fairy kings and queens are not repelled by fire either: Áine, Irish fairy Queen and Sânziana, Romanian Fairy Queen, are two such examples. (Simina, 2023) Norse lore talks about fairies who come in at night to warm themselves by the fire (Chronicle Books, 2019)

 

Generally speaking, fairies with a proclivity for causing harm are deterred by fire. This is also my personal observation: my own fairy allies receive well offerings which are tossed in the fire, come around the fireplace when the fire is lit, and come into the ritual space that I marked by carrying around a candle, torch, or censer with burning herbs.

 

Upon lighting the fire in patio firepits and indoor fireplaces, these can be consecrated for protection, for banishing those whom you seek to banish. You can sprinkle mugwort, Saint John’s Wort/ Sunnawort, Basil, Rosemary, Juniper into the flames. If you chose to do this, consecrate each herb accordingly.

 

To mellow just a little the “DO NOT ENTER” vibe so my own allies won’t take it personally, I sprinkle rose petals around or spray rosewater, which is a gift we agreed that I should make. There are other herbs that my fairy allies like, and I may sprinkle some of those as well. My point here is to making the space not only well guarded but also inviting for my own allies.


 

Candles can be used in the absence of, or in addition to, firepits and fireplaces. Candles can be home made and herbal ingredients can be incorporated in the wax. Candles may be purchased. In either case, check with your allies if the candle and the herbs it contains are not offensive to them.

 

Fire and herbs combine when using of incense or burning herbs on coals for clearing a space with smoke. Certain herbs or incense can be burned as offerings to allies.


Iron is one of the strongest known apotropaics. With very few exceptions, most fairies are averse to it. House fairies are not repelled by iron: there are many iron implements in the house and kitchen, and same as fire, iron is part of the house-fairies’ habitat. Because iron is so strongly repelling, it would be wise to check with fairy allies, other than house-fairies, if they are comfortable with you using it at all, and if yes, then in what spaces and circumstances.



If needed, iron can be included among home protection implements is the form of large nails driven in doorposts or gateposts, iron implements kept in plain sight, iron fences, iron porch decorations, etc.  In Irish lore horseshoes nailed above the doors are known to keep fairies away and bring in good luck. In Romania, to the best of my knowledge, fairies are not repelled by horseshoes, but horseshoes are still nailed above doors for good luck.

 

Salt is known as a powerful apotropaic, pretty universal in its uses. Salt can be incorporated in home décor in form of large chunks displayed in the same way as large crystals would be displayed. Salt lamps are also popular. However, because salt repels a broad spectrum of beings, it would be wise to check with fairy allies if they are bothered by salt.


 

Carvings with apotropaic purposes have been incorporated in both home building and decorating.  Best known are wood carvings that represent horses, sun-wheels, and ropes.

 

-Horses. In European folklore, horses bear strong fairy associations. The fairy procession known as the Wild Hunt in Germanic and Scandinavian areas for example, rides Otherworldly horses. Centaur-like fairy beings or fairy men riding horses (depending on which regional version is told) are a Romanian equivalent of the Wild Hunt. In ballad material, (Thomas the Rhymer, Tam Linn) fairy queens and their retinues ride horses. 

 

But, for reasons which remain obscure, horses can also deter certain fairy beings. In “Egil’s Saga”, Egil Skalagrimsson uses a níðstang to curse his enemies. The níðstang is a pole topped with a freshly cut horsehead. The pole is planted with one end in the ground and the horse head at its top turned toward the enemy. The runes engraved on the pole and the spoken curse address the land wights and elves, making them leave. Without the support of the land wights and elves the ruler of that land loses his power. (Sturluson, 1987) 

 

A similar practice is known in Romania. In old times, a pole topped with a horse skull was planted in the yard to ward off the very dangerous fairies known as Iele. With the passing of time the impaled horse skull was replaced by wooden roofbeams with their ends carved into horseheads. Window frames and windowsills were decorated with carved horse figures or horse heads to ward off malevolent fairies. (Kligman, 1981) The horsehead-shaped roof beams are still used in German communities in Romania, and in villages in Germany. (Dow, 2006)


 

While carving horseheads on roofbeams and placing horsehead-topped poles in the yard are not practical for us today, horse statues, paintings, and pictures function equally well. These would be not only beautiful decorative pieces in your home, but can be consecrated for protection. As always, know the lore, and check with your guides.


 


Sun-wheels carved on gate posts, door jambs and window frames, were and still are used not only for esthetic value but also for protection.


 

Norse lore mentions elves who are not bothered by sun and solar elements (solar herbs, such as Sunnawort), while others are repelled by those. Some fairy queens and kings have an affinity for the sun. As a general rule, fairies with a proclivity for ill are deterred by the sun and solar symbolism. The light of the sun is oftentimes evoked in ritual and when setting sacred space. Based on the same principle, the protective power of the sun can be invoked by bringing solar symbolism into home décor. Pictures or paintings of the sunrise and any kind of solar imagery brighten up the space and can be consecrated to work as apotropaics. 


 

-Ropes symbolize boundaries and binding. In magical work ropes are used to bind that which is undesired and needs to be stopped. They are used by some partitioners to mark the boundaries of the ritual space. Incorporated into home décor, ropes - textile threads or carvings - provide safe boundaries and magically bind the ill intent. In Romanian lore, the rope motif, together with solar symbolism and horse representations, was used to decorate different parts of the house and the fence surrounding the property not only for esthetic purposes but also to protect against ill-meaning fairies.  (Kligman, 1981) The original intent behind combining rope and solar motives to embellish gates and fences -which obviously mark boundaries – was explicitly related to protection. Nowadays, few people are aware of the meaning and the purpose of rope carvings on gates and gate posts which is still done for esthetic reasons. 


 

Location. Folklore surrounding fairies warns people about the risks incurred when building on fairy property.  Irish lore talks about mishaps resulting from people building their houses on fairy roads. (The School Collection, The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1015, Page 354) Irish lore recommends, before the construction begins, to check first if the location chosen is good to build the house on it. The checking is done by marking the space with bricks, positioned standing. If the next day the bricks are toppled or shifted, then a fairy road passes through that space and building the house right there is a very bad idea.

 

Fairies can render life impossible for those living in a house that sits on fairy road. Stories tell about furniture moving around, loud noises, things dropping, sound of stomping feet, and loud chatter in the absence of a visible presence happen in houses built on fairy roads. People cannot rest, and if no attempt is made to correct the situation, more bad things would happen to the inhabitants. Fairy doctors or fairy witches are consulted and they advise on the matter. Sometimes, the solution is to cut out another door or cutting a corner of the house – that one corner that encroaches the fairy road. There are also accounts of owners having to rebuild the house and re-position it. Offerings and agreements made between house owners and fairy people are always part of the remediation process. (Lenihan 2004)



Irish, Icelandic, Romanian, lore from all across Europe and, I believe from all over the world where fairy beings are known, warn people not to mess up with fairy places. In Ireland and Iceland construction plans for public roads are sometimes altered to protect a specific tree, stone, or mound. (Daimler, 2017; Sigmundsdottir, 2019; Brown, 2022)

 

Most of us don’t have the chance to check whether the houses that we move in were built in ways that disrespect fairy property. But the house-fairies, those beings who were displaced and those trying to adapt to the new dwelling conditions, will communicate their discontent. Which takes us back full circle to the beginning of this discussion when we talked about making friends with fairies in the houses we live and on the patches of land we inhabit. It is one fundamental element for protecting ourselves (having good friends in high places, if you will) and probably even more important, in showing respect we acknowledge the personhood of Otherworldly beings, shift away from the anthropocentric viewpoint, and help restore balance.

 

In conclusion… 

Albeit the meanings and purposes for using certain décor elements have been obscured over time, they are not entirely lost. We saw this in the case of carved motifs with apotropaic value. With an increase in Otherworldly activity and a resurgence in the interest people have for fairies, the need for creating safe spaces around ourselves is real, thus digging up old knowledge is a must. Depending on what are the personal motivations and how fairy beliefs weave into someone’s spiritual life, herbs, fire, iron, carvings or statuary representing the sun and horses, and ropes- whether actual textile threads or carved representations- can be used to protect homes. The same essence preserved from old practices can take on new outer forms that suit modern taste and materials available.  Based on personal preference, any or all of the elements suggested in this presentation can be combined and blended in as decorative elements, that aside from magically protecting a space would also make it esthetically appealing. 



Thank you so much for reading, and until next time,

bright fairy blessings,

Daniela


Bonus resource:

“Meditation to Meet and Interact with a Fairy Guide “ https://youtu.be/993eUq7BuHA

 

Suggested podcasts and online classes: 

Feed the Fairies”, Morgan Daimler and Cat Heath https://www.stitcher.com/show/feed-the-fairies-podcast

“6th Degrees of John Keel”, Barbara Fischer https://6degreesofjohnkeel.com

“ Boggart and Banshee: A Supernatural Podcast” Simon Young and Chris Woodyard https://www.facebook.com/groups/1396529487421974

“Fairy Faith in Practice” Morgan Daimler, Irish Pagan School https://irishpaganschool.com/p/fairy-faith

“Pulling the Wings off Fairies” Morgan Daimler, Irish Pagan School https://irishpaganschool.com/p/fairies

“Elves Witches- My oh, my” Cat Heath- contact the author at seo.helrune@gmail.com

“Elves, Necromancy and Adaptation” (Parts 1 and 2), Cat Heath, contact the author at seo.helrune@gmail.com

 

References:

Brown, Nancy Marie “Looking for the Hidden Folk: How Iceland’s Elves can Save the Earth” (2022)

Chronicle Books, “Nordic Tales” (2019)

Daimler, Morgan, “Fairies: A Guide to the Celtic Fair Folk” (2017)

Doyle, Arthur Conan “The History of Spiritualism” (2019)

Dow, James R. “German Folklore” (2006)

Evans-Wentz, Walter, “The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries” (2011)

Ghinoiu, Ion “Romanian Folk Almanac” (2020)

Gundarsson, Kveldulf “Elves, Wights, and Trolls” (2007)

Gundarsson, Kveldulf “Amulets: Stones, Herbs, Runes and More.” (2021)

Hedera, Via “Folkloric American Witchcraft and the Multicultural Experience” (2021)

Kirk, Robert, and Andrew Lang “The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies” (2018) 

Kligman, Gail “Cālus: Symbolic Transformation in Romanian Ritual” (1981)

Lenihan, Eddie “Meeting the Othercrowd. The Fairy Stories of Hidden Ireland” (2004)

Magliocco, Sabina “The Taming of the Fae: Literary and Folkloric Fairies in Modern Paganism” (2019)

O’Brien, Lora, “Fairy Faith in Ireland” (2021)

Pócs, Eva “Fairies and Witches at the Boundary of South-Eastern and Central Europe” (1989)

Rieti, Barbara “Strange Terrain. The Fairy World in New Foundland” (1991)

Rudbøg, Tim “Helena Petrovna Blavatsky” (2019)

Seo Helrune, “Essays from the Crossroads: 2016 Collection” (2016)

Sturluson, Snori “ Edda” (1987)

Sigmundsdottir, Alda, “The Little Book of Hidden People” (2019)

Simina, Daniela “Where Fairies Meet: Parallels between Irish and Romanian Fairy Traditions” (2023) 

The School Collection “Fairy Legends” The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1118, Page 231, https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4493785/4420111/4537240

The School Collection “Fairy Road” The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1015, Page 354 https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5162181/5161662

The School Collection “The Fairy Woman” The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1098, Page 288 https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4493713/4413576/4535087

Vivod, Maria “The Fairy Seers of Eastern Serbia: Seeing Fairies- Speaking through Trance” (2018) 

Wilby, Emma “Cunning Folks and Familiar Spirits: Shamanistic Visionary Traditions in Early Modern British Witchcraft and Magic” (2022) 

Young, Simon “Magical Folk: British and Irish Fairies- 500 AD to Present” (2018)

 

You can also follow me on social media: 

Daniela Simina Author Page on Facebook

Whispers in the Twilight on TikTok

danielasimina1 on Instagram

Daniela Simina on Academia https://www.academia.edu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

A Ritual for Midsummer and The Heliacal Rising of the Pleiades

Midsummer. Art credit: Pixabay

For those who follow a fairy-related spiritual path, Midsummer and the Rising of the Pleiades mark an important holiday. The energy around this celebration is cheerful.  Interactions that occur at this time between humans and denizens of Fairy have overall positive outcomes. 

If you have been reading all my posts about Fairy holidays and are familiar with everything that happened since I returned from the last year’s trip to Ireland, I apologize to you because this may sound a little repetitive. If, however, you just came across this blog, then I must provide a little bit of context; I would also suggest to go back and read some of the older posts about fairy holidays, rituals, and Liminal Powers or Fairy Gods. These posts will shed light on what you are about to read and make it look less strange.

 

Last year, while in Ireland, I have been tasked by the fairy beings I work for (and with) to open portals between human world and the Otherworld, and to diligently keep these portals open. I have to do this at specific times throughout the year. Opening such portals is a sacred endeavor for me, as much as it is a reason for joy and celebration. So,  for me, this whole process takes the form of ritual followed by feasting.  

 

The purpose for opening such portals is to give more free access to beings and energies of Fairy to flow into the human world which is in dire need for re-enchanting (Daimler, 2018; id. 2020). It is a necessary thing for both sides, fairy and human, because it can restore a heavily compromised balance. Influx of Fairy would shake things up on our side, and this has to be done: diminishing of fairy presence by aggressively blocking their access and displacement of their populations1 – knowingly or unknowingly-  has brought about problems on every imaginable level. Just take a look at the ecological, health, and spiritual crises humanity is confronted as we speak. 

 

I tend to follow the same outline for all the portal opening rituals. The only change is that I call on different Powers depending on the season or the time when the ritual takes place. On my fairy-led spiritual path, I follow a calendar that is both star-based and takes into account solstices and equinoxes. It sounds complicated? It actually is.  I am thus trying to make things simpler by creating resources for those who, like myself, feel called to follow a spiritual path that is fairy-led.


Time to open the portal. Art credit: Pixabay


Outline for the Ritual

- Stand at the center of the space where the ritual will take place. Face the direction that you would usually face when beginning a ritual. For example, I begin facing my altar by the Fairy Tree, which is in the East.)

- Announce what you are about to do, using words like: “I am setting sacred space. In this sacred space I will open a portal between worlds, human and Fairy, a portal that shall allow the two worlds to merge within the confines of the space that I dedicate to this purpose”.


 - Turning to the right, walk a spiral path that starts at the center and gradually expands toward the periphery of the space. I have a copper bowl filled with water in which I soak herbs that I know are pleasant to fairies and Fairy Higher Powers; I sprinkle water on the ground as I walk around and repeat my intention out loud. You can walk one several coils, depending on how large your space is. My own space accommodates a 3-coils spiral.


- When you reach the periphery of the space, walk one full circle to mark the outer boundary. As I walk around this last full circle, I sprinkle herb-infused water on the ground. In my experience, it makes the space feel really good, and it is a nice way to welcome the Powers that I seek to invite.


- Mark the space with yarn or thread, any color that is suggestive of the ritual you are conducting, any color that you relate to boundaries and protection. Check with your fairy allies that the yarn color you use is not perceived by them as repelling. Move clockwise to mark the bounds with yarn, affirming your intention to define the sacred space where the portal will open for the Powers and your allies to come through. (This step is optional)


- Light up a candle – kept in a jar or lantern- to mark the outer boundaries of the portal with fire.  If you prefer a censer with smoldering herbs or incense work fine; do what feels best for you.  Walk the outer boundary clockwise carrying the flame and declare the space protected by the power of fire, the power of the sun, so no inimical, unhael /unholy beings shall pass.  Use your own words, and any formulation that feels right. You can prepare your words in advance or follow along with wherever inspiration takes you. After circling once, take the candle and put it somewhere safe and out of the way so I shall no trip over it. From this point on you are not allowed to move past the circumference of the sacred space. 


- After you finished walking the circle that defines the outer boundary of your ritual space and sets the size of the portal, acknowledge the Pleiades, the Seven Sister, Seven Queen, or the Hen and Chicken as I knew it while growing up. Pleiades Acronychal rising is the marker for the liminal time we are entering, and there is plenty of evidence that fairies time various holidays based on star cycles. 


- You can now begin to invite the Powers associated with Midsummer. Feel free to adapt what is described next.


In my practice I acknowledge nine Fairy Liminal Powers, or Fairy Liminal Gods. In my own experience, three among these seven relate to the Autumn Equinox: Keeper of the Passages/The Gatekeeper, Queen of Apples, and The Horned Lord. These three Fairy Gods are the ones who I call following the four which I see as more foundational in their nature and whom I call first. I call seven Powers in total anchor the portal, and bring balance and the blessings of the season through the months to come.


Begin the ritual. Art credit: Pixabay

- Begin the ritual by standing at the center of the space. In my case the ritual space is in my own backyard.


- You will making the first round of offerings of water, or if you prefer, sweet tea, grape juice, apple cider. I have prepared in advance a jug with fresh water which will be the first offering I’ll make to the Powers. 

First call out the four Powers, who I believe to be foundational: The Queen of Waters, The Queen of Flame/The Ever-Shining One, The Queen of Winds, and The Queen of Ancient Earth and Stones. You can call them in any order you chose. For me personally, the order is arbitrary since I do not have any fixed set of correspondences linking a Power to a specific cardinal direction. I call one of the four Powers, then I simply make a quarter turn and call the next one.


- Stand at the center, facing the altar, fairy tree if you have one, or the direction you chose to begin. A lot of people who work fairy magic begin their rituals facing East. 

Call the Ever-Shining One/ Queen of Flame. She is the gold on treetops at sunset; she is behind the reds and purples in the morning sky; she’s in the tender warmth that make snow melt and first flowers peak through in springtime; she’s in the merciless heat the scourges man and beast and leaving deep cracks into rock-hard ground; she’s deep into the Earth where all is but fire, where molten rocks flow like rivers carrying continental plates on their backs. She’s in the moonshine that brightens up night, and she’s the glow of every star.  

Ask The Queen of Flame to receive the offerings and cast her benevolent light upon the ritual space and those in it; ask her to anchor the portal you are about to open and keep it safe and sturdy. Pour out some of the water for her.

 

- Turn to your left. If you started facing East, now you will face North.

Call the Queen of Ancient Earth and Stone. She is part of the Earth itself and any earthy body in the Universe. She is withing rocky grounds and fertile soil. She holds the potential for seeds to hibernate, germinate, grow into mighty trees, and then receive them back when they die. She is the power within crystals, gems, and metals. She’s in the walls of caves and sandy bottom of seas and rivers. She’s the one who hides or uncovers springs, and is behind the healing powers of waters. She’s present within the magnificent desolation of deserts and the alluring sandy beaches. She supports life and receives the bodies which life has deserted: she is both the nurturer and the recycler. 

Invite her presence and her blessing in the ritual space that you have created. Ask the Queen of Ancient Earth and Stones to receive the offerings and bring her strength and nurturing into the space and those in it; ask her to anchor the portal you are about to open and keep it safe and sturdy. Pour out some of the water for her.

 

- Turn to your left. If you started facing East, now after the second turn you are facing West. 

Call to the Queen of Winds: she holds power over first and last breath, she is the air in the freshly aerated soil awaiting the seeds to fell and nestle in. She is the hollow and mysteries of caves, and the bubbles in the lacy crests of ocean waves. She’s in the burning fire logs, the flight of sparks and the popping sound of burning wood. She’s in the fluffiness of snow but also in the deadly blizzards. She is in the summer storms, hurricane winds, the gentle breeze in springtime, and in the forest’s cool shadow in summer time.

Invite her presence and her blessing in the ritual space that you have created. 

Ask the Queen of Winds to receive the offerings and bring her strength and nurturing into the space and those in it; ask her to anchor the portal you are about to open and keep it safe and sturdy. Pour out some of the water for her.


- Turn to your left. If you started facing East, now after the third turn you are facing South.

Call to the Queen of Waters/ The Ever-flowing One.  She is the spirit present in the raindrops enlivening the land, nourishing vegetation and animals; she’s is present in the downpour making torrents and rivers swell and drown everything in their path; she’s is present in oceans and sees as much as it is present in the crystal-clear lakes, mountain springs and small puddles. She is within tears and dew drops, in the pearls of sweat rolling down the skin, in the blood, as well as in the plants’ juices.  

Ask the Queen of Waters to receive the offerings and to bring her strength and nurturing into the ritual space and those in it; ask her to anchor the portal you are about to open and keep it safe and sturdy. Pour out some of the water for her.

Open and anchor portal.

Art credit: Pixabay

 

Next, call the other three Liminal Powers connected with the Midsummer and with this time of the year. To call each of them, you will turn counter-clockwise about one third of the circle that marks your ritual space. Just approximate how far you turn. Don’t worry about being supper precise and don’t check if you turned 120° degrees exactly: keep in mind that this is a magical ritual not a geometry lesson.

 

- Stand facing any direction you feel drawn to. Call the Keeper of the Passages/Gatekeeper. He is the guardian of portals between worlds, opener of doors that are locked in the human world and in the Other. When he doesn’t have a key to offer you directly, he’ll help you blast the obstacles that block your path. He is behind the energy released in magic to manifest or dissolve. Ask him to open the gates between worlds and keep them wide open throughout he ritual. 

Ask the Gatekeeper to grant free passage, from one side and the other, only to those among humans and fairies who are goodly inclined toward each other’s world and its inhabitants, the ones who are needed to restore balance on both sides. Invite his presence and his blessing in the ritual space that you are creating. Welcome the Keeper of the Passages, and pour out some water as an offering for him.

- Turn about a third of the circle and call the Queen of Apples, beholder of vitality and life-force, she who embodies abundance, whether on fields, orchards, or as the health and vigor of mind and body. She is joy and zest for life, health and vibrancy, sensuality and sexuality. She encapsulates the energies of the seed that will become the apple tree (of any tree for that matter) whose twigs can be made into wands used in healing work, and whose fruit nourishes and heals. She is the essence of personal power personal sovereignty. 

Invite her presence and her blessings in the ritual space. Welcome the Queen of Apples and pour out some water as an offering to her.

 

- Turn another third of a circle, and call the Horned Lord. He is the energy of the ripe grapes ready to turn into wine, the plentiful of crops reaching the storage, the physical strength of people, domestic beasts and wildlife, cheerfulness and merriment, the beauty of the season as leaves turn color, and fierceness of stags fighting for mates and territory. I invite his presence and his blessings in the ritual space that I am creating. I welcome the Horned Lord, and pour out some water as an offering to him.

You are now going to open the portal. Use a ritual blade made of copper, bronze, or silver. The blade can be any size and style: a sword, a knife, a letter opener. You may use a stick or a wand made of a wood that has fairy associations. Apple, Hazel, Birch, Oak, are few suggestions. 

-To open the portal, turn counterclockwise, either pivoting in place or walking the boundaries of the circle holding the blade or wand up above your head. See yourself cutting a round opening that matches the ritual space. Focus strongly on opening the portal. Say out loud these words or similar ones: “I am opening a portal between worlds, between Fairy and the world of mortals. The Liminal Powers themselves ground and guard this portal. Starlight shall flow through. Hael and holly beings, goodly inclined toward me and mine, my Fairy allies – I welcome you and honor you at this time when the Seven Sisters  (or however you chose to call the Pleiades) herald your arrival, illuminating your Path.“ 

- Stand at the center of the space, or by the altar if you sat up one, and face any direction you wish. Invite the Fairy Queen or King that you are devoted to or connected with, if there is/are any. Pour out water for them too. Affirm that the portal is open for them to move through as they please, and ask them to guard it against any inimical being that may want to come in.

- If you believe that you have ancestors or relatives in Fairy, invite them to join. Pour out water for them. Affirm that the portal is open for them to move through as they please, and ask them to guard it against any inimical being that may want to come in.

- Invite your fairy familiar(s) and allies. Pour out water for each of them, and greet them individually. Affirm that the portal is open for them to move through as they please, and ask them to guard it against any inimical being that may want to come.

- Express your gratitude for the presence and support coming from those that you invited and the peoples they represent.

- Intend for the portal to remain open and bridge the worlds asunder, human and Fairy.

- Present the offerings of food, and other drinks if you have any (I usually have cakes3, or fresh bread and butter, fresh fruit, or a portion of what I have cooked for myself and my family. I may also offer milk, wine, beer, fruit juice etc. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but whatever it is, it shall be the best quality you can afford.)

- If you have any other offering, such as song, dance, or reading aloud something special that you chose for Them, you can deliver that now. 

- You can burn incense or fragrant herbs as part of offerings.  (MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON’T BURN ANYTHING TOXIC!!)

- Leave the offerings in their dishes in the ritual space for as long as you plan to be around celebrating the Midsummer. Please keep in mind that the ritual itself focuses on opening a portal between Fairy and the human world. Celebrating the Midsummer is part of this ritual, but it is more of a backdrop rather than the purpose itself. 


Offerings and feasting. Art credit www.foodiesfeed.com 

- If you created a yarn boundary, you can remove it now or later; go counterclockwise when you do this.


My intention here is to provide an outline of a ritual that focuses on the opening of a portal between Fairy and the human world. I time this ritual in conjunction with both the Rising of the Pleiades and Midsummer. Where I live, the Pleiades are not visible above horizon on the exact astronomical date of the Summer Solstice so it feels only natural to have all celebrations done on the Midsummer Eve. Align your practice with whatever timing you feel is right for you, such as celebrating on the actual Summer Solstice, although could miss the Pleiades who may not be visible unless you live in a very wide-open space or on a hilltop with no trees around.


Adapt the ritual described here to suit your beliefs and style of practice: whatever you do make sure that it fells authentic to you. I sometimes find other people’s recommendations for practice to fit perfectly my own beliefs and personal taste, in which case I adopt the ritual and credit the source where I learned it from. Some other times, I come with things that are entirely my own. This specific ritual is based on recommendations made by Morgan Daimler in their books “Living Fairy” and “Traveling the Fairy Path”, with added elements from Cat Heath’s approach to setting sacred space as she describes in “Elves, Gods & Witches” (see “Resources”), but in developing the ritual into the form described here I also followed what my elven guides recommended. 


I suggest that you get familiar with the script in advance, and prepare your supplies and offerings before starting. Elaborate your ritual components and celebratory aspects as much as you like.

Make merry and feast, and when you are done, pour out the offerings: you can bury them, put them into fire if you are having a fire lit for the occasion, leave them on a rock, by a tree, or on and outdoor altar if you have one. Be careful about what you leave outside, and make sure it is not toxic for the wildlife or the vegetation around. Alcohol is damaging for herbs and animals, and chocolate is toxic for dogs and the canis family in general (wolves, coyotes, foxes – etc), so best burry or burn those items. 

Since there is no plan to close this portal, find a moment to tell your Fairy invitees that they may stay or leave as they wish. A while ago I learned the formula “In good will and perfect trust/ stay if you will, go if you must.” I like it and still use it although I occasionally play around with the wording. Ask the Keeper of Passages and those whom you entrust with protection to guard the portal. 


Let the ritual melt into the rest of your evening, or night, without closing abruptly. The ritual itself extending naturally into feasting and celebration mirrors the opening of the portal and the smooth flow between worlds, a subtle but continuous process without any steep halting to it.


Happy Autumn Equinox, and may the light of stars always shine bright on your path,

Daniela


PS. I will give more details about the nine Liminal Powers in an upcoming post, as well as templates for rituals for different occasions.

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As Norsemen began to populate Iceland they encountered the local land wights and alfs who acted benevolently toward the newly arrived. Making offerings and treating the local wights and alfs with respect ensured humans’ survival. Wights shared knowledge and made crops and game plentiful. Advancing of Christianity destroyed the balance. Priests sprinkled holy water on places where alfs dwelt, making them leave. In leaving, however, the alfs and wights took away the land’s abundance, and people were left to deal with the problem. (Gundarsson, 2007; id.1993) In feuding against each other, chieftains and kings intentionally offended the wights and alfs dwelling into the opponents’ land to cause opponents' downfall, because without protection form local alfs and wights no ruler has control or power over land. (Gundarsson, 2007; id.1993) In Ireland, fairies seem to be bothered by church bells ringing which may case them to abandon an area. (www.duchas.ie; Daimler, 2017; id. 2020) Destruction of fairy places is another reason for them to leave, oftentimes not before taking revenge on the humans who caused the destruction. (Gundarson, 2007; Paxon, 2021)

Portals open automatically at different times and/or in specific places, but ritual action actively supports the process by landing more energy to it. More over, through ritual action, such portals can be anchored into physical places so they become permanent or semi-permanent. With these in mind, portals are not to be opened randomly and carelessly. 

Daimler, “Living Fairy,” 2020. 

For details you may check Daniela Simina, Pagan Portals “A Fairy Path: The Memoir of a Young Fairy Seer in Training”, 2023, autobiographic.

Bibliography and Resources

Books:

Carding, Emily “Faery Craft: Weaving Connections with the Enchanted Realm”, 2012

Daimler, Morgan “Travelling the Fairy Path”, 2018

Daimler, Morgan “Living Fairy”, 2020

Daimler, Morgan “Fairies: A Guide to the Celtic Fair Folk”, 2017

Daimler, Morgan “A Modern Dictionary of Fairies: A 21st Century Exploration of Celtic and Realted Western European Fairies”, 2020

Gundarsson, Kveldulf “Teutonic Religion: Folk Beliefs and Practices of the Northern Traditions”, 1993

Gundarsson Kveldulf “Elves, Wights, and Trolls: Studies Towards the Practice of Germanic Hethenry, Vol.1”, 2007

Paxon, Diana, L. “Taking up the Runes: A Complete Guide to Using Runes in Spells, Rituals, Divination, and Magic”, 2021

Simina, Daniela, “A Fairy Path: The Memoir of a Young Fairy Seer in Training”, 2023

On-line articles:

Winifred Hodge Rose, "Land Wights and Human Ecology", 2013, https://heathensoullore.net/landwights-and-human-ecology/  

“The Fairy Swelling on Selena Mor” https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/swc2/swc216.htm

Daimler, Morgan “Liminal Gods- Deeper Theology”, January, 2021 https://lairbhan.blogspot.com/search?q=Liminal+Gods

“The School Collection”, https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes

Seo Helrune, "Elves and Witchcraft, Seidr and Grimoirs" , https://seohelrune.com

Classes:

Seo Helrune, "Elves and Witches: A Survival Guide", for access to class recording and materials, contact Set Helrune at seo.helrune@gmail.com

Morgan Daimler, "Pulling the Wings off Fairies" https://irishpaganschool.com/courses?page=3 

Daniela Simina, "Fairycrafting: The Art of Fairy Magic", 3 parts course offered bi-annually. Email Daniela Simina at dsimina@gmail.com or check SiminaYoga on Facebook for announcements regarding course dates and description. 

 

 

 

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