Map Making Step 5 – An Enchantress… causes change

12 Wednesday Dec 2012

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An Enchantress is… One who enchants;
One who brings beauty, healing and delight to those around her.

One who works magic of the Fae.
One who brings beauty to the world.
One who causes change.

This week I’m looking at what it means that an Enchantress causes change and how that relates to healing. And Circe makes an appearance!

***

Circe
Tranforms
men into beasts
What she sees
their true nature
revealed.
Circe,
Do you know
How their time
Spent four-legged
Healed them
Once returned?

One of the most notable enchantresses in mythology named as such is Circe. She lived upon an island and had the power to transform humans into the animals they appeared to be. You could understand this as her revealing their true nature. Perhaps the men who she changed into pigs couldn’t see how greedy they were being when they tried to steal her treasure. You can guarantee that they understood this after their time with four legs!

Everything is change, constant change. If a key activity of enchantment is the creation of beauty then creating more beauty will include healing as healing is change that leads to wholeness and greater understanding.

An enchantress then heals by causing change. By sharing beauty and joy, by creating glamourie and mirroring those around her and through direct methods of healing she creates space for change and helps others to change themselves.

 

Remembering – Faery Vision

09 Sunday Dec 2012

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(Originally posted April 2009)

On the Spring Equinox I walked up to the edge of the woods near my home town and sat on the moss there.

In this liminal space I sang to the Fey, left offerings and asked the Faery Queen to open my senses to the Faery World.

“How,” I asked her, “how can I open to the Faery World, open to beauty and joy and the heart of things, myself?”

And I had the image of the little bottle from Alice in Wonderland with a label saying ‘Drink Me.’

Words followed the image;
“Open, drink the world in, breathe deep and let yourself see.”

And so I did.

The Journey

Map Making Step 4 – An Enchantress… brings Beauty

05 Wednesday Dec 2012

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An Enchantress is… One who enchants;
One who brings beauty, healing and delight to those around her.

One who works magic of the Fae.
One who brings beauty to the world.
One who causes change.

Last post I considered what working the magic of the Fae might mean, here we look at beauty.

Beauty is generally considered to be subjective. It is an aesthetic principle of what is pleasing to the senses. As such, when this is the goal of the Enchantress, She will strive to make the world more sensually pleasant to exist within. This doesn’t mean avoiding the unpleasant however, it means engaging with what needs to be done to create beauty in the long term.

One implication of enchantment for beauty is the use of illusion, of Glamourie. If we make the world more beautiful we could use illusion to do so. Here, then, is a question of ethics to be addressed here; how ethical is it to use illusion and can this help heal others? Aside from this, a fundamental position to take when working with the Fae is utter honesty in order to foster trust within yourself and with the spirits. We could use Glamourie to create the illusion that something is worth more than it is, as in the fairy tales of leaves enchanted to look like gold, and thus trick others into getting the rough end of the deal. This doesn’t help in the long term however as one’s relationships are what helps one through life and if you screw over your neighbour today they won’t help you tomorrow!

So how can illusion and honesty go hand in hand?

A glamour can be used to present oneself in a positive light – just as when you wear a suit for a job interview which you could fulfil, this doesn’t show who you are but it does allow you to get the position from which you can do the job well.

Illusions can be used to guide folk to realisations, to illuminate the truth and reflect back their realities. Just as when a painting inspires it’s audience to re-evaluate their world, an illusion can help someone to rethink their perceptions. A good costume, for example, can act as an illusion and can, at the very least, make folk smile.

Ultimately, however, the Fae are considered to be illusions by many in our world. In dealing with them and their stories and imageries we are creating what would be considered to be an illusion in order to illuminate the greater truth; that all is connected, the world is alive and magic is real.

Map Making Step 3 – An Enchantress is… Fae

28 Wednesday Nov 2012

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Moving through the darkness
Light a candle
Say a Prayer
Sing your wishes to smoke on the air
Music lingers
Notes unsaid
Kisses from Angels
Of deep black and red.
The Waterbound lady
Holds out a blade
Choosing wishes and dancing
Or the quietest glade.
~Halo 15/11/12

An Enchantress is… One who enchants;
One who brings beauty, healing and delight to those around her.

One who works magic of the Fae.
One who brings beauty to the world.
One who causes change.

What do these mean?

First, ‘the magic of the Fae’ asks the question, who and what are the Fae?

Being Fae, from my writing project ‘Faery Steps’

Words weave strange tales, a vision of what is and was and will be…

Fey; adj. Mysterious and strange, ‘fated to die’, ‘visionary’ and ‘mad’.
Fairy; from faierie (Middle English); the realm or characteristic activity of the faie; enchantment.
Fay; from Faie which evolved from fata (Latin); one of the ‘Fates’; i.e. a spirit
(Courtesy of Wikipedia!)

‘Fey’ and ‘Fay’ have different roots, words which have come to be connected through the resonance we hear and thus cousins. We, as strange mortals who see beyond the veils, become fey and thus fay. Fey is the human that is visionary, seeking magic and the world’s beyond. The Fay are those that live beyond the material, that shape the land and guide the growing things, the spirits who weave the destiny of each living thing. Untamed and wild, their ways are often different to our but strictly governed by their own code of conduct. The first rule of conduct is ‘Honesty’. Honesty with oneself allows you to know who you are, what you want and how your subconscious will effect your choices in ways that support or contradict your conscious choices. Honesty with the Fae is firstly a matter of respect – if you break your word to them you show you do not respect them – and secondly it shows that you can be trusted. Without honesty you cannot trust yourself to navigate the brambles to the Well of Vision and the Fae will not trust you to deal fairly with them.

As a word for the land, the act of enchantment and now the people who enchant, ‘faery’ reveals to us the interconnected nature of all three. As the fate of nature Faery is that which must be, the blueprint and soul of the natural world.As seekers of the land of faery we become visionaries, we become fey. In becoming fey we become fay and thus faery. This, in turn, connects us to the land that is Faery and we join the magic that moves through the realm that gives shape to the world we walk.

We are the realm of magic. Our hearts beat out the rhythm that shapes the world.

Map Making Step 2 – Commit

21 Wednesday Nov 2012

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As the moon swung into darkness I dreamed.

I dreamt of the sea, crashing against the shore.

I dreamt of emerald green forests on red cliffs.

A butterfly landed on my head and I heard music.

The song of the wild world.

I took a deep breath and I sang.

At the dark moon I made space for my enchanting, an altar to the Queen of Faery and Enchantment in my studio space.

As the moon turned bright I lit a candle and prayed that She would guide me along the path of enchantment and that I, in turn, could bring beauty, joy and healing to the worlds every day.

I felt her presence and her assent.

I dreamt of stairways through darkness and coridoors that moved, of hidden rooms and choosing life.

I felt the weight of mundanity. How to follow the magic while working retail? I walked through the dark, breathing, waiting, praying. How? Until the darkness lifted and I realised that even here were people to enchant, folks to offer laughter and to lighten the day for. I remembered my goal as someone who offers service to customers… I hope to bring a little joy to each heart that I encounter, to help them leave with a smile even if not what they came to buy.

I know I do not always succeed, but even at work there is space for joy. Everywhere there are people there can be enchantment.

Enchantress in Training; Lesson 1.

Commit to enchantment even where you don’t think it is possible. Try, wherever you can, to bring a little joy into the lives of those around you. Make this your offering to the Queen and a gift to those around you. Remember that you cannot please everyone and remember that every real smile makes the world a little happier.

Commit to enchantment.

Map-Making Step 1 – Prepare the Page

14 Wednesday Nov 2012

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For the past few years I’ve been picking my way down a dimly lit path through the forest, following a song just barely heard but so insistent it cannot be ignored.

Long time readers here have seen me return and return again to my attempts at drawing out the map of where I’ve been, where I need to go. I share because, in part, I discover and explore this path through writing and in part I feel compelled to share what I’ve found in case others find it helpful… and the few voices that have replied to tell me that seeing my sharings reassures them that they are not alone have reassured me in turn.

I wrote The Faery Heart as a guidebook to uncovering one’s Fae self, the magic of your heart. Pixie Kisses came from a project for enchanting your own life. Both start with the self and the home.

Now it is time to move outwards.

The seeds I’ve been planting in my own life, in the soil prepared by the work of self-discovery and making space for enchantment, are growing and I know of no better way to nurture, strengthen and develop the seedlings than to write and paint through the journey.

So here I go again. Sharing pieces of my work with you all here.

***

The new moon is breaking through the darkness. The ground is laid. The next stage of training the Enchantress must begin!

I have begun where I am.
(Where are you in your life?)

I have explored who I am.
(Who are you? What roles do you play? Who do you wish to be?)

I have made space for magic, for Faery, for Enchantment in my life.
(How can you make space in your life for enchantment?)

Each of these are continual steps, a never-ending process of self-discovery, of making space and of choosing the path again and again from where I am right now and I have reached a point where the foundation is strong enough for me to explore the landscape and share some of the map I am drawing. Not everything is shareable because some magics are a mystery and no two paths are the same but I can shine a light on the page and, perhaps, it will illuminate the road-name you have been searching for too.

May the map of a world enchanted help you to find your path to Faery and Home again!

The Empowerment Button

22 Saturday Sep 2012

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Back in July I ran a jewellery making workshop. In the summer month following it one of the ladies who came began making jewellery herself. Boxes of it!

This month she returned for a new workshop, using buttons…

Not only did her presence affirm that the previous workshop had been enjoyable – for which I am relieved! – she brought pictures of her new venture.

It seems such a little thing to share a skill you love but, for her, my sharing opened a door. She has been unable to work for months now and will likely not be able to go back to her job due to a long-term illness and yet she has found something that can give her pleasure and perhaps offer her a way to work for herself.

Something as simple as a button or a bead with a little knowledge and wire can be so empowering and I am honoured to have had the chance to help her to change her life.

Thank you, Universe, for giving me that opportunity. I hope that my offerings can empower more people in the future. Even if they don’t, that one success made all I’ve done with AWE worthwhile and proved to me that creativity is healing, empowering and important.

I also remember the lady who came, doubting she would make anything, with the echoes in her ears of derisive laughter from her work colleagues at the thought… she left with a beautiful necklace which she wore with pride. We have so much in us that we don’t know about and creativity can allow that to come out in ways that heal us.

I suppose the question is, how else can I offer my talents to the world in such a way that might help people? I thought I was just making money to get by but running these classes not only supported me, it empowered another… so, what if we all chose work that supported us and empowered those around us?

Another way of putting it; how can our work become an empowerment button?

The Power of Story – WIP

03 Monday Sep 2012

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This is a section of the first draft of something I’m working on currently…

***

Stories have power. We tell ourselves stories that allow us to do things and stories that hold us back. We listen to the stories of others and some part of the story influences us. A story of failure encourages us not to try. A story of success pushes us towards our dreams.

Let go of the stories that say you are not enough. Let go of the stories that hold you back from pursuing your dreams. Let go of the stories that you carry from childhood which make you feel small.

 

You are bigger than your stories, greater, more.

You are the storyteller of your life and you get to choose to be the hero at every moment.

 

As I sat crying under a tree one night a Jack-in-the-Green sat beside me, pointing to constellations of streetlights in the town stretched below us:

“Look how the humans have tried to copy the stars.” He smiled.

I think I argued, as though I didn’t find it strange to be greeted by a jack, that the lights were there to see by, not to copy the stars.

“What do you think stars are for?” He replied, leaving with the sound of church-bells.

 

The lights in our hearts are there to guide us, the stars of our soul show us the path to our dreams. Seek the stars in your soul. Seek the bigger story that carries you to the moon and leave behind the ones that weight you down.

Passing Over of a Tree Whisperer

27 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by in Reflections

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This week was my paternal grandfather’s funeral.

He held no fear of death and, by the time he went, he was ready for it.

The service was beautiful, he was – among many other things – the Church Warden for St. Bartholomew’s and a veteran of the RAF. The British Legion stood on ceremony, a British flag draped the coffin and the church community gathered round the family.

There were no cut flowers since he hated them, feeling they should be growing instead – a sentiment I can identify with wholeheartedly! I am sure he spoke the language of flowers and trees as they would thrive under his care. I remember when he tended the roses in my father’s garden. My step-mother was horrified, Grampy cut them right down to the ground that autumn… but come spring they grew even stronger and healthier and bigger than ever before.

Once, when I was small, he took me out onto the sea, pulling me behind him in the rubber dinghy we had for seaside holidays. As I floated, slowly sliding across the ocean surface, he gestured to the distant hills. “Sometimes,” he told me, “I can see through this world, into the other world. Death doesn’t scare me because I know that what lies beyond is beautiful, wonderful, an adventure.” I watched the hills as they shimmered with the power of his story and I have carried that moment with me ever since.

As he lay in the hospital and we stood beside him, knowing he wouldn’t wake up again, we said our goodbyes. And I knew he was near, not in the shell of who he was but standing tall and strong, ready for the shimmering world beyond those hills, ready to become a Guardian Angel for his great-grand-daughter, being born as he left this plane, and an Angel watching over all his family.

I am so grateful to my beautiful Grampy, the tree-whisperer, and whenever I step out into the green world now, I feel him near.

Love to you, Grampy, and love to all the family. We’re all thinking of you.

Photo - Hawthorn 1-8-12

Hawthorn, the tree of the dreamer… a doorway between the worlds… in honour of the man who dreamt of a better world and made it so, quietly, calmly and with a smile that could win over any heart.

Selkie-skins

19 Sunday Aug 2012

Posted by in Following Delight, Magic

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I’ve always liked the Selkie mythology though I feel more of a resonance with the tales of merfolk losing their voices and walking on pins and needles for what they love… but an opportunity to go to a workshop by the sea on selkies opened just after I saw my first seal in the same area, so I took it as a sign and travelled down, in a car full of witches, to Pembrokeshire.

We visioned, we stitched new skins for ourselves, we sang and danced and made pledges to ourselves and the ocean, standing as witnesses for each other.

Ocean's Edge

we walk the line between the worlds, seeking soul-skins lost and given away. Who are we? What do we long for? What would we gift ourselves to rebuild our skins? And when would we shed them to dance in the moonlit sand…?

We talked of seals and soulskins, of selves lost, stolen, given away… We asked the question; ‘Why would a selkie dance on the beach, risking her skin, when her first love is the ocean?’

Why do any of us risk being vulnerable? Why show our hidden faces, the ones that allow others a way into our core where they can soothe or wound or delight as they please?

Because without the trust in allowing another so close, we miss the feel of moonlight on our hearts – another kind of ocean, the ocean of connection. Without connection we can only be ourselves in a box, hiding our light…

There is a need to be soft, open, vulnerable sometimes. And a need to be thick-skinned and following our hearts other times.

The selkie wears her skin to travel, to survive. She slips her skin to dance and open to delight. Her skin shows her true colours and keeps her safe so she may do what she loves. It falls away to allow her to connect and be inspired…

What is the skin you’ve lost? The dream you gave up? When are you vulnerable and when are you single-minded in your determination?