Faeosophy – the philosophising of and about faeries and fae-ness.

Back in this post I shared some questions I’ve been pondering in my development of a Faerie philosophy. I began with asking who and what the Fae might be, and, based on the approach that I take to Fae-work, the Fae are spirits. Our experience of them means that they are a real part of our world (for those of us that share our world with spirits or whose world-view allows for spirits, at least) and they exist in a world populated by spirits generally. In which case;

Is the Faery work I do (just) another form of spirit-work?

To be clear, there would be absolutely nothing wrong with this. I’m not using “just” in a derogatory way, and, in fact, it will make life easier if I am taking a simple, easily defined path.

As with most of my ponderings, however, I have to say here;

Yes and no.

These things are rarely straightforward, except that they are. Its always about relationships and how we grow within and from them.

Working with faeries is working with spirits, yes, and all that entails (learning their rules, learning how to listen/hear them, opening/closing gates, discretion, consistency, commitment, offerings, reciprocity, service, mediation…) and the way I approach Faery work is through the Path I call FeyHearted – in which we learn about our own fey nature.

If we are to work with and develop a relationship with them then we must have a strong sense of ourselves and an ability to tap into the magic in us which is akin to theirs.

Also, for me, it is about embodying the lessons they teach about creativity, connection and magic – or, put simply, Enchantment.

As a modern European, I’ve been brought up in a materialistic culture. As an academic I’ve spent a lot of time in my head. As a dancer I’ve learnt to climb back into my body and as an Enchantress – a Fae Witch – I’ve learnt to find the enchantment in the world.

Faery magic is spirit work of a particular kind, one that encourages full, embodied presence in the world and a steady, creative re-enchantment of our lives. In working with them we get bigger and clearer, rooting deep in the earth and blossoming in the sky.

Although, of course, whichever spirits you work with will change how you are in the world, won’t it? So the short answer, really, is yes. Faery work, the way I do it, is just a spirit-work with a particular branch of “nature”-based spirits.

Do you work with spirits? Do you work with Fae spirits? How does this work shape you and your life? How has it changed the way you relate to the world?

By the way, there are more (coherent) ponderings and exercises for working with the Fae in my book, “Pagan Portals: Your Faery Magic”. Available on Amazon and from all good book shops!