I’ve developed a pretty friendly relationship with the fairy spirits on my land. I’ve established a sanctuary for them and offer them regular libations. Although I acknowledge that it is *their* land, I offered my services as caretaker of the property, and they seem to have accepted my offer of friendship.
Creating a Fairy Garden
When I first bought my house seven years ago, I set up a special garden just for the fairies. My daughters, 5 & 7 at the time, helped create fairy houses in that section of the garden, and we regularly put out treats and libations, especially at earth holidays (solstices & equinoxes). As a result, I’ve noticed that all of my gardens have thrived (even when neighbor's have not), we get the occasional fairy sighting out of the corners of our eyes, and they are helpful when the need arises.
Our "Fairy Garden" started out more in name only than anything specific. When we first moved to our new house, I knew I wanted to have something, but I didn't know quite what it would be. I had a patch of shady soil under a grouping of very old pine trees that I wanted to do something with. (It was a real garden challenge for me, since my previous gardens tended to be full of sun-loving flowers.) So with this little unused patch of pine needles, I decided to create a little woodland garden for the fairies.
At first, all I did was mark out the "garden" area with fallen branches. I cleared a special space under the largest pine tree. As twilight fell, I dedicated the space to the fairies by putting out a plate with milk and cookies. I lit a tealight candle, and with my daughters beside me, I had an open "conversation" with the fairies. I introduced myself and my daughters, named and identified the other members of the household not present (hubby, cats), and then let the fairies know that we were fairy-friendly, and hoped they welcomed us to their land. My daughters also spoke, and told of their plans to make their fairy garden a welcoming place for the fairies. If I recall, I sprinkled some fairy dust around as well, making it all glittery in the candlelight.
That was it, at first. My daughters built little fairy houses out of twigs and bark, and made a little fairy village under the big pine tree. A mini firepit held a tealight candle; pebbles lined a path to the fairy front door; there was even an attempt to create a fairy swimming pool at one point.
The garden around the fairy house has seen a lot of new plants put in over the years. I have since added ferns, hostas, and shade loving woodland flowers and plants. The original "clearing" for the “fairy village” has developed as well over the years, and it is where I still light tealights and place my libations. It's very peaceful and beautiful there now. I think the fairies like it, too.
I like to add whimsical touches to this garden, because I sense the fairies like whimsy. Stuffiness and formality just doesn't seem to suit them. So my fairy garden also has some statuary, like a garden gnome, a tortoise, a fairy (of course!), a flying fish, and a sun bonnet. Silly, eh? I also have about a half dozen wind chimes hanging from the branches of the pine trees, and a little wood-lined foot path winds through the garden itself.
Fairies to the Rescue!
If you create a space, they will come. At least they have in my experience. And if you make them feel welcome, they might actually befriend you and help you out on occasion.
A case in point: One day, while working in my garden, I lost the crystal pendant on my necklace. I was very upset, for it was my most sacred working stone. I had worn it for the past fifteen years. But it was a green fluorite stone lost in a sea of green grass and garden. I had been tending my gardens all day – who knows when it dropped from its chain? All I knew was that I had the pendant when I put in on that morning, and by the end of a long day of yard work, it was gone. I searched everywhere, but finally, sadly, gave it up as lost.
But the fairies on my land must have seen my search and felt my distress. The very next morning, I found the pendant waiting for me, carefully placed in the exact center of the driver's seat of my car. (I'm still trying to figure out how they got into the car, which was closed up but not locked.) Clutching the pendant to my heart, I immediately ran into my garden and started shouting out my thanks over and over. I was rather giddy with relief, and ran straight to the fairy garden. I blew kisses to the four directions, laughing with relief. I imagine I looked a bit silly to the neighbors... I even bent down and thanked individual flowers, just to be sure my message would be heard!
It's things like that which convince me that it's never a bad idea to be on friendly terms with the unseen.
In another incident that happened in December a few years later, I lost another treasured pendant as I got into my car in my driveway. I’m convinced that my ongoing friendship with my local faeries helped once again in recovering it for me.
It was a cold, snowy winter evening. I was going to bring my daughter to the library, so I went outside a few minutes early to load the car with my purse and books, and to start the engine to warm it. When we were ready to leave, I opened the driver's side door and moved to get in. That's when I felt a tug and heard the pendant bounce off the hard plastic of the open door, and heard the distinctive {ping} as it hit the pavement of the driveway.
I was distraught because this pendant has a many-year's history as a magickal talisman. It is a pewter image of the Goddess that I have been working with for many years. In fact, I have a photo of it charging on my altar back in 2002, and I've used it for magickal purposes ever since.
Anyway, I was upset and started searching the driveway around the open door of my car. My daughter ran into the house to get a flashlight, and together we searched as best as we could in the snowy darkness. More snow was in the forecast for later that night, and I knew that if we didn't find it then, we might not find it until spring, if ever. Eventually, reluctantly, I gave up the search. I know that sometimes magickal objects leave the owner when they have served their purpose. I figured that maybe this pendant needed to be released into the world to find its way elsewhere. I was sad, though.
It was my dear 12 year old daughter who reminded me to ask for "other" help. Of course! How could I have forgotten? I stood in the driveway, faced my gardens, and spoke clearly and loudly, but without shouting. "Friends," I said, "I have lost a pendant that has great meaning to me. It is a metal talisman of the Goddess. It dropped here in the driveway. If you should happen to find it, I'd appreciate it if you could return it to me. Thanks!"
Well, that's that, and we went to the library, pendant-less.
Fast-forward six weeks or so to an early February afternoon. The same daughter and I are running errands. I reach into my purse to grab my wallet, and there, below my wallet at the bottom of my purse is the pendant!
So let me review this miracle: My purse was in the car at the time my pendant fell off my necklace. It was zipped and closed at the time, and tucked away on the console between the two front seats. Even if I had been mistaken about hearing the pendant bounce off the door and onto the driveway, there's no way it could have bounced from there into my purse. Also, I have a rather small purse, and I reach for my wallet on an almost daily basis. My purse is tidy, with only two other items kept where the pendant was found. It’s not a messy bag. I would have seen the pendant earlier had it been there the whole time.
The pendant turned up just at the end of a mild spell that melted most of the accumulated snow from our driveway.
Now I have to find some special way to thank the Faeries. They've helped me out twice this way. Truly, I feel blessed.
~Flame RavenHawk
February 13, 2008