Suppositions of Fae

''This essay was published in early 2019 with the Gaslight Society. The author is Holly Warren. It's an exceptionally good report.'' Maggie Urquidez TemplarParadigm City Cabal

As a Ceremonial Magician I have had frequent occasion to hear and collect tales about the Fae. I have never worked with Fae energy or Fae Magick so I cannot verify or substantiate any of this information as accurate; but numerous reports and eyewitness encounters would suggest this information is, at least in part, true and accurate.

Types & Lifestyles
The fae answer to their own system of government, respectfully referred to as the Courts. During the Spring and Summer months that Courts are ruled by those fae referred to as Seelie, Fae that are either aimicable to or at least indifferent to humanity. In the Fall and Winter months, the Fae Court becomes Unseelie, ruled over by those Fae being that are unquestionably hostile to humanity.

Faerie are European in origin, with different types, names, and abilities ascribed to them from Scandinavia all the way to France. In almost every circumstance they are seen as spirit entities, all of them bound to the rhythms of nature, and readily visible to certain psychic individuals and small children. The origin of the word Faerie (commonly Fairy in America) comes from the 16th century. The fae became most popular during the Victorian Era of England, where they were made the subject of a multitude of stories, folklore, and painting. During this time eyewitness reports of encountering live faerie exploded over England, particularly in Great Britian, Scotland, and Ireland.

Modern pagan religions often makes use of Faerie Magick, especially Wicca and other such earth-based religions. Regardless of one's level of belief in Fae, one of any Magickal Tradition will be hard pressed to dispute that Fae Masgick works, indicating there is a source for this type of magnificent energy.

Below are the listing of the most commonly reported type of Fae and their basic natures and functions.

Sylphs are spirits of the air whom dwell on high mountaintops throughout England and France. Most are described as only a few inches tall, with gossamer, dragonfly like wings. A Seelie fae, the sylphs are called upon to help with mental development and, specifically, human creativity.

Phookas are a type of malicious, Unseelie goblin. Master shape changers, these creatures like to appear as docile animals. When a weary traveler climbs onto the Phookas back they are stuck fast, and then subjected to a terrifying high speed trip across the countryside begore being flipped into a ditch. The Phooka also enjoy stealing potatoes, and will take human babies if the babies are unattended. The Phooka then leaves a changeling in place of the baby.

Undines are water spirits that dwell in or around all bodies of water, where they carefully hide their villages from humans with powerful spells of illusion and deception. The Undines are said to look like normal people, though very small. They, too, are a Seelie fae and lend their energy to spells involving cleansing and banishment.

Trolls/Trows: Trolls and Trows are essentially the very same species with one major difference. Both originated in Scandanavia. Trows are typically small, about eighteen inches high, while trolls can be seven to eight feet tall. Both are Unseelie and malicious toward humanity, seeing people as a source of food. In the annuls of Magick they are typically summoned for manual labor or turned loose on an enemy, but constantly seek a way to ultimately turn on the magician who called them forth.

Fir Darrig are another form of malignant, Unseelie fae that delights in cruel and gruesome acts against humanity. It's best to avoid them at all costs. Luckily they are easy to recogniize, owing to their appearance as fat rats dressed in unkept red clothing. If a mortal is unfortunate to come across a Fir Darrig, especially whe one knocks on the door and asks to come in for warmth, the best the human can do is be exceedingly polite until the creature leaves. Any offense is likely to set the Fir Darrig off otherwise, and the offending human might find all of the animals in his home brutally murdered or, worse, it may be a family member instead.

Leprechauns originated in Ireland, where they are seen as master cobblers whom make wonderous shoes. They sell these shoes to other fae or, sometimes, to humans for exhorbitant sums, which leads to the legend of their crocks of gold. Leprechaunns, though Seelie, are grouchy and come across as constantly irritated, but have a real soft spot in their hearts for women and children. They sometimes have the power to grant three wishes. Leprechaun energy in Magick consists of using the energy for craftsmanship and fashioning of objects.

Brownies are industrial residential fae whom have become quite numerous in America. They are nocturnal workers, helping the household by completing chores the house owners weren't able to finish. They expect to be thanked for their efforts with offerings of bread and milk. They despise laziness, lying, and pretentiousness. Brownies are said to resemble tiny humans, sometimes dressed in nothing but rags. If offered anything other than bread or milk, the brownie is compelled to leave the house never to return, and may be replaced by a boggart.

Boggart are said to sometimes be brownies gone bad, but more likely are just related to brownies. Where a brownie lives to be kind and industrious to home owners, the boggart has only two things in mind: fear and destruction. Boggarts love provoking people, terrifying them ti knocks, thumps, and bngs in walls and the ceiling, and often throwing objects which shatter or overturning chairs. Often, Boggart behavior is attributed to a poltergeist, but of course the boggart isn't and so is immune to attempts to banish or contain it. The best way to drive a boggart out of the home is to hang holly over the doors, which apparently the boggart can't stand.

Sluagh serve as the guardians and keepers of the dead. They dwell in cemeteries, where they keep the headstones clean and the flowers fresh. They also have a secondary purpose as spirits of revenge. It's said that if someone is wrongly killed, a grieving family member can leave a gift on the tomb for the sluagh. The creature is then unleashed, able to leave the cemetery to exact a horrible, lethal vengeance on the persons responsible for that death.

Unique Fae
In addition to the general fae listed above, there are a handful of unique fae. These are the one of a kind fae that rarely respond to summoning rituals, but will still lend their energy depending on what kind of speel the Magician is using.

Amadan Bruidne: Also known as the Stroke Lad, this dark and terrible Unseelie fae is often attributed to being the Master of the Wild Hunt; that fae which cuts through the night sky with a pack of hellhounds to collect a human soul. Amadan Bruidne kills with a touch, even a stroke of his finger lightly across one's cheek is enough to cause a fatal cardia arrest. As one might imagine he lends his energy only to dark sorcery which is aimed at causing harm.

Jenny Greenteeth: The legend of Jenny sprang up with pools of water such as lakes, when children were warned not to get too close to the water lest 'the Jenny' get them. Jenny Greenteeth appears as an exceptionally ugly crone, covered in wet mud and having long clumps of seaweed in her hair. For Magikical operations, she is called on for spells intent on causing harm to children.

Titania is the Queen of the Seelie Fae, said to be a sidhe of breathtaking charm and beauty. While she never responds to a summons, she may often send a representative Seelie Fae in her stead. Titania's energy is said to work spectacularly when it comes to healing the sick and helping people to dispel nightmares and other sleeping disorders.

Crooked Jack is an odd enigmatic fae even for the Fair in general. A member of the Sidhe he stands very tall and comes off very fair though do not let that come to your thoughts. Jack is an Unseelie through and through. Said to have been around for over a hundred winters he stalks around toying and messing with mankind as toys. He should be avoided at all costs though he rarely makes much of an interaction with the world beyond his own sphere of influence. He is said to currently be hiding in Ravens Grove.

In Conclusion
Undeniably, Fae Magick is real and so Fae must also be as well. Folklore is rife with tales of these creatures, and newspapers stuffed with eyewitness accounts. I intend to explore the subject thoroughly and hopefully sift through fact and fiction for those kernels of truth that may lead me to meeting a Fae spirit directly.