**Eleditor’s note: elephant journal assumes no responsibility as to whether or not faeries actually show up in your garden, but we do hope you enjoy gardening and communing with nature no matter what the result. 😉 

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” ~ W.B. Yeats

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It’s no secret that faeries are part of our lives here in Middle Earth.

I’ve been working with elemental beings in my garden for years. My first encounter with faeries (collectively called “the Fey”) came as a child, in, of course, books. I believed in them wholeheartedly, as children are wont to do, because they are fresh from the Other Side and still remember those dimensions that cannot be readily seen with our limited human perception.

I am a student of quantum physics and alchemy, and as such have read that we are aware of a very small bit of our surroundings. I mean, an infinitesimal bit.  We think that what is real is seen by the eye, whereas many magical realms co-exist with us here on earth, unseen and underestimated.

From angels and plant divas to faeries, our world is full of companion beings. We only need to open our intuition and a desire for the unusual, to tap into their energy.

My childhood fascination with faeries was re-awoken when I read about and visited the Findhorn Garden in Northern Scotland. I went there looking for evidence of our ability to live in community and to learn how they had co-operated with nature spirits in the growing of their vegetables and flowers. It was the first time I heard of adults speaking with enthusiasm and conviction about faeries other than in books.

In a series of serendipitous events—one of which was realizing that I could sense plants and animals communicating—I followed an inner urge to study mysticism, and I began my walk as a solitary hedge witch. My garden flourished as I spoke with and listened to the faery realm daily, seeking their advice and creating a space that they would enjoy co-existing in with me.

Faeries and other elemental beings work tirelessly to keep the natural world in order and from collapsing around our ears. They have always, and still do, rely on the co-operation of humans with this effort, especially now, when the planet is ravaged by our insatiable need for resources.

The fact is, we are not very careful with our planet.

The greatest presence of faery life that I have felt and seen has been on my trips to England, Scotland and Wales. But the more I attune to their energy here in Canada, I realize that once our willingness to connect is awoken, contact will be made.

All you have to do is believe.

What faeries want.

Faeries are hard-working and take their role as care-takers of the planet very seriously. Pan, the god of the Natural World, helps them in their endeavors, and is another ally for humans in the stewardship of the earth. If you ever have the chance to meet with Pan, and I hope that you do, you will find him to be an intelligent and thoughtful being. Gentle but powerful, Pan leads the faery realm in a continual process of repairing what man has destroyed in his search for oil, precious gems and metals, and through intensive farming practices.

To attract the Fey and plant divas into my garden and life, I offered what they are most fond of.

An intention to connect.

Once you have a clear and honest intention to commune with the Fey, you will find that opportunities will arrive in droves. Faeries are sensitive to our love for them. Thankfully, they have not given up on us and still crave a copacetic relationship. You might suddenly find that you will meet others who are interested in the elemental kingdom. Articles or books on faeries will appear into your awareness. You may find yourself hearing their voices or laughter, like whispers when you are in nature, or sounds of bells, or even fleeting images from the corner of your eye. Look for orbs that appear in photographs you have taken, or tiny lights like phosphorescence while walking in the woods or fields. It has been a long while since mankind has walked hand in hand with other inhabitants of Middle Earth.

Keep a clean and tidy garden.

Faeries find beauty in order. I’ve walked through areas—particularly farms where a great amount of old farm equipment and scrap metal is strewn over the landscape, or where the metal/old cars has been overgrown with roots and vines—that the faeries find particularly distressing. Although the Fey, and in particular what we would call “dwarves,” are Middle Earth’s geologists and miners of precious metals, they are averse to scraps of metal buried in the ground where their villages are located and their children play.

The first thing to do is to make sure that your garden is free of such things.

One of my most successful gardens was created out of an area where a lot of scrap metal and old broken bottles were buried. The Fey were delighted at the transformation after the ground had been cleaned of the litter. Their reward to me were robust plants and copious harvests.

Anyone who has ever visited their realm, whether in dreams, astral travel or real time travel will tell you that the Fey revel in beauty. Their homes and forests reflect the care that they take of their environment. They live in villages, like us, or communities of varying sizes, and are very devoted to their children, who are taught about the importance of aesthetically pleasing environments to feed the soul.

Offer pretty gifts.

It is such a delightful practice to gift the Fey with objects they enjoy. Shiny things, blown glass, crystals, wind chimes, faery lights, bird baths, bird feeders, found feathers, water features and sculptures—you name it, anything that adds to the aesthetic of your garden and the nurturing of wildlife will delight them. Beautiful pots for your plants are also valued. One has to keep within their budget of course, but the Fey understand that it is the intention that counts. Don’t be surprised to spot faeries happily playing with and among these treasures.

Look carefully, they vary in size and disposition. Expert shape-shifters, the Fey may appear as a hummingbird or a dragon-fly even.

Stay open to what they show you.

Music.

I have always talked to and played music for my plants and garden, but one day realized that the Fey also adore music, or to be sung to. We’ve agreed collectively, the Fey and I that I should not be the one signing; they wrinkle their noses and fall off their mushrooms laughing. But Loreena McKennit will do just fine. They will sit in groups, cross-legged, looking dreamily into the ether and often bring their instruments along. The Fey love to dance and party and are skilled musicians. They create their own instruments. One of their favorites is the recorder, and of course bells and rattles.

I’ve experimented with all kinds of music, and it was thumbs up to classical, folk, early (medieval), circle dance, meditation, opera…you get the picture. “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin was written for them, they will insist. Otherwise, any music that sounds jagged to them, will be speedily run away from.

Natural Elements.

As much as is possible, add natural elements to your gardenscape, such as stones in pleasing arrangements (a fairy ring or spiral labyrinth is especially adored), driftwood or other wooden features, such as a bench under a tree.

Water, either moving or still, serves as a wonderful playground for the Fey. It doesn’t have to be big, even a half barrel turned pond will be fine. Fountains of any size attract water sprites, and a safe place for fire to play will attract fire sprites.

Crystals and gazing balls are another garden feature that will attract the Fey. They are a curious lot and delight in mirrors, especially ones overgrown slightly with vines.

Plants.

If you happen to have an English cottage garden, you’ll be well-liked by faeries. They love all plant life, but are especially drawn to nasturtiums, dianthus, foxgloves, daisies, daffodils, tulips, grape hyacinth, umbelliferous plants such as dill and carrot, poppies, columbine, bleeding heart, and of course, ferns and vines.

Anything that can hold the dew will be bathed in and tipped over for the watering of the garden.

Garden “rooms” and interesting nooks and crannies or hiding places in the garden are popular Fey hiding spots.

I have learned a lot from the fairies. How to ask permission before harvesting, how to conserve resources such as water, digging carefully so as not to harm the worms, why Permaculture is revered by them as is gardening by the planets and moon.

Don’t have a green thumb? Ask the fairies. They will give you the magic you require. In essence, it is an empathy and intuition towards plant life. We all have it, just in some of us it requires an awakening.

The Fey will not only help your garden to be a haven for Spirit, they will also gift your heart with love, peace and compassion. Theirs is a world rich in soul food.

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Here is a beautiful documentary about the search for faeries:

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Author: Monika Carless

Images: Author’s own / Wiki Commons

Editors: Renée Picard; Yoli Ramazzina