Few would have trouble imagining what a fairy looks like. As children, our family probably stocked our rooms with quaint illustrated books depicting tiny winged creatures dancing across the pages. And those fairy ideas continue to linger on into adulthood.
But are those childhood perceptions accurate?
To find out, one needs to first pin down what mechanisms are at play that keep fairy truths hidden, and second, what fairies are definitely not.
The Noise that Dulls
These days, the Internet is a major source of information overload. Who can accurately process the constant daily stream of new images and discussions? With no permission asked and none granted, outside forces relentlessly shape and harden our opinions.
An incredibly popular subject a few years back was the debate surrounding whether a camera and film (or the digital equivalent) could capture a real fairy’s image? Are the photographs real? These discussions and arguments consumed endless amounts of personal energy, and for what?
Do you believe wisdom can emerge from such a deluge of imagery and conflicted chatter?
Our ability to see clearly and differentiate fact from fiction is under constant daily assault. And this, unfortunately, is how most of us approach just about any inquiry; belief pitted against belief.
There is no easy truth to be found here. We need a fresh approach.
Myth and Legends
The myth of fairies is woven throughout our culture like threads through a tapestry.
Most of our history relied on storytelling to transfer knowledge and wisdom. Unfortunately, such methods are prone to error. Many exaggerations, embellishments, and misunderstandings find their way into each retelling.
When you think about, it’s difficult to imagine a better way to distort and bury a fundamental truth.
To further compound the problem, the shallowness, foolishness, and just plain greediness of today’s culture have warped fairy knowledge almost beyond recognition.
We in the 21st century now accept that any discussion concerning fairies and their kin must embrace one of three distinct categories of fairy worlds.
- Bad Fairies
- Good Fairies
- Scholarly Fairies
Nothing else seems acceptable. And not surprisingly, these three worlds and their avid proponents mix about as readily as oil in water.
To comment on fairies, you must first align yourself with an accepted and fixed viewpoint. This means adopting that viewpoint’s vocabulary and jargon. Only then is your opinion thought worthy of consideration.
Choose otherwise and you’re immediately judged as off topic, out of touch, or irrelevant.
Lots of room for enlightened discussions there, huh?
So these three fairy worlds, how do they work?
The Baddies: the not-so-nice fairy world
This world glorifies every event as either the spawn of some nasty and thoroughly vicious creature and/or the result of some hero’s desperate bid to oppose that evil. Terror filled humans fight endless battles against seemingly insurmountable odds, losing multitudes in each conflict.
Occasionally, good does triumph, but it’s only a momentary pause in the continuing mayhem. Peace never lasts long when the baddies are around. Tomorrow a new, unstoppable nasty will surely emerge from the ooze and the fighting will resume full force.
Nastiness and violence just never ends.
The Goodies: the saccharine sweet fairy world
Sadly, the flip side isn’t much better.
This world takes sanitization to a whole new level. Its obsession with spotlessness reduces the essence of fairies to sterile stereotypes prancing about with tinsel wings and glittering wands.
And the Goodies world never tolerates an unpleasant situation for long. A well-timed wave of a magic wand cures all mishaps, and everything resolves perfectly.
Because this endless sickly sweetness is thoroughly out of sync with the fundamental forces of Mother Earth, it’s all rather brain-numbing, and more than a little creepy.
The Eggheads: the scholarly fairy world
This world focuses only on cataloging, dissecting, and cross-referencing fairy folklore in its entirety.
Scholars have an obsession with heaping up words upon words, recording everything ever uttered about fairies. You might bury yourself in the literature for decades, absorbing every dusty syllable, but you’d still emerge none the wiser.
Dusty words, no matter how reinforced they are by weighty citations, can never serve as a substitute for direct perception.
Fairies Rediscovered
So, are there any real fairies?
Of course there are, but the nature of Real Fairies is far removed from the absurdities presented by folklore, academia, and pop culture. Sadly, few people these days would recognize a real fairy even if it landed on the tip of their nose.
Still, glimmers of hope remain.
It’s encouraging that creatures originating in worlds invisible to our normal five senses continue to intrigue so many people. Such fascination, although often misplaced, suggests a pressing need to find deeper meaning in lives so often confined to the eat-work-sex-sleep loop.
And of course, throughout all this misunderstanding and confusion, Real Fairies remain real no matter what the majority might declare. And they resolutely continue doing what they’ve done since the birth of this world.
They nourish the land, sea, and air, nurture and comfort all living creatures, and preserve and fortify the fundamental energy patterns that hold this world together.
Living the Truth
To live this truth, all it takes is the decision to let go of some long-standing and limiting thought patterns. You can start right this minute by choosing to look at the world with fresh, less biased eyes.
Although the following steps seem simple, they can awaken you to an extraordinary magical reality:
- First, simply encourage yourself to quieten down from that frantic, all-consuming rush to find the next high or distraction
- Gradually let go of tensions and consciously relax
- Extend the relaxation till you find your breath lengthening and deepening
- Follow your deepening breath and let it carry you even deeper still
- Allow yourself to welcome all warm inner sensations that don’t originate with thought
- Open yourself to the unexpected
Your appreciation of the world around you will then grow in leaps and bounds.
And as you continue with your life, find moments each day to let your mind loosen. Encourage your heart to open wide and take inordinate pleasure in the joy of just being alive.
Eventually, you’ll establish an unshakable and ecstatic beachhead in your consciousness. You will feel a resonance with an invisible presence that is whole, nourishing, and uplifting. Continue to relax into this presence and trust its wisdom. It won’t lead you astray.
The rest is up to the fairies, the real ones!