Faery Dust & Faery Kisses

Happy Faery Day

2010-06-24T07:00:00.004-05:00

This is a little stone house I bought at the flea market a couple years ago...We used it as a faery house but fear the blasted gnomes are trying to take it over. Evan had a lot of fun making the little glass stone path for the house.

Those pesky gnomes are everywhere...this one has a little ladder and is climbing on the stone.

It's hard to get a shot of this little part of the garden...there's a stump from a shrub we removed so I used it to create a little faery corner. The faery is on the left...she sits with her chin in her hands and looks out over the stones and fountain! There are also over turned little pots, a shovel, and a snail keeping her company.

Another little faery house with stone path...Evan likes to leave things for the faeries here so you can see the shell he left for them to bathe in and also some pinecones.

These are little parts of bigger beds in the front of our house...this year we struggle with too much rain and hot hot hot days...so I'm hoping for a cooler July so perhaps the plants have a chance to really grow!!

The faery beds are a work in progress...as I find little goodies I encorporate them into the beds. And like I said Evan likes to put things out for the faeries also. Sometimes the gnomes move about so he checks whenever he comes over to see what they are up to and usually insists on putting them back where they belong. He has yet to catch a glimpse of the faeries but he keeps trying!!

Fairy Day 2010

2010-06-19T22:40:00.004-05:00

Fairy Day is this Thursday. It's time to celebrate with the faeries and to have a wee bit of fun.

I will be working in the faery garden and making sure the faery houses are clean and tidy. Hoping to lure a few faeries. Will also be adding a faery door or two around the yard.

Faery music shall be playing and we may do a bit of faery dancing.

I might try my hand at making a winter faery in a jar.....I have just the perfect little jar for it.

And of course Evan and I shall have some fairy bread...yummy.

The Beauty of a Soul

2010-03-06T20:01:00.003-06:00

I drew a Faery card from the Heart of Faery Oracle and asked her to tell me a story.....

The Crone's story......

In the times of old when the earth was young and the veil between faery and humans was so thin as to be almost nonexistent, the faeries liked to play a game. In this game they would dart quickly between the two worlds...back and forth, back and forth...and sometimes the humans would catch just a glimpse of them. Sometimes they looked merely like a fluttering leaf, or a spark of light....or even a bit of dust blowing in the breeze.

One day a faery that twinkled about as fast as any faery could....slipped quietly into the human world and snuggled into the petals of a flower to rest because afterall....all that darting back and forth can be quite exhausting. While lingering there she could hear the far away sound of singing....and being not only tired but curious....she set out to find the source of the singing....

She was enchanted by the lovely human she found....sitting on a blanket beneath the large gnarled trees. So enchanted was she that she forgot to hide and the lady caught a quick peek of the wee faery..she gasped and called out...."who goes there" to which the little faery chirped...."it is but a butterfly"....and the woman laughed and said....."it is but a sweet faery venturing out of the woods to take a peek at an old ancient woman..." To which the faery replied laughing...."and so it is" before darting quickly through the dim light of the woods and beyond the veil into Faery.

For the human that the faery found so enchanting was not some young and lovely maiden but an old woman with wrinkled face, graying hair, and gnarled hands....Time means little to the Fae....and age is cherished....for in the wrinkled faces of the fae....is beauty....and in the lines of the woman's face the faery caught a glimpse of the beauty of a soul.

The New Froud Deck is Out

2010-02-20T19:00:00.002-06:00

The new Froud deck...Heart of Faery Oracle is out. I just received my copy yesterday. It is awesome just like the first deck....I am just getting to know it and I am continuing to deepen my relationships with the faeries in the original deck also...I am spending most of my time with the faery decks right now rather than other decks....I don't know why...but I am....

February Focus: For the Love of Faeries

2010-01-30T21:08:00.002-06:00

For February I will be making a faery wish bag and a faery charm. It will work like this...

I will write a wish on a piece of paper and then I will draw a faery card. The card is to be the faery that can most help me with my wish...I will write the faery's name and a personal message to the faery on the wish sheet. Then tuck it into the samll bag.

Then I will create a faery charm for this faery...thinking about the faery, their likes, dislikes etc...I haven't decided yet if it will be on a piece of ribbon or in a small pouch but I am leaning toward the little bag...

I will do the wish of February first...and come back with more details....

#17 Himself

2009-09-14T06:32:00.002-05:00

My card for today is Himself...my one word intuitive is LIFE....

Even the Fairies Cry

2009-08-05T22:08:00.004-05:00

Even the fairies cry
From missing you
Dewdrop tears
Flower petal kleenex
Bowed in sadness.

Drooping wings
Lost flutter
Sun no more
Only the rain
On Fairy pain.

Copyright 2009 G. Schenck, Do not reprint without written permission,

Card #1 Unity

2009-07-03T11:45:00.004-05:00

Actually the 0 Card is the first card in this deck, it is a blank card designed for each user to created their own personal faery guide....mine is Dragonfly and I will need to take a picture of my 0 Card to post here. It is a simple black sketch of a Dragonfly but it serves the purpose well as my own faery guide. It is actually one of my favorite cards.....BUT on to Card #1 Unity.

CARD #1 UNITY My one word intuitive: ONE

The Unity card is what I think of as the God card or the Higher Spirit Card. It is the oneness we all came from the beginning, the creation. It reminds us that we are all of one body, like pieces of a puzzle that fit together to make the whole. The Unity card is full of positive energy and can promote real growth. In a reading, it remind us to center and become one with others and the universe.

The Faeries Oracle

2009-06-09T11:48:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone...that is if anyone is still reading...blogging has taken a back seat lately to lots of other "stuff." Right now I am in the process of SEVERAL projects....and working with the Faeries Oracle cards intuitively is BIG on my list...The book is fabulous but sometimes there is so much there that I become befuddled. So since this is JUNE...and Faery Day will soon be here...I am devoting the month of June to the cards!!!

Here is the project....my quest so to speak....I have been reading the cards intuitively...trying as much as possible to ignore the book unless I am totally stuck...I have been working with the first word that comes to mind when I turn the card over...for example Faeries of the Future prompted....Promises....what a great word!! So between now and the end of the month...I want to intuitively assign one word to each of the 66 cards....I have probably about a dozen or so done already...THEN....I will be sharing each card and it's word here at Faery Dust and Faery Kisses....along of course with other ramblings...LOL

Of note to those interested in the Faeries Oracle...Brian Froud has a new oracle due out in ...hmmm I believe the Spring of 2010....Jessica Macbeth is not the co author this time but instead it is Brian's wife.....I am VERY anxious to get a peek at any cards and to actually get this deck in my hands! So for now I am learning the deck I have backwards and forwards as pre-prep for the new deck!!

Another Coincidence?

2009-03-23T20:00:00.002-06:00

Okay it always amazes me when things just seem to pop up..in my mind or in my life and then later I discover some significance.

A week or two ago...I was writing a blog post over at Ginger's Journey....sort of just a rambling post about how sometimes the journey gets rough...how some parts of life are like a butterfly floating through the sky on a sunshine filled day....and then the rough spots...and how if you can weather them you can some out into the sunshine again...and maybe you'll get back the butterfly phase but more than likely not...and then I just started writing about how you could be a dragonfly instead...LOL...well....then

I was watching some friends get tattoos and I suddenly decided my next one would be a dragonfly...(I already have a fairy). Well afterward I was looking up symbolism...and I discovered the dragonfly is often linked to faeries...and is a symbol of transformation...and some other good stuff....makes me wonder if the faeries helped me pick that symbol...LOL...

Then since I still need to create my faery guide card...I decided it would be a dragonfly....now I just need to sketch it...and use some colored pencils to create it on my card.!! Wow...this world is a mysterious place!

The Faery Cards

2009-03-19T15:13:00.002-06:00

Here is something interesting or at least mildly interesting to me...the faery cards. I had been getting really seriously about my study of the archtypes and history behind the images on the faery cards. I had been dialoguing with people about them, writing about them, etc. And I started feeling totally stressed and I was wondering about it.

Then suddenly it came to me (a message from the faeries so to speak). Trust your intuition. One of the main idea in the Faeries Oracle is that the cards are meant to tap your own inner self, intuition, etc So it doesn't matter as much about the history of a card, or what the book says about a particular card, etc...what matters is MY THOUGHTS about the card..what it says to me...that is the beauty of the whole process.

So for the last couple of days I have thought about things from my own intuition and while I might read the book's intrepretations I have stopped relying on it as the expert and started relying on myself....and guess what? The lighthearted mood and positive vibes that I first got when I started using the cards has returned!!

Focus of the Day: Tobaira of the Waters

2009-03-15T08:55:00.003-06:00

This was originally posted at Ginger's Journey on March 13, 2009.

Well today's focus is brought to us by Tobaira of the Waters. Let me start out by saying that this is the first focus card that has presented reversed. I'm not sure if when focusing we are to look at the reverse of the card or both. With the other cards even though they presented right side up, I sort of wove all aspects of the card into our reflections and so I will do that also but just felt inclined to mention the reversed status.Tobaira of the Waters is a healing faery.

She presides over the healing powers present in water. We have all heard of the Fountain of Youth...well there are other supposedly magical water sources also. There are wells and other places that bestow healing, skills, or wisdom on people. For example the Hippocrene fountain in Mount Helicon gives one great poetic skills. One drink and the drinker acheives a certain level of poetic skill, another brings more and a third allows the person to be at a poetic "high".

Tobaria and other healing faeries work diligently to keep healing waters, springs, and other sources from becoming contaminated by many things in the human realm. Not just pollution but negativity etc. Faery waters reflect the emotional state of the humans around them. Words that speak of Tobaira are: serenity, meditation, and graceful acceptance of change. (The Faeries Oracle, Text by Jessica MacBeth, copyright 2000) For more information about the Faeries Oracle you can visit Faery Wisdom or World of Fround.

Tobaira speaks of change particularly emotional change. Like water emotions are fluid and ever changing. We have choices about where to head..."toward the calm flowing purity of the faery waters or the boiling cauldron of hot temper and steamy emotions" (MacBeth, 2000, pg. 126). Reversed Tobaira may speak of "emotional needs not meet or a thirst of the spirit or emotions" (MacBeth, 2000, pg. 126).

Now I need to move into other archetypes that may have this description and lastly my personal thoughts about Tobaira. We must keep in mind that our personal thoughts and ideas are just ask important as what any "expert" tells us but I do enjoy enriching my own thought processes by examining different views.

Well....hmmmm....finding specific archetypes that are like Tobaira of the Waters is proving to be difficult for my muddled mind today. There are plenty of "healing archetypes" and there are plenty of references to water so I will share a couple of those.Archetypes that are healers are plentiful...they may be a spiritual figure, physician or even a therapist. The need for wholeness is strong so throughout history there has been much focus on healing...very often spiritual. Many references to water include references to its healing benefits. And we can also see this is Christianity with the baptisim ritual with water and with Jesus washing us clean of sins.

In addition, in archetypical terms water is often the symbol for the unconscious. Along with others like caves, the forest, the night, and the moon. These tend to be feminine images because most of them that enclose or nourish or viewed as female. I think the whole idea of water and the unconscious speaks to the idea that healing the spirit is VITAL to our existence perhaps even more so than healing the body.

In my search I found a blog, that seems quite interesting...First of all the title Emerging Crone is well....just interesting...and then the blog description: "Guaranteed to thrive where planted, Flowering ecstatically in the garden of my soul".....well that is just cool!!! I just did a little looking around but I plan to go back and read some more later. The entry that came up in my search had to do with rain. Okay...rain...water...you following that whole line. Any way at the end of her post she posed these questions. I think they fit a bit with our reflection today. "What gifts does the rain bring you when it comes? What dams are needing to be breached so you may flow to the sea?" (The Emerging Crone)

Now I would reword those questions for us today as we Focus on Tobaira of the Waters:

What gifts does Tobaira of the Waters bring you?
What blocks need to be overcame so that you may become the person you are meant to be?

My thoughts on Tobaira of the Waters:

First the reversed presentation: Hmmm perhaps telling us that we all need to get in touch with our emotional selves and that are spirits are "thirsty" for us to provide them with a cool drink of water to refresh them.

This is a card of choice: cool calming faery waters or turbulent, boiling emotions. We have to recognize that we have a choice and we make the choice.

Also I think of the fluid changing nature of water. I think the water represents what we need at any given time......in other words we find what we need NOT what we seek. Sometimes they are the same but not always.

Reversed the card also speaks of calming down and quieting the waters before making decisions...probably never a bad thing.

Water...we are like what made up of a large percentage of water.... does that mean we have the healing power of water inside each of us...but we just need to figure out how to access it?

The Ocean: as Kelsey can attest...I'm a big lover of the ocean...the largest body of water on the earth...does this speak of me or to me in some way? I mean I like lovely walks in the woods and mountains and other naural settings...but to me NOTHING is quite like the Ocean!! Watching it for hours as time slips by quietly.

Well, dear readers, I could go on and on forever...but there are thoughts for you to think and now is the time for you to do so.

Today's Focus: The Un Dressing of a Salad

2009-03-14T20:14:00.002-06:00

This was originally posted at Ginger's Journey on March 12, 2009.

And you thought the name of yesterday's character brought a smile. The Undressing of a Salad is one of the cards in the Faeries Oracle created by Brian Froud and with text from the book written by Jessica Macbeth....so since I'm not sure if there is an archetype present here or not I will write a bit about the card itself so we can get a bit of insight and then I'm off to check the internet for similar symbols...remember it is not the name that is important but rather the insight or philosophy of life that the card brings us.

To create a salad various things must be brought into play and combined to create a tasty dish but how does one "undress a salad?" That is exactly the point...and while it might seem impossible ....is it? On this card we have quite a few remarkable images coming into play. We have Adroito, the Faery of Doing Impossible Things and he is balancing orbs. He is also called the Faery of Being Impossible (hmmmm some people don't need any help with that...lol) and the Faery of Avoiding Extremes...There are other creatures on the card also...all with their own message....but for now...Consider the act of Balancing Things....that in and of itself is a huge message and one which we should ponder often...(The Faeries Oracle, Text by Jessica MacBeth, copyright 2000). To read more about the Faeries Oracle you can visit Faery Wisdom or the World of Froud.

Anyway not only is balancing what we are pondering today but also the times in life when we have to turn bad into good. And think about balancing balls or orbs...eventually you drop one or someone snatches it away from you...those are the times when you have to be creative and realize that old balls wear out...maybe its time to get a new one? Think about it.Hmmm...today is not a good day to write about a complicated aspect....as time is short for research, however...I will throw in what ever tidbits I find and maybe revisit it again at a later date...Again these are just things that resonate with me...and may or may not be accurate of what is being suggested to us...just other points of view, thoughts, and history

The Goddess Maat is an Egyptian goddess that is the feminine aspect of Thoth. She is representing the concepts of truth, justice, balance, order, and the Divine Law. She has also been called the Goddess of Truth and Universal Order....now that would be one balancing act right there!!!

Hey here's another perspective I just stumbled across and hadn't thought about...all the horoscope signs are in effect archetypes....and of course Libra (my sign) is one of balance! the outward mode of Libra is activating, creating and illuminating....hmmmm I love that word illuminating! Libra is the archetype of intimacy, balance, relationships and aesthetic beauty. Libras symbolize the creation of social harmony and justice. The image associated with Libra is the scales. Attaining balance and standing up for fairness are key goals.

As I have been scanning and looking for similar archetypes...sharing the common idea of balance or finding the good in the bad etc...something just struck me...ALMOST all of the archetypes have an element of balance in them...like yesterday's the Pook...having a villian turn into a hero and vice versa....Or The Green Woman being three in one The Crone, The Maiden, and The Mother, all of those aspects balanced together in this archetype....or The Dark Lady...whose purpose is to guide us through dark times and into new beginnings (balance between despair and joy or turning bad times into good).....HMMM...are you seeing where I'm going with this?

To me The Un Dressing of the Salad is a metaphor for almost ALL aspects of life...with two key ingredients...BALANCE and TURNING THE BAD into good.....or like I like to call it ..."getting through the darkness and coming out into the light again" It is through this process that we can journey through life successfully and to live our life to the fullest...and be the individuals we truly were meant to be.Anyhoo....those are just my thoughts on this subject and I'll be interested to hear others should they present themselves.!! Until later dear readers ponder these thoughts and may they bring a sense of purpose and balance into your lives!!

The Pook

2009-03-14T12:26:00.002-06:00

This was originally posted at Ginger's Journey on March 11, 2009.

Okay...don't laugh...the focus for the day is embodied in The Pook, or shape shifter. Today we reflect on words such as paradox and resolution. We also think about the "good in the bad" and the "bad in the good". For everything under the sun has a dual nature or the possiblities of good and bad. Our paradoxes and confusions are self created and the Pook just dresses them up a bit to confuse us. The Pook is against rigid mind sets and in his own (often maddening way) encourages us to develop inquiring minds. His challenge is for us to "wake up" (The Faeries Oracle text by Jessica MacBeth, copyright 2000) You can read more about the Faeries Oracle at Faery Wisdom or World of Froud.

The Pook, is simply the name that is given to this archetype in the Faeries Oracle but this concept or archetype is present in other cultures, religions, and lore from around the world. On a worldly realm....the shape shifter is present in many screenplays...that character that switches from good to bad...or vice versa. The character who has been a villan and then in the final few moments of the story does something heroic and self sacraficing....you can name a bunch that fit I'm sure. And of course, the other also...characters that we believe to be good that end up doing horrible things or betraying others.

The shape shifter is sometimes called a spell caster because of his ability to change appearances and navigate through various setting...conscious and dreaming. As this blogger: Woffle puts it think of the politician who can put on any face in any situation. But on the positive side the Pook has the ability to see the possibilites in any situtation.

This archetype is referred to frequently in Native American cultures and can travel through different level of consciousness, dreams, awake or on the astral plane. I'm not sure of this but it makes me wonder if the shape shifter is also the guide during "dream walking"...like I said that is just a guess but it seems to fit.

Some believe this archetype is closely linked to the trickster. There are many archetypes that appear to have the ability to shape shift: Tezcatlipoca, of the Aztecs and Esrsanatlehi, a powerful Navajo deity. For these though shape shifting is just an "added bonus". The true nature of The Pook is to show us the good in the bad and the bad in the good. To wake us up to all possibilities and to break us out of rigid thinking patterns.If we think of the archetype of the Trickster he finds expression through human imagination and experience. He is a Jungian Archetype and as a character creates realities in the duality of time and illusion. Sometimes he breakes the rules maliciously but usually with a postive outcome in the end. And while some of this is true of the Pook...any trickster or shapeshifter can be good or bad...or at times both...It is in the decisions made about the use of changing shapes that the role of helper or hurter is created.

For me...The Pook...speaks of examining rules, giving up rigid mind sets, and attempting to see the dual naure of people and situations. When the Pook turns up in our lives its time to examine our beliefs and to clear away the confusion...the information we need is there...we just need to find it among all the paradoxes. Or on the flip side of that, sometimes he stops by to tell us the information is not available at this time and we need to get on with our lives until the insight is present. I don't know this Pook guy can be pretty confusing...lol...but that's okay...the dual nature means that with confusion there is also clarity....so maybe that comes in the end! Or maybe they send another faerie our way to clear that up!

The Green Woman

2009-03-13T07:25:00.001-06:00

This was originally posted at Ginger's Journey on March 10, 2009

I find it a bit interesting that yesterday's focus was the Dark Lady and today's is the Green Woman...perhaps the universe is trying to tell me to focus on the beauty and strength of being female...hmmm...not sure but The Green Woman is also an archetype....however finding her counterparts throughout the world is proving to be slightly more difficult than the Dark Lady. But today I will share with you what I am discovering.

The words associated with the Green Woman are wildness, expectant gratitude, natural magic and untrammeled creativity. The Green Woman dances naked whereever she wants. She is unencumbered by what you think of her because she is confident in her worth because of her life and experiences. She shows us how to release the constraints of artificial rules and limitations. She reminds us of the power of growth and the importance of perserverance and patience. She symbolizes a time for developing talents and for self confidence. (The Faeries Oracle Text by Jessica Macbeth, copyright 2000) You can read more about the Faeries Oracle at World of Froud or Faery Wisdom.

As far as this particular archetype in other cultures...I am sure it exists...I will continue to look for this "woman" under different names but here are a few tidbits I have uncovered already.The Green Woman's image can be found in the stonework of ancient churches in England and France, and is viewed as the feminine face of nature. Also known as Sheela-Na-Gig she is often pictured entangled in vines and foliage. The Green Woman's "nature" encourages us to see ourselves despite self limiting perspectives we have taken on through the years. To read more about this view point of the Green Woman please check out Becoming the Green Woman. Perhaps this blogger says it best with her words...."The Green Woman is at once both an ancient archetype and a primal life force that is constantly creating and recreating herself through the cycles of birth, bloom and fermentation."

Some believe that The Green Woman is three in one. At the same time Mother, Maiden, and Crone. And there are many references to The Green Woman is relation to herbal healing. In fact I even discovered online courses related to this ancient art. There are many references to The Green Man and the Green Woman...more information seems available on the masculine image than the feminine.

In fairy folklore there were tree fairies called Green Ladies, that lived in the trees and were often offended if the trees were not treated with respect. Old sayings have it that before cutting a branch it was best to ask the fairies for permission.

So my focus today is to ponder the wild creative nature of growth...perhaps self growth. To recognize that I am what I am...and that is quite enough in and of itself. Seeking acceptance and positive regard is human nature.....but the Green Woman says to Dance and celebrate yourself for being who you are! ... Be self confident....experiences and life by the age of 51 must have taught me something of worth...just listen to it!

2009-03-12T21:44:00.000-06:00

The Dark Lady

2009-03-12T21:37:00.003-06:00

This originally was posted on Ginger's Journey on Monday March 9, 2009.

Today's focus is to ponder the meaning and message of The Dark Lady....hmmm...the most widely known reference to the Dark Lady is Shakespeare's Sonnets....and perhaps Cher's song of the same name. While these are common references they may or may not have anything to do with the true essence of The Dark Lady. How then did the archetype come into being and what is its "true" nature?

Drawing from memory and inner thoughts without reading...I pulled forth what is perhaps typical of beliefs about the Dark Lady...a temptress, representing passion, desires, and impulsive behavior.....imagine my surprise then when I discovered that this "symbolic image" has only minimal connections to such things.

One interpretation of The Dark Lady is that she is the keeper of all thoughts and ideas and the guardian of the unborn. She holds the dreams and ideas that have not yet sprung forth in us. She is with us in the darkest of nights and guides us through passings whether they be death or simply an ending of a phase or thing in our lives. She is there at the end of our grief process and helps us to move forward to a new beginning. The words associated with her: unconscious power & wisdom, rituals, mysteries, secrets. (The Faeries Oracle, Text by: Jessica Macbeth Copyright 2000) You can read more about the Faeries Oracle at Faery Wisdom or World of Froud.

As I explore and strive to understand archetypes and how they have developed over time and virtually across every culture and society on earth...it brings me back to Christianity and my belief in God. How do I reconcil this interest with a strong belief in God and Jesus Christ? Is it dabbling in areas that are best left alone? In truth, while I do not know the answer to this....I believe that exploring these concepts enriches and reinforces my belief in a Higher Power. In my life that is God and Christ. I know for others that may not be the case and while I can argue with you that my beliefs are the REAL beliefs...in truth I have no way of proving that to you or anyone else.

So I decided to read a bit more about the Dark Lady and was very interested in finding an article in the National Catholic Reporter called Art & Spirituality: Seeking the Dark Lady. Here I will try to paraphrase those ideas that resonated with me and caused a bit of pause. For further information plase check out the link. It is a short easy to read article.

Key Points from My Perspective:

1. Images of a black or dark skinned Madonna with dark hair are among the oldest Madonna images in the world. Hmmmm...it is believed that these are a result of symbolic meanings and representations of attributes of goddesses.

2. Black Madonna images, both sculptures and paintings, have been found around the world. This representation of the feminine divine has been noted by Jungians and mystics. This image in its blackness represents the mystery surrounding the divine...a light so bright as to be seen only as blackness.

3. Also know as the Queen of Nature, she represnts fertile transformation both in the common meaning of the word...through birth & nature but also internal birth and change.

4. Other names depicting the Dark Lady through out Mexico and other countries: Sorrowful Mother, Mater Dolorosa, The Madonna of Solitude and Sorrow.

5. There is also similarities between the Dark Lady and a Hopi spirit called Crow Mother. She is noted as the Keeper of Balance and is the mother who fertilizes life.

6. BUT perhaps the most interesting to me was the following quotation taken from the article by Rich Heffern but is in part contributed to Craighead. ....

"With contemporary lore about black holes at the center of our galaxy and elementary particles burbling into existence out of nothing, Craighead said, “science now shows us pragmatically what people in both the Old World and the New have probably always known forever, with their deep hunches about our origins. Black is holy. It’s the mysteries of the night sky. We both come from and are contained somehow by this darkness.”

National Catholic Reporter July 25, 2008

Those are my ramblings today about the Dark Lady...she is encouraging a connection to the earth which I find ironic in this age of "going green". So while the term dark might lead one to believe in evil...the Dark Lady represents nature, sorrow, new beginnings and the essence of transfomation. She is a strong feminine image that evokes strength and support.

Fairy Tea for Valentine's Day

2009-01-21T13:06:00.005-06:00

This cute little project over at Martha Stewart inspired me to write a little fairy tea poem for Valentine's Day!

Please feel free to use the poem for personal use but do not republish on any other website or use in any commerical way.

Little Fairy, Shimmering Light
Gather your magic through the night,
Flower nectar, sweet and cold,
Only as much as a teacup will hold

Hugs and Kisses, flavor it right,
Warmed by the fire, such a delight!
Fairy Tea in your cup,
Filled with love so drink it up!

Copyright 2009 G.B. Schenck

Fairy Focus: Fairy Corner

2009-01-17T07:48:00.000-06:00

I hope you enjoyed the fairy tidbits I found while wandering through books and fairy sites.

My next little focus is going to be on creating a fairy corner...and I have the perfect place for it...at the flea market I found a little white shelf unit that has a door on the front and four or five shelves inside. It's easy to leave the door open and display interesting objects and books inside. I haven't really "gotten it together" yet because with the holidays and such time was just not available. Currently it's setting empty in my bedroom.

As I passed it by the other day I thought...Fairies would love to reside inside this tall, narrow, old unit...and then as so often happens my mind jumped from one thing to another and I thought it would be the perfect place to display some of my fairy things...right now I just have a few items but I am always on the look out for cute little fairy trinkets and such. In addition on the bottom shelf I can stack my slowly growing collection of fairy books. It's a plus that the doors close because when little ones like my grandson come to visit I can just close up the little cabinet and protect the fairies and fairy things from little hands.

So I'm itching to create some little fairy displays and take some pics to share with you here at Fairy Dust and Fairy Kisses....

2009-01-09T20:12:00.001-06:00

Fairy Tidbits

2009-01-06T15:36:00.000-06:00

Faery is the world in which fairies reside. Often people say the word means "magic" because to us mortals.....faery seems magical and like a fantasy world. But to fairies it seems natural and orderly with everything happening for a reason. The reasons are just not ones that we typically encounter.

Fairies exist all over the world. In Spain fairies are called hada while in Ireland they are referred to as sidhe. In Greece they are heralded as Fata or Destinees. The Arabian Jinns can shift forms while the Asrai are water fairies that melt when sunlight touches them. Some, such as the Celtic Afanc are quite sinister. This fairy dwells at the bottom of deep lakes and is rumored to pull people into the depths of the lake. Beware of the Willow Fairy as it's vibrating light will lure you into the swamp grass and cause you to lose your way. Fire fairies as their name implies have the ability to create or destroy just as fire does. Rainbow Fairies paint the colors of the rainbow making sure that the ends do not touch the earth.

Fairies love to sip the nectar from flowers but also enjoy good meats, fine wines, and the best potatoes produced. Thus fairies love a feast but never over indulge. Mortals would serve well to carry a small amount of salt with them for if they chance upon a fairy they will be assured a good meal and good stories to tell upon their return. For mortals should not eat unsalted fairy food as it will take away their cares and lure them into pining for the fairy world upon their return to the mortal realm.

Fairy Focus: Fairy Tidbits

2009-01-02T09:26:00.000-06:00

The Fairy Focus for this week is Fairy Tidbits...this week I will look for and collect fairy folklore, fairy quotes and little fairy tidbits to share with others through out the year. I received a fun little Irish Fairies book for Christmas so that will be a great starting place. I also need to get my fairy notebook back from a neighbor that borrowed it...that will be the perfect tool for organizing and storing the information I discover on my quest to understand the world of fairies.

Some things to look forward to in the coming weeks:

Fairy Corner: I am creating a little fairy corner and will take some pictures to share with you!
Fairy Gardens: Plans will start taking shape around the end of the month for my fairy gardens. I have them tucked here and there among the other larger flower beds...so we will start planning these focal points.
Fairy Finds: I will be sharing with you sites of interest or items that I find that are fairy related.

Please pop in often as we travel through 2009 with a fairy outlook!!

2009 Fairy Folklore and Events

2008-12-16T11:49:00.000-06:00

I am determined to have a load of fairy stuff to share with you between January 1st and Fairy Day which is June 24th...in fact this year I am planning a special Fairy festival for June...I can't wait to share the details with you....So even though the blog has been a bit inactive...I will be adding more content after the first!!

Fairy Thoughts

2008-08-06T22:07:00.000-05:00

I need to get you updated on my fairy gardens and all things fairy like. I found the cutest stone houses at the flea markey. Well actually a house and a barn...they are actually pretty good sized...I'll get some pictures up of them soon. I put them in the garden but all the rain sort of washed out the roof color so I am in the process of restaining them and then spraying them with a sealant to hopefully keep them a bit better. The price was awesome but I love them so much I'd like them to last several seasons.

This summer weather has created havoc for the fairy beds...the ones in front are doing well as they are shaded quite a bit but the back rock bed is dry and my plantings are just not holding up. When the weather cools I may plant some mums in the bed to get the fairy garden ready for our Boo Bash party. First it rained all of June and then July got things going ending with sorching weather which has traveled into August with us.

In other fairy news....I am making up the fairy tea bags as gifts this year and I am also on the look out for some fairy charms and those little pottery bottles to make the fairy dust. I am thinking about making a fairy basket for my little neice. I have so many ideas i just need to get to pulling them together.

I'll try to pop in more often. I am in the process of collecting some fairy folklore and I'd like to share that with you also.

Christmas Fairy Tea

2008-06-16T22:45:00.000-05:00

Here's a little poem you can make to include with a nice Christmasy tea...I am going to put a tea bag inside a gold or red tiny bag and attach this poem I wrote:

Little Fairy, twinkling bright
Gather your magic through the night
Melting the snowflakes, glistening cold
Only as much as a teacup will hold

Christmas spices, flavored just right
Warmed by the fire, what a delight
Fairy tea in your cup,
Warms the soul so drink it up!

PLEASE Note: This poem is copyrighted. You may use it for personal use only. Do not re-publish it anywhere else!

Cute Fairy Garden Accessories

2008-05-12T20:39:00.001-05:00

Here's a whole kit of fairy garden stuff from HERE A little pricey for me but it sure gives you some ideas of cute little things to be looking for. Once the mud clears up here...if ever....I am off to put some moss in my beds....this weekend is booked with graduation stuff....but one evening next week will work!!!

Fairy Garden Progress

2008-05-04T14:34:00.000-05:00

This is a photo of the square stone I mentioned that I bought at the dollar store...for ummmm...a dollar. I thought the saying was particularly cute for a fairy garden. I decided to use it in the front bed because more people will see it there.
Here is one of the fairy rings. It's a little hard to see but the center piece is the stone fountain. With a fairy to the left and the wooden walk way. Of course I still need to add the ferns and flowering moss. The picture below shows a little closer up.
Here is the second fairy ring and all it has so far is a little house I picked up at the flea market for 25 cents. I am going to plant moss in a circle around the edge of the ring. I am not sure what other tidbits I will find to decorate this fairy ring.
Both of the rings will be surrounded by day lilies and hostas once they get growing for this season. They are up but they get a lot bigger within the next month!

Working on the Fairy Gardens

2008-05-04T11:03:00.000-05:00

Today is shaping up to be a beautiful day outside. I am working on my Fairy Garden that is in the front of the house along our walkway. I took apart an old garden barrel that was falling apart and used the two rings from the barrel to create two round fairy gardens among the day lilies and hostas. They are only partially finished but if I get a minute I'll snap some pictures to post for you. The two rings sort of highlight the fairy section and yet blend in nicely. Otherwise I was afraid the tiny stuff would get lost among the larger plants. One of the rings has the little stone water fountain, another piece of decor picked up at the dollar store, a stone fairy, a wooden walkway and two pretty flat stones...The other ring has just a little house in it right now.

I am really itching to actually plant a few flowers in the rings but here in Missouri people warn against planting before Mother's Day so I will have to wait until next weekend!! I am thinking about a couple ferns and some flowering moss. Well back to work...I just came in to put on a load of laundry...then I have a bit of a mess on the walkway to clean up!!!

Fairy News

2008-05-01T21:34:00.000-05:00

Well I found the cutest little stone (flat and square) at the dollar store...it says "With Grateful Hearts Gather Here" isn't that the cutest little saying for a fairy garden? I actually put it in the flower bed at the front of the house...right next to out sidewalk. I had a bush (small one) die in this bed so I am sticking in a few annuals to fill the space this year. I thought I'd throw a few fairy items in for good measure. The rest of the bed looks splendid with hostas and day lilies. I also placed a little stone fountain that I picked up at the flea market for 25 cents. It's suppose to have a battery for water to flow...but Ijust thought it looked cute as a fairy fountain so its in the front bed also. There are a couple of fairly small fairy statues at Walmart that I plan to pick up and stick in this bed also...I'll try to take a few pics soon so you can see this tiny area of the bed...the weather is warmer but I'm not planting anything until AFTER Mother's Day!!!

Flea Market Fairy Finds

2008-04-21T22:33:00.000-05:00

I found the cutest little wooden houses for a dollar each at the flea market....they are the perfect size...now I need to paint them...add some doors and maybe shutters...and moss on the roof. They are all the same so as I decorate them I will try to give each one a bit of personality. The bed is cleaned out and the stump in placed....so planting and creating is soon to follow!!!

2008-04-16T22:04:00.001-05:00

Fairy Glitter

Collecting Fairy Things

2008-04-15T22:13:00.001-05:00

As I said earlier half the fun of the fairy garden will be collecting things to go in it. This is a little bench and table that I actually picked up last year at the flea market....just cause it was little and cute. They are the perfect size for the fairy garden. The minature fence was at Walmart in the craft supplies. I will most likely pick up a few more sections of fence to use. I have a couple more dollar stores finds that I want to take pics of and will share them later.

Fairy Garden Site of Interest

2008-04-11T22:20:00.000-05:00

This is from a blog at Enchanted Fairy Gardens.

It is a site well worth checking out. There are wonderful examples of Fairy Gardens and there is a store site too as well as the blog. The store is called Enchanted Gardens Check out all the minature fairy sized things they have. I love browsing the site and getting ideas for the Fairy Garden I am about to create!!

Ten Things I Love About Fairies

2008-04-09T06:38:00.000-05:00

1. They are tiny
2. They are magical
3. They touch my inner spirit and make me smile.
4. They have unique personalities
5. They fly
6. They remind me of butterflies!!
7. They touch the imagination!
8. They are beautiful
9. They bring some enchantment into the world.
10. They are playful.

Fairy Gardens

2008-04-07T20:20:00.000-05:00

I have been reading about creating a fairy garden and I have just the spot for it...I will post more about that later and describe the process and hopefully take some photos of it in process...may use them for a few pages in my Garden Art Journal also.

2008-04-06T18:40:00.000-05:00

Yes It's True

2008-04-06T13:37:00.000-05:00

I am starting yet another blog...this one is just for me and just for fun...I love Fairies...and since June 24th is Fairy Day....I just discovered this....I simply couldn't resist. So if you are interested keep watching....if not ...check out some of my other blogs...hopefully one will have something of interest to you.