The Lavender Fairy

Lavender by Thowra_uk
Licensed under Creative Commons

Late last night I was pissed at the universe, and depressed.  My thoughts went back and forth between my fairies, doing something stupid, Cicely M. Barker's fairies, how angry and depressed I felt and the various reasons for it.  Going back to bed felt like the last thing I wanted to do.  Eventually I did it, because by thinking of fairies (especially Barker's) I was able to calm myself down enough.

I thought about her lovely little lavender fairy.  When I was a kid I wanted to be that fairy.  Okay, I still do.  She could play with the stalks of lavender, and fly with the butterflies.  It must smell wonderful where she lives.  She's so happy, carefree, and purple. Really, who wouldn't want to be that fairy?  I suppose if you're allergic to lavender, then you might not, but if you were a lavender fairy you wouldn't be allergic to lavender.  Lavender would be your family.

The Relationship of Spirituality

Bamboo Fairy by Alice Popkorn
Licensed under Creative Commons

I believe spirituality to be a personal relationship between one and the divine (whatever the divine may happen to be for the individual).  This blog post from Rev. Evan Keely reminded me of that, and some distinctions about spirituality since it's a relationship.  Keely mentioned how when he chose to be in a relationship with his wife it was not based on scientific reasoning; it was based on feelings.  This really spoke to me.  Before I started this fairy stuff, science was the closest thing I had to spiritual beliefs.  It simply did not work for me.  The reason for that was because I feel scientific reasoning cannot always explain feelings.  Now that I do base the relationship of spirituality on feelings, it works much better.

I don't believe in fairies because I observe them scientifically.  I did not use the scientific method and come to the conclusion that there are fairies.  I felt fairies, or at least what I would like to call fairies.

Keely pointed out that many of the decisions people make are based on feelings rather than facts.  Whether it's with whom we're in relationship, politics, religion, etc.  However, it seems to me that not only is my spirituality based on feelings, my feelings are based on spirituality. Most areas where I choose to make decisions based off of feelings rather than facts are in some way spiritual.  My religion, political beliefs, and the relationships I'm in are all related to my spirituality.  As I've explained in previous posts, I believe that fairies make up my soul.  I also believe that it is this soul from which many my feelings come from.  Feelings and fairies are inextricably connected.

A Conversation with Myself

It's All About Me by Randy Willis Photos
Licensed under Creative Commons

The following script is an attempt to display the silliness in my head around the time that I was thinking about basing my theology on fairies.  This process really took a couple of weeks (if not months) of this and similar dialogue occasionally going on in my head.  Actually, it's still kinda going on in my head (among many other silly thoughts).  Here's how it went:

Myself: I think I want to believe in fairies, 'cuz they're awesome.

I: That's just silly.  Fairies don't exist.  Fairy tales are in the fiction section at the library, dear.

Myself: Not those types of fairies, I came up with my own type of fairies to believe in.  They're more like spirits rather than Thumbelina with butterfly wings.

I: It's still silly.

Me: I think it's cute.  If this belief in fairies will work for you than you should totally go for it.

Myself: I know, right?  I think it will work for me, because thinking about fairies makes me happy and such.

Me: That's great! So what are these fairies like?

Myself: I don't know.  They're just kinda there.  They're like billions of presences that create the spirit of the universe.

I: It still sounds silly, and an awfully like the G-word.

Me: The G-word?

I: Yeah, you know . . . God.

Myself: I know, it's a very similar concept.  I guess I wouldn't really be able to call myself an atheist or agnostic anymore if I decided to believe in fairies.

Me: Well, it doesn't sound like you'd really be a theist either.

I: You'd be a fairyist, and that's just silly.

Myself: It might be silly, but I think believing in fairies will be good.  It'll really help how I view my life, and the lives and losses of those I'm close to.  My spirituality is all about myself anyway, so I might as well do what I think is best.

Me:  Actually, your spirituality is all about me, but I think it's great and that you should go for it too.

I:  It's actually all about I, and I still think it's silly.  However, sometimes it's good to be silly, so I will support the belief in fairies as well.

Fantasy and Spirituality

Fairy in Fantasy World by Redwine Photography
Licensed under Creative Commons

This blog post is made somewhat as a response to Serena Castells' comment to my previous post.  I thought her distinction between fantasy and what one really believes about the world interesting.  In some ways I don't think my beliefs in fairies are related to my beliefs in the real world.  I am effectively coming up with my own fantasy universe to base my spirituality off of.  There aren't enough explanations in the real world, which I can see and understand.  That is why I've created my spiritual world.

In a way, I think I distinguish the real world from my fantasy/spiritual world.  The limits I see of the real world are based on my observations, or at least research into the observations of qualified people.  Similarly, the limits I've created in my fantasy universe which I base my spirituality off of are also based off my interpretations of the spiritual universe, as well as the interpretations of other qualified people.

I don't recognize very much of a difference between fantasy and spirituality.  All stories are spiritual whether they are fiction or non-fiction.  I find that many spiritual texts have elements of fantasy in them, and many fantasy texts have elements of spirituality in them.  I guess the difference would simply be the purpose for which they were intended for, which doesn't matter to me.  I'll use whatever I read to suit my own purposes, regardless of what the original purpose may have been.

Laws and Limits

With Silent Wings He Was Gone by Ruby Blossom
Licensed under Creative Commons

I've recently read the book Violet Wings by Victoria Hanley.  In the universe Hanley created, fairies are limited by many laws, as well as the limitations of their individual varying magical levels and powers.  It made me wonder what kind of limits the fairies I believe in might have.  Here's what I thought of:

1.  Fairies cannot turn into physical matter.  They have a relationship to it, but they cannot become it.  Fairies are pure spiritual entities (I don't know if I like the term "spiritual entities," but it seems to be a good enough way to explain it for now).

2.  They cannot directly interfere with physical matter either.  They may be able to influence thoughts and feelings, but they cannot move physical matter, direct it, or force it to do anything.

3.  Fairies would not exist without physical matter.  If it disappears somehow, so would they.

4.  Fairies are limited by us.  The amount they can influence our thoughts and feeling is related to how much we allow them to.  They may have miniscule amount of influence regardless, but allowing and encouraging their influence would greatly increase how much they can give.

Thats all I can think of for now.  Can you think of any?  If I think of any more I may (or may not) write another blog post about it.

Widening Our Circle

The Fairy Ring; the Enchanted Piper
by William Holmes Sullivan

Today's Zenpencils was based on a quote from Albert Einstien.  The quote read:

A human being is a part of the whole, called by us 'the universe'.  A part limited by time and space.  He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated by the rest.  A kind of optical illusion of his consciousness.  This delusion is kind of a prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.  Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion, to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

It made me think of a recent post of mine where I mentioned Richard Dawkins' book The God Delusion.  This quote from Einstein made me feel less offended by the title of the book (though I wasn't really terribly offended by the title in the first place).  Regardless, Einstein's quote implies that we're all deluding ourselves.  Therefore, it doesn't matter whether Dawkins thinks God is a delusion or not, because atheism is also a delusion.  Theism, atheism, and any other way that individuals interpret the universe would all be considered "a kind of optical illusion of [one's] consciousness" or delusions.

The quote also reminded me of the seventh principle of Unitarian Universalism: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.  Often this principle is used to promote the "green" movement within and outside of the church.  I appreciated the reminder that respect of the interdependent web of all existence is not just to improve the environment but also ourselves, physically, mentally, and spiritually.

In trying to find a pretty picture for this blog post I learned that the folklore behind mushroom rings is that they were formed after fairies performed ritual dances within the circle.  The painting above was inspired by such stories.  I'm a little afraid of fungi since I don't like mold.  The idea of fairies forming circles of mold is kind of disturbing to me.  However, I'm reminded that even though mold is icky, it's still part of the web of life.  Many helpful medicines and other things could not exist without it.  I may not find it beautiful, but I do have appreciation for it, as long as it's not on my strawberries.

Dandelion Seeds

Dandelion Seeds Blowing in the Wind by David Clarillet
Licensed under Creative Commons

I recently re-watched the Tinker Bell film from Disney.  I'd forgotten their use of dandelion seeds in the birth of Tinker Bell.  When the baby laughs which gives birth to the fairy, a burst of wind made the dandelion seeds in a window garden take flight.  One of the seeds flew all the way to Never Land, where a fairy poured pixie dust on it.  After the pixie dust touched the seed, it turned into Tinker Bell.

I liked that the film used dandelion seeds in their creation of fairies.  It reminds me of the connection between dandelions and fairies that I was taught as a child by my cousin.  I suppose that the connection between dandelion seeds and fairies is a more popular idea than I'd originally thought.

I also liked the idea of fairies requiring spiritual, physical, and mysterious magical entities to be born.  That is the symbolism I see in the use of the first time a baby laughs, the dandelion seed, and the pixie dust, respectively.  I cannot see the physical forms of the fairies I believe in.  Perhaps they do not have any.  However, I don't think fairies would exist if physical matter did not exist; there is an important symbiotic connection between the two.