For the last eight years or so, I have been leading
workshops on Faery Healing. These began, around 1995, as historical
and folkloric explorations, based on old traditional
material from Scotland, Ireland, and Europe. The idea was, originally,
to talk about the old methods preserved for centuries
among country people, which included laying on of hands, working
with stones and plants, healing humans and animals. Simple
healing arts always found in association with the faery tradition
in one form or another.
After the first couple of workshops, things started
to happen. Whenever the group did a meditation or vision, some people
would begin to feel subtle energies
working through their bodies, especially into the hands. I began to sense some
very
specific faery contacts that would always appear when
we worked with
the healing material. What was happening?
It soon became clear that we were tapping into a living tradition, still
active, with spirit beings ready to respond and
work with us. This
did not come out of nothing, I should
add, for most of the groups had already been working with intentional contact
with
faery beings, through methods that
I had taught in previous
workshop series. The foundation had
been laid before, but the nature of the faery edifice that rose up was surprising
and
powerful.
My book on Faery Healing is based on the experiences
and teachings of that five-year
cycle. Some of the basic methods are revealed
in the practical extracts that follow.
They are transcriptions
of visionary forms, which are included
on the CD of visualizations and music that
accompanies the book. They have
been used with
considerable effect in group workshops
and in individual work. These are not guided
visualizations of the kind found
in many books: they are short and concise, and become
increasingly
powerful with practice. I prefer
the term visionary forms or empowered visions
for these techniques, as they are finely
attuned to specific inner contacts
and spiritual forces.
Working
with the three empowered visions
Read them aloud to yourself, building the
images simply, and always remain in the silent
phases for several minutes where
indicated. With practice you will be able
to follow each sequence from memory. Many
people take notes or keep a diary when working
with these techniques. Another recommended
method is to do
one of the visions at night, before sleep,
with the intention of following through during
your sleep.