My first actual encounters with the fey began with trees. I mentioned in a previous blog about my dear friend passing away - once I had experienced the presence of his spirit, it was as if I opened up to further experiences. I took many walks in a park near to where I worked, in a little village called St Osyth in Essex. From a distance the park would not seem like much - it is an open field with a building (used for sports etc with children), football posts etc, but it is fringed all around the back with gorgeous trees, which create a border between the park and the neighbouring farmland. The park has a definite ancient ambience of mystery, magic and power - the village has a history with witches and a couple of roads away, there is a building which used to be used for holding women who were to be trialed and burned as witches. About 13 miles away, incidentally, is the village of Manningtree, where Matthew Hopkins, the Witchfinder General, lies buried.
Across the road from the park is St Osyth Priory (now privately owned, so the public are unable to visit any longer, which is a shame). Often I would walk past to go to the bus stop, and in my mind's eye I would see visions of witches of days gone by.
But I digress! I first became aware of the spirit of a beautiful old willow tree. Initially she only identified herself as the 'Mother Tree', then later I received the name 'Amyana'. She is beautiful, a maiden with flowing brown hair and usually wearing a grey-white long dress. She perches in the branches and talks with me. About two years after meeting her, I read the Cassandra Eason book 'The Modern-Day Druidess'. Now, I had never heard the term Mother Tree before, and as you do, I had experienced doubts about whether my encounters with the tree spirits (and later angels, and the fey) were real or imagined. I have since had numerous things confirm my psychic ability, second sight, whatever you wish to call it (I describe it as simply 'knowing'), and this was one of them. Contained within this book was a whole section on 'Tree Mothers'! These are older trees with older experiences and wisdom than other trees, and Cassandra describes them as "immensely comforting, protective in cold, lonely times, but challenging too, like any tough mother pushing her reluctant offspring to ever greater achievements, both personally and spiritually." This is so true of Amyana. She has been my guidance and my comfort, and though I have moved away from the area now, to the North West, whenever I visit home I have to go to that village, and even more so I have to go to her. She has granted me both wisdom and encouragement, and words of comfort in times of loss and destructive relationships. She feels like a spiritual home, and I have a twig from her boughs which I use from time to time when I feel I need some guidance. In return, incidentally, I gave her two crystals, which I went out to buy especially. In the shop, I was drawn to fire opal, and I had no idea why, because I didn't have any of this at home myself in my crystal collection, but for some reason they felt right. Again, two years later reading Cassandra's book, I read the section on Tree Mothers, which included a description of various trees, including the willow. The corresponding crystals for this tree? Moonstone/fire opal. I was stood in a bookshop when reading this section and I swear my mouth was hanging open! I had to buy it of course. I knew then that what I was experiencing was real.
As well as Amyana I met numerous other spirits in that park, and would love walking from one to the next to gather their wisdom or hear whatever else they had to say to me. I have been working with them on and off for seven years now, and recently I visited home and went there, on the 1st August, and they wanted me to share them with my fellow Enchanted Folk, so here is my journal from that day, and here are the beautiful tree spirits in all their glory!
~ Today I visited the park in St Osyth. It was so beautiful – like coming home. The sun was bright and warm, and the wind was blowing fierce.
My messages were as follows:
The Dark Prince
His dark figure appeared. The air feels colder and darker when in his presence, but not in a bad way. His message:
“Nature is cold, dark, heat, light. Live it, breathe it, feel it. Know it. Embrace it. Let it become part of you.”
Herne
I had not met Herne before. His tree looks reminiscent of the Green Man, or Cerrenos, or Herne the Hunter. He heard my thoughts and confirmed himself as Herne.
“Know me as Herne. I am as you find me. Protect the Greenleaf.”
He said no more, but then he said he had no further message for me, but was going to fill me with his energy, to make me strong and ‘protect the Greenleaf.’
The wind suddenly felt warm, and it was as if it was blowing down and entering my hands, and sending energy coursing through my veins. There were faeries and pixies inside his branches, and playing down where the nettles and bramble and hawthorn were quivering in the wind. I closed my eyes, and saw a vision of the Green Man, laughing merrily. When I left him, he said one more word; “Heal.” I do not know if he meant others or myself. I think he meant both.
Neriaper
She was as I remembered her – blonde and slight and wearing a plain cotton dress. She exuded happiness and joy as always.
“Laugh, and play, and run with the faeries,” she said. “Walk in ancient forest, visit the oceans of far-off places. On your journeys you will learn secrets, wisdom, and go further along your Way. Share this with those you know. Know that this is true, this is your Way. Be this. Love, little sister.” (NB the tree spirits often call me this, 'little sister'. It makes more sense now that I believe myself to be an incarnated merfaery, as I would be their sister of the ocean!)
The Three Sisters
A new tree I had not met before, directly next to Neriaper. They simply echoed Herne; “Heal.”
The Crone
“There is magic in your veins, child, and not just for healing. Be true to your Way. Do not fear, use what you have. The age of persecution is long gone.”
As I walked onwards towards the Mother Tree, the wolves were there, running with me, and Pegasus, and the Unicorn was ahead, beneath the Mother Tree. Faeries and gnomes stirred in the bushes, whispering ‘Tell them of us, tell them of us,” – I knew that they meant my fellow enchanted folk.
Amyana
Oh how glorious it was to be standing once again beneath her boughs, enveloped in maternal love and energy. She was sitting upon a branch, brown and silver hair and long white dress shining. She smiled as I told her of my progress.
“I know you cannot stay long,” she said. “But take the energy of this place, and continue to grow, and when you next come here to this place, come sit with me awhile and we shall speak of the old days, the ancient Way.”
I closed my eyes and was given a vision then, of ancient forest trees first, then of being beneath deep ocean, dolphins close by. I could touch them, and hear their smiling voices. I knew I was being shown a part of my heritage.
Guidiara
I moved joyously to Guidiara, who I refer to sometimes as child of Artemis, so closely does she resemble my imagined vision of the goddess. She smiles as I approach, and as I circle the tree, hand on the beautiful bark, she says,
“The Goddess, the fey, the Faerie Queens, the Seven Sisters, the children of Fate, the goddesses, the children of the Sun, know them all, embrace their wisdom. Be one with nature, know it, feel it, be it. Be Druid, be Wise One. Know yourself and who you are. Go to the wild places, dwell in forest, dwell in nature. Shine your light, so that others can find theirs.”
As I move across the field, looking back at Amyana and Guidiara, I hear the voices again, “Tell them of us,” and “Little sister, little sister of the ocean.”
Jonas
On my way out I pass Jonas. He is sitting on a low branch, his dwarvish face beaming, stumpy legs dangling. His only words to me are:
“You can talk to others, you know. Talk to those in your garden, talk to the world. But know that we will always be here, whenever you need us.”
The time has come to leave, and I take one last look at the park, and beyond across the farmland.
Still is this place steeped in magic, ancient and powerful.
If only the Priory was still open to the public!
But to me, the park will always be a place where the veil is thin, a place where witches once dwelt and left remnants of their ancient powers.
I feel that the witches left their energy here for others to find, in later years, when the threat of persecution was long gone.
One last delight – it would seem that the folk of this village have magic and the fey in their hearts yet…
Until the next time, village of my heart..
