A Faerie Haven: Living in Myth, Being Magic

For some people, magic isn't something they do, it is what they are. This blog focuses less on theory and more on lyrical mysticism, applied spellcrafting, experiential awareness of Divinity, and related topics. A haven for you who long to become your myth and live your poem. Faerie tales do come true.

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Francesca De Grandis

Francesca De Grandis

Francesca De Grandis aka Outlaw Bunny is the bestselling author of "Be a Goddess!" Founder of The Third Road, a Faerie Shamanism tradition that she teaches through both text and oral tradition, De Grandis says, "I'm a trickster working for benevolent chaos Gods, so I don't play mean tricks." Bard, painter, mystical innovator, and busy elf who works part-time for Santa Claus, she blogs here and on her own sites, www.stardrenched.com and www.outlawbunny.com

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This morning, I intuitively chose a talisman to wear, without knowing why it was the right one for the day ahead. A while back, I’d made the talisman out of Angora fibers (otherwise known as rabbit fur), Cormo, which is one of the softest wools in existence, some other fibers, and two glass beads. (In case it's hard to see in the photo: the three center beads are ones I made out of fibers, and on each side of them is a glass bead. If memory serves, I spun the cord entirely out of bunny fur.)

 

Later today, while on my physical therapy walk through the woods, I meditated on what the talisman had for me today. The first thing that came to me was the gentleness of rabbits. 

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Faerie Shamanism . . . and Joss Whedon?

Faerie Shamanism . . . and Joss Whedon?

Connecting a Lot of Supposedly Unrelated Dots:

 

It occurred to me today that several actors who appeared in Joss Whedon's TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer went on to do their own things in remarkable ways. 

 

Examples I can think of offhand:

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The Illusion of Perfect Control

The expectation of perfect control over self or circumstances ruins spiritual health and blocks one’s most precious goals. Finding power and peace in the uncontrollable nature of life is my shamanic ideal and the magical road toward achieving my heartfelt dreams.

 

A common response to someone considered a spiritual master is placing them on a pedestal from which they can only fall. This attitude enforces unhealthy hierarchy and is based on the idea that some people are better than others.

 

Another typical response to the concept of spiritual masters is embodied in the phrase "If you see Buddha on the road, kill him." This seems to refute hierarchy and false superiority by creating egalitarianism. But the metaphor of killing Buddha misses the boat as a remedy because I can't imagine a spiritual master buying into hierarchy and superiority in the first place. I believe an advanced being would teach that all humans, themselves included, are spiritually frail and limited. A spiritual master would not put her or himself above others.

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Recent Comments - Show all comments
  • Tasha Halpert
    Tasha Halpert says #
    What can I do? About releasing control, (shakes head) what control? Blessed Be, Tasha
  • Francesca De Grandis
    Francesca De Grandis says #
    Well said, Tasha! Thanks. Blessed be.
Music's Magic and Power

 I'm having my own private Stevie Wonder festival. 

When I'm giving clients shamanic treatments (click here for info about them), I might listen to his music. It is so happy that it makes my spirit soar, which feeds my magic. 

 

Or, when I'm doing physical therapy exercises, the sheer joy in Stevie Wonder's music loosens my muscles and joints, so the physical therapy is all the more effective. 

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Posted by on in SageWoman Blogs
Trust Yourself

Trust Yourself

Experiencing a Myth Gives You Power

 

When we actually experience a myth, we find power to radically change our lives for the better. Trusting yourself—your instincts, observations, hunches, and musings—is a doorway into mythic realms, making myths not just ideas or stories in the intellect but also visceral experiences.

 

I had a wonderful incident about self-trust and living in myth. It made me so happy that I just have to tell you about it. It also is an example of what I mean by "experiencing myth."

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Women Are Not Props for a Man's Enlightenment

I really enjoyed watching a movie called Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons ... until its end. It's a fun, comedic takeoff on finding enlightenment and has a good message ... until its end. There it was: the gender oppression. 

The plot: two demon hunters are in love with each other, but the male refuses the woman's love because he's trying to find enlightenment and believes that there is great love and small love. When she dies, his remorse brings him to enlightenment, and he realize that there is no "great and small love."

I am sick of plots in which a woman dies in order for a man to become enlightened. Or plots in which her death gives him the apparently requisite rage to finally conquer his enemy—who, of course, killed her.

Women's lives are not props for a man's story or his victory. A woman's death should mean more than its relationship to a man. Think for a moment about the results of a woman's death constantly portrayed in films as having no importance beyond its impact on a man.

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Recent Comments - Show all comments
  • Critter
    Critter says #
    This is called fridging, and I have a few links for this that might interest you: http://lby3.com/wir/ http://tvtropes.org/pmwik
  • Francesca De Grandis
    Francesca De Grandis says #
    Great minds think alike. Thanks so much for your comments!
  • J'Karrah
    J'Karrah says #
    Thank you! I've been making this argument for years and unfortunately have sometimes felt like a lone voice in the wilderness. I
  • Francesca De Grandis
    Francesca De Grandis says #
    Thank YOU for your supportive words, and for being willing to speak out for years despite sometimes feeling like a lone wolf. And

Posted by on in SageWoman Blogs
Notes from a Trance

Summary: in my depths, I find wild, regal self-possession: Queen and Goddess. She knows the answer is always love.

I've vaguely sensed something subconscious blocking forward movement toward a few vital goals, despite my wholehearted efforts to attain said goals. Yet I also intuited this undefinable part of me is a prime, healthy motivator in my life. The intention of the trance is to gain conscious access to this subterranean aspect of myself. In other words, I want to consciously know, explore, heal, and empower this part of me.

Trance:

Diving into the softest waters of my subconscious—most fluid depths—where no censors halt primal womanhood, I'm only momentarily surprised to find the lady. 

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