Druid Journal

If the belief community model is correct, then it is possible to do or see things that are generally considered impossible (like physically flying unaided, or seeing fairies). But it takes time, and usually it involves making new friends.

In this model, as you shift your beliefs — as you get used to having these strange guests sitting in the living room of your mind and exploring your fridge — you may start to meet new people. These new people either share your new beliefs, or have good evidence that what you want to do is possible, or even know of someone who has already achieved it. Eventually you will meet someone who has actually done it, and who may be able to help you do it yourself. You’ve joined a new belief community.

A few weeks ago, as I was thinking this out, I began to wonder more and more about fairies. This may seem to be a strange thing for a grown man to wonder about, but considering that my oldest daughter has been talking about them pretty constantly for years, it was inevitable. My daughter, who is nearly 8, has seen them four times, and reports it as a matter of simple fact. (Well, she does get rather excited. “Daddy! Daddy! I saw a fairy!”)

What would you think?

Well, I thought, if there’s anything to the Law of Attraction, I should be able to manifest fairies, too. I didn’t sit down and seriously meditate and INTEND to see fairies. But I thought, Gosh, wouldn’t that be something?

The next day, my daughter saw her fourth fairy — the first one she’s seen in over a year, in fact. (We moved to a new place, and she lost her usual fairy hunting grounds.)

Two weeks ago I joined a Druid mailing list. One of the founders of this group lives just a few towns away in Massachusetts; she is a Druid Priestess named Ellen Hopman. The list is a lively forum for discussion on a wide range of topics.

About a week ago, Hopman (who is a grown woman) wrote that, on the night of the previous full moon, she saw her first fairy, or nature spirit. She said she had heard them singing on prior occasions, but this is the first time she had really seen one. It was about three feet tall, with pale greenish skin, large dark eyes, and green tufts coming out of its head. Its arms and legs were long and spindly.

So now my belief community includes at least one adult who has actually seen a fairy. I’m definitely making progress here. The fairies have raided the refrigerator of my belief system and are having a pillow fight upstairs.

I’ll keep you posted.

UPDATE Nov. 7 2006:

Ellen Hopman has proven to be a wealth of information about fairies. According to her, each and every growing thing on this earth has a small fairy to look after it — even houseplants. She suggests putting out baked goods, milk and honey as offerings for them. (Is this why plants respond well to being talked to?…)

Also, I have found that a parent at my school actually runs a study group on fairies. Apparently it is a nine-year study program. Also, everyone who does it has a nervous breakdown sometime during the program. Apparently it’s just unnerving seeing fairies everywhere all the time…