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Sacred Sites: The Faerie Grove
Part Three: The EnvironmentWhile the connection is still poorly understood, the fae are intimately linked to the environment. When the land is left to flourish in its natural state, the fae thrive as well. But when the land is impacted in a negative way, such as through clear cutting or mining, the result is devastating for both nature spirits and the fae.
I've mentioned this connection several times over the years. A Funeral for the Trees details my calling to release the spirits of a clear cut awakened forest in the summer of 2006. In 1994, I wrote a piece describing how to do an earth healing ritual to restore the physical and energetic balance to a site. And back in 1998, I ended an article titled The Faerie Realm, a piece that referred to both the old quarry I worked with as well as the faerie grove, with the follow:
"Sadly, because of their intimate connection with the land, the faire folke are slowly being pushed out of our world. After a winter where all of the roads leading to their sacred sites were washed out, the forest service has rebuilt them to encourage logging in the areas I'm familiar with. Vast stands of timber have been cut, hiking trails opened and littered with the refuse of city folk, and the magickal realm is slowly losing the battle to protect their homes. I visited two of the three sites that I'm familiar with during a recent retreat to the wilderness. While the grove is still protected by forest magick and its inaccessible location, it is weary from the devastation occurring around it and I have a feeling it's not long for our world. The quarry which I spent so many years healing and reconnecting, is now 100 yards from a make-shift helicopter base, established to aid the logging operations. Unless our culture shifts from one based solely on capital, to one that also realizes the importance of mystical and spirituality, it is only a matter of time before the fae are little more than a memory."
The faerie grove was once bordered by a forest of birch trees, a stand of trees which held two ancient cabins. All that remains of the structures is one of the fireplaces. The mantle and chimney for the other cabin are buried beneath a pile of logging debris pushed their by a bulldozer.
An old fireplace is all that's left of a cabin in a clear cut forest.
If you step onto the one-lane road that passes by the faerie grove and walk to the top of the nearby hill, you have a commanding view of the surrounding landscape. Once, years ago, you were treated to hills covered with Douglas Fir and massive grove of birch trees.
This is all that's left.
A clear cut forest near the faerie grove.
It's a sad process watching the world you know being slowly and systematically destroyed. And while the fae with the old quarry appear to be slowly reestablishing their hold on our world, the faerie grove is still very quiet and still.
That doesn't mean that such places have lost their magick. It simply means that we have to be a little quieter, a little more respectful, and silently call to our faire friends, rather than being surprised when they appear on their own. The fae are still there - they've simply taken a step back toward wherever it is that they call home.