You, dear darling reader, have been enchanted by your own faerie queen. Whether she lives inside you or exists as an influence in your world, her spirit is what lures you to wrap your fingers around the covers of this very magazine and devour the pages. Perhaps at school, you tiptoed into Shakespeare’s world with the sole purpose of meeting the golden-haired Titiania, the queen of faeries, or perhaps you were lured by the dark-edged Morgan le Fay, immortal queen of the fae, who was described in tales as a sorceress, a witch, and an enchantress.
Many childhood fairy tales featured princesses that needed saving, damsels in distress, and girls wandering by mistake. This was not so for the faerie queens, not for the witches, not for the likes of the sorceress and the enchantress. No. These powerful females stood in their power and saved themselves.
Right now, as your eyes read these words, there is an electricity within you that buzzes with your own power. It is your own life force, your own sorcery, your very own unique magick. It is the truth, and you know it is the truth, and in this power lies something within you that shares a common thread with the enchantments of the greatest faerie queens. Within you lies a powerful magick that belongs to you and you alone, and on nights when you tilt your head back to stand in the ghostly illumination of the moon, something inside you unlocks and whispers your own legend.
I know this to be true because faerie queens arrive in all forms, and they enchant our lives and become part of us, and it is our responsibility to then enchant others and pass that powerful magick on, so that the spirit of the faerie queen lives on immortal.
I pass on these words of encouragement and magick because they were taught to me by my own version of a faerie queen, my Grandma Helen! If you’re a regular reader of my column, you recognize that name, and in fall of this year, my book Bohemian Magick will be released, spilling all the secrets of Grandma Helen’s magick and spells that she raised me with. Grandma Helen’s presence radiated with the energy of a true faerie queen as her magick was rooted in the enchantments of the forest and nature. Here’s a spell for getting secret messages from trees that she taught me, that I would like to pass on to you. I added a special incantation that I wrote for the ritual, so that my Grandma Helen’s magick and my magick is combined!
Dreaming With Trees
Before beginning this ritual, it will help to get in touch with your inner faerie queen. Adornment magick works wonders and will help you walk into an enchanted world. Adornment magick is simply wearing or decorating yourself with purpose for your ritual. What makes you feel beautiful? Do you have a flower crown that you adore? Or perhaps a special amulet, like a bracelet, ring, or necklace that holds meaning to you? Perhaps just by the simple act of painting your nails a shimmering bold color will do. I love to put on my red velvet hooded cloak that my witch sister, designer Vanessa Mercedes, made for me. Whatever you put on, do it with intention, as clothing, jewelry, and adornments add to your enchantment.
Begin by going on a silent walk in the woods or a local park. Allow yourself to slip into the mindset of imagination that came so easily to you as a child. The dress-up of your adornment magick should help you with that! When you are ready, stamp your right foot down three times on the earth. Place your feet powerfully shoulder-width apart on the ground and imagine strong roots growing out of the bottom of your feet. Hold your arms up like strong branches growing to the sky. Say the following aloud three times with your voice increasing from a whisper the first time to a powerfully voiced incantation by the third time:
“Oak, willow, birch, and elm
I knock on the door of the faerie realm
On this walk, I ask the faerie queen
To enchant my nights with a magick dream,
Gift me a stick, or a fallen piece of bark,
To open secret worlds when the sky grows dark,
A gift from the trees to place under my pillow at night, To give me strength and power and second sight.”
Finish by saying, “See it. Be it. So be it!” Then clap your hands loudly once and hold your hands out as if the spell is being cast like a wide net from your fingertips.
Keep your eyes open and your senses alert. The right fallen piece of bark or stick shall call to you. Take it home, and sleep with it beneath your pillow for seven days straight. Write down the magickal dreams and communication you receive from the wise tree. At the end of the seven days, return the piece of tree to the forest or turn it into a powerful wand, just like a faerie queen would!
