Its going to be a little difficult to describe concerning fairies.
I did ask few of my gardener's friends on what you think about them.
To a certain degree - I did get raised eyebrows and a look that sounds like -
"What! You believe in fairies??"
Guess its a guy thing not to fall for these mumbo-jumbo factor.
Well, I guess - I didn't continue with that conversation or leading to any explanation.
You can't go so far in any explanation when you hear a person says that they don't believe in the existence of fairies.
OK - Let me rephrase:
I don't go after fairies like the one who chases butterfly with a net and all.
I wouldn't say that I'm neutral about it - that whether they exist or not doesn't trouble me.
What I'm getting at is that :-
IF there is an unseen creature as just as fairies.
And that they do exist and
IF they exist and make a dwelling place in your garden.
How would your reaction be?
- Would you continue to garden as you would usually do - regardless or
Would you change your perception concerning your garden.
And a lot more which I really can't recall much.
OK - leave out the entertainment industry - what about Garden Ornaments?
Even those who buy them will consider them as cute figurine regardless of their existence.
To me personally - I can sense fairies.
I understand that they are assigned to take care of nature.
They are nature spirit and to some extend there are some order and a complicated hierarchy involved in who does what. I'm really not sure of their detailed issues - what I know is that when they are present in a garden - the garden will certainly look beautiful and healthy.
Perhaps they do & work better in the unseen world.
And in the matter of the unseen world there is a host of things and issues that we really don't know or care about. Strange as it may seemed - the old folks and the native people somehow had lots of stories and legend concerning them. Its a pity that this treasure is slowly getting lost and faded away.
And to a certain extent the touch of a gardener hands is slowly replaced with an industrial, bland, uniformity.
A lot of garden now replaced with a landscape ideology which do not have a magic touch.
It just too boring and plain "dead"
An arrangement of line-up palm trees with ixora's in between is not a garden.
But that is what it happening now.
And soon when the place appears to have weeds and grass growing in between the collection -
its truly a sore eye.
That's when you know - that there is no fairy taking care of this place.
I had heard countless true stories where the same similar issue is been always brought up.
Somewhere in the forest a tree cannot be fell - somehow an unseen force at work either make the worker sick or the vehicle unable to operate or the tools seemed not working.
So much so the work had to be abandon or a compromise/leverage had to be made.
Cases where people go missing in a jungle even in an island. Somehow they cannot see or feel so lost.
And often there is a mystical connection concerning these issues that they are not accurately studied or addressed.
A lot of folktales and old wife tales influenced from these realms.
Few I often remember - Do not garden in the night. Don't plant these plants in front of your house.
And yes the most famous one - Do not pluck flowers in the night...
So yes - its going to be hard believing in the existences of fairies.
(not to equate with the believe that you must adhere in these fairy tales - folklore rules - I certainly don't)
But somehow - that you rely very much on your senses.
Somehow - coming from the depth of your senses - you somehow learn to trust your instincts.
That there is some strange feeling that gives you a warning sign not to go near there, or to that tree, or that pond and your heart beats twice the fast if you brace yourself against your senses.
And true enough you found that a viper is coiled so invisible by the tree, or its too late by then when you find that your foot is resting on a vicious ant nest or being near a pond - getting your footwear all muddy and soaking wet (you thought it was dry ground)
Yes - when you are so seasoned with these situation in the garden.
Somehow the sense is so acute that you know something is wrong in the garden.
(That someone had plucked flowers or stuff without your knowledge (and you suddenly checking the scene of the crime) or that you seek and found a plant is almost dying because it got knocked over, or a flower is about to bloom - and you just noticed it when the plant it placed in a hidden, un-obvious place)
And you always arrive to the scene in the garden at the right precise moment to handle and correction the situation before it is too late.
As I said - it is going to be difficult to explain about a lot of things.
What I want to say is that - I had found that magic is real in my garden.
There is this good feeling that comes when a flower blooms or
see the Caladium leaves with different spots of reds in the their leaves.
Or See a Sunbird come and drink nectar from the flowers
or watching the flutters of the bees and the butterflies.
What is your magic in your garden?
How do you say it: The source of the Enchantment?
Do you have a fairy in your garden?
Do you care to share your story?
There is a nice document on : Fairy Faith also
29 comments:
Hi James, i often don't like very long posts especially long paragraphs. But this one i read till the end because your topic is close to heart. I know something about the unseen, they are energies too like us, and everything is energy! I wont say much more than that. But this one last: In energy terms, like attracts like! If you want to hear more, PM me, haha!
Beautifully written James!
I too sense the garden and the life force within. Fairies or just the plants' energy, what do we know about plants? nothing! they feel us, that's for sure!
I believe in 'fairies'!! :-)
I have never thought if there is any fairy in my garden. But if there is I love to see one some day ;-) But I am sure the garden is the most conducive place for a fairy to be. Beautiful flowers and wonderful scent of nature can all be found there especially in your garden. Enjoy the weekend!
Thumbelina was my favourite story when I was little. I used to dream about fairies being in the garden and always wanted to find a secret key that would open up their world to me. I have 3 little fairies in my garden - they keep watch over my patio area......though if I was a child I would probably stare at them and wait to see if they would move. Faeries as they are called here in Scotland have alot of folklore written about them.
What good is your writing James, and their pictures!
My garden has fairies,
but they are true,
not out of stories,
are all gardeners.
Thanks for the music is very relaxing
Talk of fairies and toadstools evoke nostalgia of childhood where we use to pore over Enid Blyton books. I didn't believe in them but the make-believe was nevetheless fun.
hmmm, I can't say I've thought about this too much. I did want to put in a fairy garden in the past, but jsut for a visually cutesy kind of look. But you're right, aside from all the entertainment industry stuff, there is a lot of folklore relating gardens and fairies.
I'd like to believe that there are fairies in my garden and I'd like to put a stone fairies in my garden. I want them to weave their magic wand and make my garden come alive. How nice if I could enter Old Mother Hubbard's shoe house ...
Hi James, your a brave man. Reminds me of when my very macho brother and sister in law, (no she's not macho) visited a while back. We were reminiscing as old codgers do. Anyway I said do you remember when we were kids and you lifted a boulder whilst in the woods and you were convinced you saw a fairy. Well his wife went into hysterics of laughter, he didn't speak to me for a few weeks.
Hi James, I like your writing ...I in my garden I have figures of frogs, fairies and mushrooms ..my wife says that decorates the garden more.
As the flower is called the third photo? is beautiful.
Thanks Andrea.
I'm interested in your story.
Perhaps I will e-mail you once free.
Thanks, appreciate your thoughts.
Well said.
A garden being the most conducive place for fairies.
Wow..
That is a rich heritage there to discover.
You are most welcome.
Yes, quite interesting.
I guess we all like to have a nice visual looks like what you mentioned in our garden - whether the fairies exist or not.
You remind me of the movie - Narnia.
The Lion, the witch & the wardrobe.
Going into a doorway into another dimension.
Yeah.. it happens.
I really can't remember much about my childhood moments recalling fairies.
But I sure got a lot attracted when I first saw my fairy movie: Willow.
Thanks Antonio.
The flower in the 3rd photo is:
Walking Stick Iris.
Hello, James. Every bud that I see, a pup, an offshoot or any new growth in my garden is always magical to me...I'm glad I found your blog, another interesting blog to visit on my blog hopping! Your cryptanthus are fantastic!
Nice post!
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/7741396/5_gardening_blogs_you_should_read.html?cat=32
http://www.guiaverde.com/blog/destacadas/jardin-tropical-en-puerto-rico
I would like fairies in the garden rather than mice that can be destructive. Maybe Cinderella fairy godmother can turn those mice into something much nicer ;-).
Thank you so much for you kind and warm thoughts.
If I saw fairies in my garden, I would probably do a double-take and if they are really there, I would call my daughter who loves fairies.
Thanks for the lovely write-up on fairies and the accompaniment of fabulous pictures of your garden plants, James. Yes, I agree there's magic in a garden and the Divine Artist is busy at work every moment of every hour to bless us with His wonderful creations in our garden.
Hi James,
I enjoyed this post very much. I don't usually believe in Garden Fairies but I can tell you that there a many, many unseen and amazing things that happen in a garden. I count it as part of God's plan and if He wants to use some cute little fairies to help out, that's fine with me.
I can give you one example. My mother was a wonderful gardener and died 17 years ago. I still miss her and sometimes I go out in my garden and just walk around when I am especially sad. Not long ago I did this and suddenly spotted a single pink flower on a bush in the far corner of the garden. It was a solitary azalea bloom and it was a time of year that was impossible for this bush to have flowers. I went and touched it to see if it was real. I think of this flower as a message from my mom that everything is OK. This has happened a few other times with various plants and flowers. Always it is an impossible time for them to bloom. Your post got me thinking about this again and I'm happy about that. Take care of your garden and its mysteries.
David/:0)
Thanks a lot for being open and supportive in sharing your thoughts concerning fairies.
I realised that to a certain degree there is somehow a supernatural realm that co-exist together with nature & we experience it when we garden.
To some - they swear by it & some might not totally go for it.
Regardless - its really an eye opener to me to note how gardeners react to these kind of situation.
To say - to those who believe - there is more than just plants that occupy in the garden.
Hi James, I'm not really into the idea of fairies, but enjoyed seeing your wonderful photos. Thanks for your comment on my last blog post.
Thanks Aaron
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