by LeanhuanRose

After stumbling on the concept of the Faery star (http://www.abaxion.com/hj02.htm), the symbol itself seemed to click with me but the associated meanings did not. I put a bit of work and contemplation into it and developed an alternate set of Faery “elements” for my own use, which I am still working on. These are the seven elements as I currently see them:

  1. Magic. This is the raw stuff of Everything, similar to “connection” in the typical Faery star interpretation. The way I experienced my own tribe, when I was solely Fae, definitely colors how I see this concept. There was no real separation between us, only a smooth transition from one way of being to the next – no true individuality. While I can’t go around attempting to re-create that, I can feel the pull and flow of energy from one thing to the next. Our minds are isolated by virtue of the way we are, but it is only isolation on one level of being. Take it too seriously and one starves for contact; take it not seriously enough and others with less empathy will take advantage.
  2. Wind. “Dynamic stability” is the key phrase here, and it’s not a self-contradiction. To get technical for a moment, manufacturing processes don’t try to make every piece exactly to the same specification. Nothing would ever get done. Instead, machines are set to make the parts to a specific tolerance and the overall design is created so that anything within that tolerance will work on a given example of the finished product. By allowing small fluctuations, the system is easier to maintain and more productive than it would be if one expected rigid control. (Yes, I’m quite the techno-Fae. Remember, silicon is made from sand…) I’m more familiar with examples like this because of my technical background, but nature does the same thing automatically. The movement of the wind is a symbol for the cycles of predator and prey, bounty and scarcity…I’d say high and low tide, but that’s mixing metaphors, and water fits more strongly into another concept here.
  3. Wood. Plants are a different sort of living thing, as I see them…although other types of Fae may disagree with me on that one. They are tied to a particular place and its surroundings, and removing them takes effort and care to ensure that they are transplanted safely. I don’t fully understand how plant life is different from animal life, but it does feel that way – and all life depends on some level upon the solid, patient existence of plant life.
  4. Moon. My conception of the moon has a certain amount of similarity to the element of ice in Edred Thorsson’s proposed system of Norse elements. But, having worked with both that system and this one, I have to say that all of these elements seem more like active forces and Thorsson’s more like concrete things to be acted upon. (The attempt to cultivate both systems has presented me with a rather interesting potential system of elemental transformation…but that is still very much a work in progress!) The moon remains ever the same, even if our perspective of it changes because of the changing reflections of sunlight that it casts. The moon radiates a determined sameness that only appears different because of the times, giving strength to sustain what one already is and has.
  5. Sun. The sun is the polar opposite of the moon – as one would expect. It transforms, for good or bad – the only constant is that it changes everything it touches.
  6. Flesh. Animal life, including human life, is dynamic and mobile. Sometimes, it consumes itself. As noted, I don’t entirely understand the full magnitude of the difference between plant and animal, but I do feel that it is there.
  7. Sea. Water might also be a good symbol for the cyclical workings of stable systems, but my personal experiences of it in shamanic experimentation tend to place it more as an enabler of other active agents. It sustains and encourages any other processes that are working on an object or creature.

Moon and sun are the most difficult for me to actually work with in a normal setting, but my significant other is a psychic vampire with a nice abundance of sun energy and part of our natural energy transfers seem to automatically include a lot of it for me. It seems that we take care of each other’s deficiencies naturally to the extent that we’re capable, converting what we have into forms that the other needs. I have the feeling that I “should” be getting the missing moon energy from someone else whom I can help in a similar manner, but if so I have yet to meet this person. For the time being, I’m practicing in hopes of becoming more self-sufficient.

I don’t consider myself a psychic vampire because I don’t outright need any of the missing types of energy to be healthy – all I’m seeking in those other types is balance, and the ability to work with/understand as many different types of energy as possible. (And the sun is yummy, but that’s a minor concern…)

I’m interested in any sort of feedback about the concepts, practical application, or personal experiences that might help me to understand things a little better, and of course also open to questions. I’m also curious about other Faery symbols and talismans; it’s sometimes hard to find a lot of information.