I spend a lot of my time dividing myself in some way. My workplace is miles from my home – so far I stay with my brothers when I go to work for a week, then spend a week at home – and my chosen subject believes Faeries to be anathema to its continuation – you try convincing a philosophy lecturer that Faeries are good for rational thought!

Slowly slowly I work towards integration of myself.

And, at the same time, I’m working towards integrating the systems of expression. It takes a lot of time and energy to keep multiple spaces going online, so I’m gradually bringing things together.

To this end, I’ll now be posting everything Feyhearted to my Studio, and drawing a line under this time. This space will continue as a home for the Feyhearted project, rather than as an ongoing blog, so I can focus better and make this a more enchanting and useful place… and so that I can bring more ease into my life!

I’m finding that being scattered is not helpful, not conducive to creative or rational thought – if there is even a difference – and so this is a step along the way of gathering myself together.

Things evolve, especially things as organic as the Feyhearted Path…

What places in your life are you feeling scattered in? Where can you bring more integration, more ease, more grace? What simple things can you allow to shift to bring things together so you dance one dance with many layers, sing one song with many harmonies? Instead of trying to get rid of things I love to do, I’m working to bring them closer together…

This is not the end, it is a new step along the path. This website will continue to grow and evolve and become something even better than it is right now.

Goodnight Feyhearted Blog, may you grow up into a wonderful grove of a website!

See you all over at my studio!

Firstly, the issue of  sparklefluff.

In my life and my writing I try to balance my child-like fascination with all things sparkly with my bone-deep understanding that the Fae are wild, dark, and dangerous. The fact is, they’re both light and dark, and neither of these are evil. They’re both capable of great love, compassion and helpfullness, and malicious vengeance. And neither of these are evil.

The Fae are the wild forces, and I focus on connecting with those that choose to work in partnership with humans that approach with respect, but I know that they are not human, their rules are different to ours, and they are mightily pissed with us as a race.

So my writings look fluffy, and I focus on the sparkles, but I urge all my dear readers to be aware that the Fae are not empty fluffballs, they’re not toys, and they’re not in any way under our sway. They are wild forces, powerful beings, and they will help those of us that approach with respect and an open heart.

Besides that, I also deal in enchantment… and that does involve a fierce dedication to beauty and honesty, and a vulnerable openess to wonder and play. There is enough doom and gloom, so I recommend an approach that combines awareness with delight, and gives due respect to those beings that have been here much longer than we.

Now to the links!

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve discovered that a lovely lady went across the world in search of faeries,  found them, and wrote the tale down! Discover Signe Pike’s Faery Tale here!

And, in Scotland, a beautiful charity works to offer support to children undergoing treatment and surgery using Fairy Boxes!

Finally, I recommend checking out Josephine Wall’s enchanted artworks… one day I will be able to paint like this

If you’ve been following this blog and the Feyhearted project for the past few months, you’ll have seen the Pixie Kisses – weekly posts of suggestions for inviting enchantment into your life…

I am delighted to announce that these posts have been collected into a book, alongside the letters to my mailing list which accompanied them, paintings and photos from my own feyhearted explorations, and some extra material written especially for the project.

And it is up on Lulu now! Here it is:

Do you long for enchantment?

Do you revel in delight?

Are you drawn to the Fey?

Choose, now, to walk in a world of beauty, of delight. Choose, now, to be enchanted by life!

Suggestions, musings and explorations of enchantment in bite-sized kisses in a dainty book, ready to wing its way into your life and guide you through play to the magic that surrounds you every day.

Be enchanted!

Happy thoughts and Pixie Dust,
~Halo x

She who goes by many names, who wears so many faces…

The embodiment of Faery itself, The Faery Queen is the consciousness behind the patterns, the weaver of the web that underlies the natural world. Faeryland is the world of the spirit, the world of blueprints from which our world manifests, and she is the one that directs the creation of these blueprints.

And she is calling…

Sit for a time in the space you have made for yourself, with the tools you have created, with the stories and artworks you have collected. Ask your guide to be with you, as witness and guardian.

Muse on who you are and why you want to bring more enchantment into your life, into the world.

Cast a circle in the faery mists, a circle of blessing which will move with you, breathe in and allow it to settle around your body and go to a wild place of beauty.

Breathe out and let the circle of mists expand around you. Hold your musings in your mind…

Why do you want to enchant your life, the world?

Stand under the open sky and allow your senses to soften…

Let your heart call out to the Queen of Faery and, perhaps, she will come with the sound of bells or music or the scent of wildflowers to bless your choice to walk the path of enchantment.

Spend some time with her, in honour of her.

Maybe you feel called to make a pledge, maybe you simply feel her kiss on your forehead in blessing.

When you are ready to leave, thank the Queen and your guide, and allow the circle to sink into the earth, blessing the land beneath your feet. Leave an offering for the spirits of the place and return home.

Eat, drink water, do something mundane and get grounded!

I’ll be posting Pixie Kisses each week, if you’d like to subscribe to these suggestions for re-enchanting your life and to receive the occasional extra sparkle in your inbox which won’t be posted here, email me at: craftyhalo@gmail.com with ‘Pixie Kisses’ in the subject line.

The Faery Heart

I am delighted to announce:

My book has been accepted by a publishers!!!

A lovely German publisher has decided to take on The Faery Heart, and to publish it in a German translation with new illustrations by a gorgeous artist.

Celebration time!!!

It’ll be out, at the very earliest, late spring next year… so, in the meantime:

The original, English, version is up on Lulu!

Complete with my own illustrations.

Have a printed copy sent to your door, or download a digital version to read right away.

I feel like I’m flying

Happy thoughts to you all!!!

What is an Enchanter?

An enchanter enchants; makes something enchanted; spreads enchantment.

Enchantment implies wonder, delight, beauty, joy and magic… and also: seeing what is not there. I grew up being accused of watching things that weren’t there, things which include faeries, magic, wonder and spirit, according to the greyer parts of our overculture. Anything beyond the material realm is not really there…

The glimpses I’ve had of that grey world, devoid of spirit, life, and wonder, are terrible things. Its no real wonder that depression and numbness are strong currencies in the world! The more I see of the world, the more I come to see how this greyness permeates so many lives, and how much this harms people. Disconnection,* that which prevents a life lived fully, comes from disillusionment, disenchantment, distrust and disinterest in the world around us, so let us reconnect, re-enchant and re-invigorate our lives!

If being enchanted allows us to see past the cold hard facts of a world disconnected from its heart, then perhaps seeing what is normally unseen is the key to feeling the warm feelings of love and joy and delight, and being enchanted will fill us with wonder which we can then share!

For me, to be enchanted is to walk in a state of delighted wonder at the magic in the world. Not ignoring the problems, but choosing how we engage with the world and our lives. To be enchanted is to see the beauty of life, and to enchant others is to encourage beauty and delight in the world. Facing the truth is important, and I certainly don’t advocate ignoring pain and betrayal, in the world at large or our personal lives. However, acknowledging the hurt and harm happening and done, doing what you can to help, and not wallowing in the pain but choosing to heal and move on is more helpful than falling into misery.** Recognising that there is wonder in the world even when everything hurts can help us to get through the pain and keep motivated to help to heal the parts of the world we can.

Enchantment does not blind us to the bad, but it does help us see the good. It does not numb us, but it does open us to living more fully. Enchantment is not a way of hiding, it is a way of seeing and choosing where our focus, and therefore our energies, go.

This is what it means to be an Enchanter; to be enchanted by life, and to help others, wherever possible, to be enchanted too.

*Pace and Kyeli have written a marvelous document on why disconnection is the root of all the ills in the world, you can check it out here: The Connection Manifesto.

** Easier said than done sometimes, so there is help out there if you are sinking rather than swimming. For those times, ask for help. Acknowledging the beauty in the world includes acknowledging that there are many people out there who can and will help you… and remembering that we can ask for help.

To live an enchanted life, we must choose to be enchanted, and we can choose to be enchanted by the positive parts of life.

It is often suggested that a gratitude journal is a good thing to keep, and I agree. To remember the good things, to remember what we are grateful for every day, is to invite more of that into our lives. Holding an attitude of gratitude throughout the day not only lets the universe know that we love the good things it has gifted us with, it also encourages us to see the world in a softer light, with connection and compassion rather than defensiveness and aggression.

Sometimes it feels that we have nothing to be grateful for. At those moments, stopping, taking a breath and just being grateful for the air is enough to shift our relationship with the world at that moment. List those basic things you are grateful for, running water, family, health, people that support us through ill-health, the gift of beauty, the budding flowers, the sparkling snow. This shift of focus in times of struggle helps us to relate to the world in an enchanted way, a way which allows us to feel the wonder inherent in nature.

Choosing to start the day with this attitude sets you up for the day.

The same principle works with other attitudes. Wonder, for example. Choosing to notice the wonderful things in the world, or to approach the day with a sense of wondering, allows for a more playful, joyful, wondrous way of being.

As the day begins, set your intention. If you feel it is appropriate, you can ask the fae to bless your intention and support you in it.

As the day continues, recall this intention and try to hold the feeling you have chosen in your heart.

As the day winds down, muse on the parts of the day that reflect that feeling back to you.

Notice, as time goes by, how these positive feelings help you to react in a way more beneficial to yourself and to the others around you.

Some intentions and attitudes to inspire you to find your own:

Gratitude

Wonder

Enchantment

Inspiration

Delight

Peace

Grace

Ease

I’ll be posting Pixie Kisses each week, if you’d like to subscribe to these suggestions for re-enchanting your life and to receive the occasional extra sparkle in your inbox which won’t be posted here, email me at: craftyhalo@gmail.com with ‘Pixie Kisses’ in the subject line.

Isn’t it lovely to have a day devoted to love? A day set aside specifically for connecting to loved ones, for being romantic?

Tomorrow is Valentine’s day.

Don’t forget, you too are worthy of love.

Sometime this week, treat yourself. Take yourself on a date, even if its just an hour to yourself for a candlelit bath, or your favourite warm drink and a cozy armchair.

Living in enchantment means loving life, loving the world, and loving ourselves. Use the week of hearts and flowers to remind yourself that a little luxury is good for the soul… the Faeries know this well, that is why so many of them feast and dance and celebrate whenever the opportunity arises; life is worth a little living!

Happy Valentine’s day sweethearts!

I’ll be posting Pixie Kisses each week, if you’d like to subscribe to these suggestions for re-enchanting your life and to receive the occasional extra sparkle in your inbox which won’t be posted here, email me at: craftyhalo@gmail.com with ‘Pixie Kisses’ in the subject line.

Inspired by Cat Valente’s Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making this kiss is about keys.

Keys are important. With keys we lock secrets away in private journals, we open doors, we mark a rite of passage in which we receive the ability to choose when we enter and leave our own homes. Locking and unlocking, closing and opening, protecting and revealing… keys mean so much.

Keys are symbolic, and real.

What doors are open to you?

What doors are closed?

What doors do you hold the key to, but have not yet unlocked?

Find an old key and decorate it. Use coloured wire or thread or ribbon. Use paint or clay or beads. Use whatever comes to hand, or special materials you buy just for this.

All the time you are decorating your key, know that you are doing more than just making it pretty… decorate it with intention, with the intention of enchanting it.

Transform your key into a magical tool for opening the doors to enchantment, opening the way to Faery.

All you really need is attention, but if you like you can mark out a magic circle, light a candle and say a prayer…

Faery folk come gather round,

Bless this key that I have found!

Let it now become enchanted

To open doors where it is planted!

Thread a ribbon through the hole in the top and wear it round your neck when you want to invite more magic in, to remind yourself to be aware of the Fae folk, the kissing of magic and mundane worlds, as you move through your life.

Hang it above the entrance to your home to encourage enchantment to flow in.

Use it to draw doors in the earth outside, to open the way for magic to come through.

Place it before you, light a candle, and muse on the question of what doors you wish to open, and what doors you wish to close in your life. Then hold the key and turn it in each lock as you imagine them before you, one way to open, the other to close. Wear your key as you take steps to help the magic open and close the doors you’ve asked it to, and sleep with it under your pillow to open the doors of enchantment in your dreams.

May doors open for you and let beauty and delight flow into your life where you most need it.

I’ll be posting Pixie Kisses each week, if you’d like to subscribe to these suggestions for re-enchanting your life and to receive the occasional extra sparkle in your inbox which won’t be posted here, email me at: craftyhalo@gmail.com with ‘Pixie Kisses’ in the subject line.

I’ve been posting longer posts here, and I’ve been wondering what to do with the smaller ideas, the tiny kisses that don’t need a whole post to share…

And I’ve been wondering if you, out there, in the big wide interwebs, would like to play too…

So I thought, maybe you’d like to join me on Twitter and use the micro-blogging to share moments of enchantment that we’ve experienced, or ideas we’ve had, or links to enchanting spaces online or off… if its about enchantment, its welcome here.

Use the hashtag #pixiekiss (opening tweet here) to mark your tweets so that anyone can find them, or to follow what others post under this banner.

Lets share the enchantment we find and help each other re-enchant our lives, one tiny, tweeted, pixie kiss at a time!

I will be posting Pixie Kisses, small steps you can take to re-enchant your world, here once a week or more for the next couple of months. If you’d like me to deliver reminders of these Pixie Kisses to your inbox each week, with the occasional extra something special, please subscribe by emailing me at craftyhalo@gmail.co.uk with the subject line ‘Pixie Kisses’… and any other comments you’d like to share with me in the body of the message!

The Kisses so far…