Otherkin & Fae
Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2017 3:13 am
First of all, I'm always surprised at how much criticism people receive on forums for identifying as Otherkin. Somehow it's understood that we don't judge others for their Gods/Goddesses, for using visualization in their magick, or for getting psychic messages from spirits...but people think it's ok to judge someone for identifying as a non-human soul? Not cool.
With that out of the way, let's get onto the real topic here: I read so many articles about magick to communicate with the Fae. Aka Fey, Sidhe, Fairies, Faeries...but nothing on Changelings or Fae Otherkin. Not just here, like, everywhere. So I'm here to tell my story and share the info that I have on what it means to be Fae, collected from both research and personal experience.
What is a Fae? Fae/Faeries/Fairies/Fey are magical beings from another dimension - the Otherworld. Many cultures have similar concepts with varying names per each culture, but the typical Fae that we think of are from Irish or Welsh Celtic culture.
Why are they in another dimension? Why do you have your own house? Because your need your space. A popular belief is that the Fae once inhabited Britain, but fled during the religious and political turmoil of the first couple centuries.
Are there different types? I'm going to focus on Irish/Scottish beliefs here. Sidhe ("shee") is the name of the whimsical, upper-class Fae that we typically think of. Within the Sidhe, you have the Seelie (light) and Unseelie (dark) courts. Please note that these opposing courts are light vs. dark, NOT good vs. evil as some young adult fiction novels would have people believe. Other beings like Pixies, Sprites, Nymphs, Undines, Dryads, etc. are also considered to fall into the category of Fae.
What is a Changeling? Irish Fae culture talks a lot about Changelings. Basically Fae would swap one of their babies for a human baby. The reasons behind this vary from saving a sick human child, a deal made with the Fae, a Fae that wants to explore the human dimension, all the way to explaining autism or claiming that Fae worship the devil and will steal your baby to eat. Obviously the latter two had a specific agenda in mind.
What is a Fae Otherkin? This is when a Fae reincarnates their soul into a human body. This is often because Fae are curious and want to explore our world just as much as we try to explore theirs.
How do I find out if I'm Otherkin or a Changeling? If there was a simple answer to this question, then Otherkin wouldn't be such a controversial topic. There is no test to see if you are Fae, no ritual to become Fae, and most importantly, NO ONE, not even a Fae, can tell you who YOU are.
My story:
Like many of us Wiccans, my path has called to me my whole life. I haven't always followed it, but it certainly called to me. I've always felt a closeness with nature, extreme ease with some types of magick including lucid dreaming, astral travel, easy communication with nature spirits and Fae, and a magnetism towards Morgan le Fey/The Goddess Morrigan and other important Fae figures - before learning anything about Otherkin or Fae magic. From my earliest communications with Fae in remote forests where I grew up, I never felt like I was reaching out to some other race, like a guest in their home. I always felt like they were like me, and vice versa. The same way that most Wiccans feel that a certain deity has called out to them.
Once I learned about the concept of Fae reincarnating into a human body, it just clicked for me. It explained my particular types of magick, what drew me to this path in the first place, and a lot of the paranormal experiences that I've had. I have grown and learned from this path and strengthened areas that have always felt so natural to me. I identify as Unseelie. My strengths are not in healing magick. My friends note that sympathy is something I struggle with, but they can always count on me for the honest truth, even if it's hard to hear. My list of morals seems to be a lot shorter than most people, and is more independently-focused. I like summer sun just as much as the next person, but nothing can replace fall foliage and that crisp air. I've always found that things considered dark and creepy are really just misunderstood, and I seem to get along well and feel at home in these environments.
I hope that this post is informational on both Fae and Otherkin and perhaps resonates with some other Fae on here. Feel free to shoot me a PM or strike up a convo here to share with the rest of the forum regarding Fae/Otherkin/etc. I'd love to know if there are any others here that identify as Fae, and what types of knowledge we could share with each other. I'm very happy to share whatever information I can on both subjects.
With that out of the way, let's get onto the real topic here: I read so many articles about magick to communicate with the Fae. Aka Fey, Sidhe, Fairies, Faeries...but nothing on Changelings or Fae Otherkin. Not just here, like, everywhere. So I'm here to tell my story and share the info that I have on what it means to be Fae, collected from both research and personal experience.
What is a Fae? Fae/Faeries/Fairies/Fey are magical beings from another dimension - the Otherworld. Many cultures have similar concepts with varying names per each culture, but the typical Fae that we think of are from Irish or Welsh Celtic culture.
Why are they in another dimension? Why do you have your own house? Because your need your space. A popular belief is that the Fae once inhabited Britain, but fled during the religious and political turmoil of the first couple centuries.
Are there different types? I'm going to focus on Irish/Scottish beliefs here. Sidhe ("shee") is the name of the whimsical, upper-class Fae that we typically think of. Within the Sidhe, you have the Seelie (light) and Unseelie (dark) courts. Please note that these opposing courts are light vs. dark, NOT good vs. evil as some young adult fiction novels would have people believe. Other beings like Pixies, Sprites, Nymphs, Undines, Dryads, etc. are also considered to fall into the category of Fae.
What is a Changeling? Irish Fae culture talks a lot about Changelings. Basically Fae would swap one of their babies for a human baby. The reasons behind this vary from saving a sick human child, a deal made with the Fae, a Fae that wants to explore the human dimension, all the way to explaining autism or claiming that Fae worship the devil and will steal your baby to eat. Obviously the latter two had a specific agenda in mind.
What is a Fae Otherkin? This is when a Fae reincarnates their soul into a human body. This is often because Fae are curious and want to explore our world just as much as we try to explore theirs.
How do I find out if I'm Otherkin or a Changeling? If there was a simple answer to this question, then Otherkin wouldn't be such a controversial topic. There is no test to see if you are Fae, no ritual to become Fae, and most importantly, NO ONE, not even a Fae, can tell you who YOU are.
My story:
Like many of us Wiccans, my path has called to me my whole life. I haven't always followed it, but it certainly called to me. I've always felt a closeness with nature, extreme ease with some types of magick including lucid dreaming, astral travel, easy communication with nature spirits and Fae, and a magnetism towards Morgan le Fey/The Goddess Morrigan and other important Fae figures - before learning anything about Otherkin or Fae magic. From my earliest communications with Fae in remote forests where I grew up, I never felt like I was reaching out to some other race, like a guest in their home. I always felt like they were like me, and vice versa. The same way that most Wiccans feel that a certain deity has called out to them.
Once I learned about the concept of Fae reincarnating into a human body, it just clicked for me. It explained my particular types of magick, what drew me to this path in the first place, and a lot of the paranormal experiences that I've had. I have grown and learned from this path and strengthened areas that have always felt so natural to me. I identify as Unseelie. My strengths are not in healing magick. My friends note that sympathy is something I struggle with, but they can always count on me for the honest truth, even if it's hard to hear. My list of morals seems to be a lot shorter than most people, and is more independently-focused. I like summer sun just as much as the next person, but nothing can replace fall foliage and that crisp air. I've always found that things considered dark and creepy are really just misunderstood, and I seem to get along well and feel at home in these environments.
I hope that this post is informational on both Fae and Otherkin and perhaps resonates with some other Fae on here. Feel free to shoot me a PM or strike up a convo here to share with the rest of the forum regarding Fae/Otherkin/etc. I'd love to know if there are any others here that identify as Fae, and what types of knowledge we could share with each other. I'm very happy to share whatever information I can on both subjects.
Fee