Growth on the path of Faery Seership is an exciting journey into the inner world of nature itself, and thus into your self, for you are a part of that fabric of creation that we call “nature.” There is no element within your life that does not find its origin in nature, even if humanity manipulates it to make something else, like plastic or polyester. At the foundations of all things are the patterns imprinted by the natural world upon her creations. Within these patterns are the secrets of the “inner-verse,” and thus the universe. The natural world is the grandest grimoire of all, and all of the secrets of the universe are written into her mystical ways. The eyes to peer into this grand book reside in the three souls that comprise our being. The capacity of these walkers to perceive and transmit spiritual power, love, and wisdom is the heritage of humanity and all living things.
The deep-residing, ancient memory of human heritage is what prompts us to realign our selves with the eternal. Sadly, however, this quest for realignment leads many seekers away from the map of creation that has been imprinted into each of us. Too often, we are instead led away from our selves and back to the illusion of separation from the Creator. As you open awareness into and through the three walkers, the Vision Keys open the doors of wisdom, power, and universal/spiritual vision and harmony (also known as the “blessedness” or absolute love). This separation can now be exposed for what it is—a deception. There is no separation except in expression. Let the awareness of this and the alignment of the threefold life heal all seekers of their feelings of abandonment from the creative life-force and let the Garden of Eden be revealed!
One of the distinguishing characteristics of Faery Seership is the premise that we are composed of three souls animated by one spiritual core. This is a very different view from mainstream religions that teach that we have only one soul. The life of your eternal spirit is lived through three distinct, yet interwoven, dynamics (the three walkers) that operate in and through three distinct, yet interwoven, energetic states of being (the three worlds). They are both distinct and interwoven because the illusion of separateness between things is created when you only see through the eyes of your physical body and the five senses of the surface world. In fact, the surface world is just that—the surface expression of inner-source forces in relationship with the environment and other surface-world structures.
As the original creative impulse or spark of spiritual fire that is the basis of all creation moves into patterns and forms of expression, it moves through three modes of change. These modes (or worlds) are constant, living states that have their own ecology and landscapes. An aspect (a soul or walker) lives in that state and mediates creative impulses inward and outward across the worlds. Each world can be seen as a phase of creation and the walkers are the “traffic cops” at the intersections of creative change, directing these forces into and out of pattern, expression, and fulfillment. Table 4 illustrates the relationships between these phases, the worlds, and the walkers.
Learning and living the ways of Faery requires that you detoxify yourself from the opiate-like sleep of consensus reality and peer into the dimly lit paths of your own ancient self and the spirit world. It requires that you hush the screaming voices of your inner fears and the demands of human society and listen for the eternal voice that speaks through all things. This voice speaks not only through the stones, trees, wind, and ocean; it also speaks through your own blood, breath, and bone, as well as their original substance, which is the essence of all things—the toradh (pronounced TOE-rath), a Gaelic word meaning pith or essence.
TABLE 4
Relationships between phases of Creation, the Worlds, and the Walkers
Interestingly, nearly everyone I meet tells me that they have a sense of this, yet they also comment on how deluded we humans seem to be. No one really feels a sense of fulfillment these days, especially if they lack spiritual connectedness to a sense of higher purpose. So there is already a curious discontent within us. For many there is even a driving need to reach beyond the illusions of human separation from nature and the spirit world. The path through the temple door of your self awaits. You must use your discontent to knock at the door of inquiry so that the hidden hands of the spirit world can open the way and receive you as a spirit on a human path. This path leads you into communion with the true nature of existence and the inner commonwealth of Faery and other spirits.
This is where traditions such as Faery work come in, for they are focused on unfolding the inscape, or inner blueprint, of the unseen forces that are the source of the seen world, reflected from the star world into the sea world, and crystallized in the stone world. These worlds embody the threefold nature of the creative life-force in action, and they are encoded into the three walkers of the threefold life. Sadly, however, most humans usually focus their full awareness on only one of these worlds (the stone world), or two at most (the stone and star worlds). They leave themselves feeling incomplete and even filled with a sense of fear of anything and anyone that does not fit neatly into their self-imposed and often synthetic vision of how the worlds work. Even those seekers who look heavenward with prayer and devotion far too often deny the intercession of the spirits of the Creator, especially those not of angelic origins. The first spiritual being you must encounter is your self and its threefold nature. This includes your dream walker in the underworld of ancestral and Faery life.
Most of humanity appears to have exchanged much of its intuitive/subjective sensory capacity for objective intellectualism. In general, we have anesthetized our otherwise innate ability to sense and exchange with non-human otherworld beings and ancestral wisdom through their inherent otherworld components. Modern conveniences, as wonderful as they are for our quality of life, have taken their toll on our sense of connection with the subtle forces of nature, community, the spirit world, and the pulses that move through the deeper, more ancient components of our selves.
Perhaps the most direct and intimate steps to awakening the sleeping wisdom that predates your thinking and your cognitive mind is to attune your self to the threefold life. Doing so awakens your physical body, your surface walker, to its inherent spiritual forces. These magical and visionary powers live encoded within the physical and spiritual blood that has flowed through many times and many bodies. With each re-emergence into the surface world, your blood re-assembles its original vision, which is held within your fluid body, your dream walker, and fueled by your energetic body, your star walker, which in turn mediates the fires of pure spirit that link you to the source of all creation. When these come into alignment through your intention and your application of free will, you realize full power, wisdom, and love, experienced as absolute at-one-ment. You become one with the spirit world, redeemed in the sacred blood of ancestral wisdom, and anointed by the holy hands of the Elder Race (the Faery). Human and Fay become one and your sacred destiny is fulfilled. Although all of us have been trained into “unknowing” and forgetting, Faery Seership practices awaken us and unfold the “knowing.”
Every journey is defined by the following stages:
Although somewhat simplistic, these stages of the journey provide you with some sound insights on the role of the walkers and the nature of the journey in the quest to answer the Sacred Questions.
The teaching of the threefold life tells about the multi-dimensional nature of life and humanity. It teaches that your presence and consciousness extend through multiple states of being simultaneously, and that you can be aware of these levels of life and the orders of beings that live in each. In fact, the awareness of these levels of life is pivotal to your unfolding purpose and attainment of joy and spiritual fulfillment. The threefold life is so named because of the existence of the three walkers, your simultaneous existence in the three worlds, and the belief that you are not truly alive until you awaken your consciousness and align it through the three walkers, thus allowing you to become complete.
The threefold life concept presents the following broad teachings:
There are three primary levels or dynamics to life. They are
The upper world, or star world, symbolized by the sky, the stars, the Sun, and the planets, and embodying the source material, original design, and intelligence/consciousness of the creative life-force
The lower world, or sea world, symbolized by the ocean and the Moon's tides, and embodying the connective forces, inner creative life, and primal pattern of the creative life-force
The surface world, or stone world, symbolized by the Earth and embodying physical form/containment, cyclical temporal life, and expressed vision
The threefold life is essentially about your living presence in the three realms of existence. The aim of Faery Seership is to make this threefold life a living and conscious state of existence for all of humanity. In addition to the orders of life in these three levels, there are vast spiritual and creative powers that, if engaged, can open out the inherent spiritual and energetic potencies of the human seeker. These forces are embodied in the Vision Keys.
People often ask me where the core principles of the Tree originate. The origins of the threefold life teachings are oral (preserved through living folkloric tradition), academic (through literary research), and contemporary (meaning direct transmission and development). The earliest foundation of the threefold life in my practice comes from my mother and other people in my early life (such as aunts and neighbors) in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. My folks often mentioned that people have one spirit, but three souls. My mother taught:
One soul resides in heaven and walks with God. One soul resides in hell [the underworld] and wrestles with our demons and passions. And one soul lives on the earth in our bodies, where it struggles to make sense between the other two.
In short, this folkloric approach speaks to the inter-dimensional nature of your composite being and its struggle for balance. It also speaks to the threefold nature (lower world, surface world, and upper world) of the universe as illustrated in Celtic traditions and other indigenous practices. The folk culture in Virginia is a combination of local Native American tribal, Celtic (from Irish and Scottish immigration), and African (remnants of the slave trade) cultures. These cultural streams have merged into distinct folk-magic traditions throughout the Shenandoah Valley, Appalachia, and the American South. In my work, I have teased out some of the Faery elements of these beliefs and practices, although there is much more to unfold. To these core folk teachings, I have added other oral traditions, academic/literary research, and contemporary work.
My mother also said that only the word of God would bring you peace and clarity. The word of God of which my mother spoke is the Living Word still spoken by God, not the printed one in the Bible. In Faery Seership, this Living Word is the resonant creation of the Vision Key called the Utterer. My mother also said that prayer and the fruits of the Tree of Knowledge, which I call the Tree of Enchantment, connect the souls. She said that God, to whom I refer as the Star Father in the Vision Keys, planted this Tree during creation. I have taken this folk teaching, which was adapted into Christian symbology, and restored what I believe is its more original, mystical, pre-Christian meanings. The rest of the teachings associated with the threefold life come from various folk traditions and direct contact.
Tradition tells us that the three walkers flow into and through the surface walker, for it is the living Crossroads where the worlds meet. When you do visionary processes to meet at the Crossroads, you are attuning your physical form to this constant presence. Different variants of Celtic and other European mystical traditions assert that the soul lives in different parts of the physical body, like the breath, the bones, and the blood.1 In Faery Seership lore, each individual has three souls or walkers and they come together in the physical body in the following ways:
When your physical body is viewed in this way, it becomes apparent that it is the “house” or “temple” of your living spirit, and cannot be minimized in its role. When you use Faery Seership practices, the imprints of the walkers in your blood, bones, and breath are awakened and come into alignment on the Tree of Enchantment. This, in turn, causes your true awakening to your concurrent presence in the three worlds and your spiritual potential.
In many teachings on spiritual and magical development, one of the least-recognized sources of spiritual wisdom is the physical form. In fact, many disciplines teach, or at least imply, that the physical body is the source of all temptation and wickedness and, therefore, inherently corrupt. In Faery Seership, this is considered a false teaching and, in fact, one that leads you farther away from your spiritual path, not closer to it. However, your physical body is composed of a matrix of elemental forces animated by immense spiritual fire. These forces have hungers, passions, and desires that must be tended to in balance and without distraction and desperation. If they are not tended to, you can find yourself seeking to feed those hungers in less healthy ways, like drug and alcohol overuse and abuse, sexual compulsions, overeating, and many other ways. Perhaps this is the source of the teaching that the body is inherently flawed or sinful.
The physical form is called the surface-walker soul. Notice that I did not say that it contains a soul. No, the physical body is a soul unto itself. It is the living Crossroads that mediate the lunar tides of the dream walker from below and the stellar powers of the star walker from above, and bears these forces into the surface world. It is imprinted with powerful ancestral and Faery forces and ancient stellar intelligence. These forces move through your body in your breath, electrical currents, and blood, and are recorded in your flesh and bone. I call these potent forces the Gods of Flesh. They lay sleeping in your surface walker until they are intentionally awakened, opened up through trauma, or awakened through other experiences of altered states.
Sometimes, the other walkers have imprinted the surface walker with a type of timer that goes off when divine discontent, necessity, and opportunity come into alignment. As I noted in The Faery Teachings, these three elements act like tumblers in a lock. When they come into alignment with each other, a major life transformation is at hand and much wisdom will be revealed.
The three elements of divine discontent, necessity, and opportunity stir a type of restlessness that causes forces to awaken in your body and manifests changes in your consciousness. However, the nature of these elements are specific to the awakened state within you and set into motion by an imprint designed to activate when in the presence of other specific inner and outer elements. There are ways that you can intentionally cause these forces to stir in the blood, bones, and breath of your physical body. When this occurs, your three walkers come into permanent or momentary alignment and the powerful Gods of the Flesh are awakened into your consciousness. Some of the ways to bring about alignment include:
The soul of your body, your surface walker, has inherent power and wisdom, and these can be awakened with intention or by accident, thus producing major changes in your consciousness. It is important to understand that this powerful walker must receive what it needs to fulfill its potential as a powerful ally. This includes good rest, healthy eating, moderation in chemical use, consumption of clean water, and exercise to keep the walker healthy and capable of mediating and translating the forces that move into and through it.
So what are the implications of the threefold life? Well, working with the threefold life is similar to using your feet, hands, and other parts of your body. You have them. They were given to you for a purpose in your life. Not to use them if they are functional is to volunteer for self-imposed restrictions that are against the natural plan. Likewise, the three walkers are vital appendages to your total being, created for use in the fulfillment of your potential. They are always in use unconsciously, otherwise you could not think, inspire and be inspired, feel and emote, or express, for these are natural functions of the walkers. But in addition to fulfilling functions, they are bodies of flesh, energy, and liquids that have their own aspects or components of the total mind of the self. They also have their own capacities for perception, communication, and power (defined as “the ability to affect change”).
Each component of the threefold life has its own characteristics and role in the creative epoch. The total sum of the threefold life makes up who and what you are. Not all orders of life partake of this threefold nature. Only surface-walking incarnate beings, like humans, embody the threefold life. The characteristics of each walker are as follows:
Each of the walkers is aligned to one of the three worlds. The surface walker is aligned to the stone world, the dream walker is aligned to the sea world, and the star walker is aligned to the star world. In each of these worlds are primary powers, known as the Vision Keys. Therefore, there is a direct relationship between each specific walker, the worlds in which they reside, and the keys that are dominant powers in those worlds. Each walker mediates specific powers from its world into the total threefold life of the seeker. I call these powers “agents,” because they bring with them other powers or potencies, as noted in Table 5.
When the relationships between the walkers, the worlds, and the keys are viewed in this way, we see that the walkers are imprinted with the keys and discover the intensity and dominance of the imprint. This means that certain keys are dominant in each person. One or more keys will be “key” in each seeker's fulfillment of personal powers and potencies in the three worlds.
In Faery Seership, there are totemic symbols for each of the walkers. These symbols tell us much about the mysteries of each walker and how they function. Keep in mind that the composite life of the three walkers (the threefold life) is envisioned as coming together on a tree known as the Bilé, or the Tree of Enchantment. The power that draws the three walkers back into alignment upon the Tree is called the triple will. It is a power that moves out from the heart of creation into all things and moves them through the worlds for the fulfillment of the utterance of the Utterer and the dream of the Dreamer. It is the triple will that feeds all movement through the worlds, and its power is most present in the concept of divine discontent. This will ensures that nothing is stagnant and all is moving forward in the fulfillment of vision.
TABLE 5
The Walkers, Their Keys of Alignment, and Their Agents of Power
The totemic powers that dwell upon the Tree are the honeybee, the ant, and the spider:
There is a fourth totemic symbol that completes the threefold life and strings the walkers together in a type of living holism. This dynamic works like a spark that moves up and down, in and out of the walkers. It is the driving pulse of consciousness that operates through the vehicles called the walkers. It is likened to an inquisitive bird (even an eagle) or moth that flies to the heights and depths of the Tree, searching, prodding, feeding, activating, and linking its activities and outcomes. Unfortunately, it is easily distracted from the plan of the star walker, the resource delivery of the dream walker, and implementation of the surface walker. It is curious, easily distracted, and tends to nest in the walker that provides the most stimulation. As long as the bird is eating well and entertained, it will stay with any or all of the walkers. When it is not, it causes disturbances, disease, and decomposition. When you use visionary processes to activate the walkers, it is the mystical bird or moth that is sent forth to open your consciousness into and through the walkers.
The core of the Creator (or the Ancient One as it is called in Faery Seership and my line of traditional witchcraft), is intelligence. This dynamic allows the Ancient One to create patterns and forms. There is one specific type of intelligence that allows you to create and refine new patterns of being: free will. Free will allows you to step outside of an inherently balanced state to explore and create. Beings with this attribute of intelligence are classified in Faery Seership as “seekers.” At this time in planetary life, humanity is the ultimate seeker-type intelligence. This element of our nature is both a blessing and a challenge, for free will represents the curiosity of creation to explore itself. However, it carries with it certain inherent flaws, like abandonment, fear, and initial disconnection. These challenges can be addressed and healed through the activation of the threefold life. The threefold life is a pattern that exists within the life pattern of the planet Earth in relationship to the cosmos. If you align with this element of your nature, the inner-verse and universe open wisdom, healing, and revelation to you.
We as humans—and, to some extent, other living surface-walking creatures on the planet Earth who have aspects of the seeker-soul dynamic operating within them—share the common structure of the threefold life. The threefold-life structure is specifically inherent in the seeker-soul type, which embodies the full spectrum of components of the Earth herself. In other words, you, the Earth, and her atmosphere make up one living being with three walkers. Humans simply embody the full life and soul structure of the planet and are thus the so-called dominant species at this point in planetary life. Humanity has not always been and will not always be the dominant species with a freewill dynamic operative. Each major planetary era has a dominant species that carries out that phase of planetary life.
Each species on, around, and within the Earth shares in the destiny of the planet. There is one great dream for our world and all of us are a part of it. We are all cells in the body of the Earth and her inner sun (son). The threefold nature of the Earth and the threefold life of humanity share the exact same resonance. The star-walker aspect of the Earth is the sky. The surface-walker aspect of the Earth is the soil, stones, and mineral content of the planet. The dream-walker aspect is the oceans, seas, and other great waterways of the planet. These structures are the interface points where the three souls of the planet can interact. The limb of the great Bilé that passes through our world is its axis. The axis is also known as the Spindle of Destiny, which weaves the planet's walkers into one. If you use the structure of the threefold life of the Earth and align your own threefold life to these three aspects upon the Tree of Enchantment, you will find your self perfectly aligned on your path and possibilities will open to you. The visionary processes I provide give you tools to begin this alignment process.
The visionary process for the alignment of the walkers given in Exercise 1 uses the traditional imagery of the three worlds and the three walkers as embodied in the three flames. In a more subtle sense, it also incorporates the Sacred Tree in its focus on alignment.
This exercise should be performed as often as possible until you have memorized the steps and become attuned to the process. This will help you move into balance with the three worlds and the threefold life. It is one of the most foundational practices in Faery Seership.
1. George Henderson, Survival in Beliefs among the Celts, http://www.sacred-texts.com/new/celt/sbc/sbc02.htm (accessed August 24, 2007).