Why You Should Believe in Fairies
Discovering a new awareness during a magical walk in nature
This morning, while walking into the woods behind the ancient castle in my island village, I stumbled upon a fairy tree, a magical portal believed to connect our human realm with the enchanting world of elves and fairies.
It wasn’t my first encounter with one of these fascinating little places of wonder in this forest, but this one amidst towering oak trees surpassed all others.
It was a chilly morning, and the woods, devoid of fellow wanderers in this grey and misty season, embraced a serene stillness. After the recent rains, the path behind the castle grounds near my village on this island was muddy, and the leaves rustled underfoot as I made my way through the towering oaks. I looked for deer since I had recently seen some in this part of the woods, but I didn’t find any.
Instead, I found this fairy tree.
Decorated with the customary offerings of toys, trinkets, and several Dutch versions of garden gnomes, I noted this fairy tree went beyond the ordinary. Hanging from its branches was a delicately draped washing line with miniature clothes tailored for the eccentric little residents of the fairy world. It felt like I had discovered a secret world tucked away in the heart of the woods.
Suddenly, this ordinary oak tree I have often passed without giving it any attention changed into something magical. I am grateful to the gentle soul who created this scene, even though I will never know who it was.
This encounter may have made me a believer in fairies, or at least I am now convinced that I would like to believe in fairies because they ignite our imagination at a time when the world around us often feels as dark and hostile as the frightening bedtime stories I grew up with.
Fairies sweeten your imagination. If you allow fairies into your world, with their sparkling kindness, you can try to hear the secrets of life they whisper in the wind. You can dream of visiting their magical kingdom under a tree like the one I encountered to find a hidden magical kingdom of wonder and beauty where everything is possible.
The tradition of leaving offerings at fairy trees traces back to ancient Celtic practices, predating the influence of Christianity. An age-old belief held that fairies, mischievous beings deeply connected to nature, would wreak havoc if humans failed to honor their territories.
Over time, this tradition transformed into a gesture of respect and a hopeful plea for good fortune, a sentiment that I share in these worrying times with the unknown gentle soul who likely lives in my village and takes care of our local fairies.
Fairies give us hope. Many of us feel like lost souls in an ever-darker world where injustice reigns. So welcome the fairies; as their name suggests, they are the opposite of unfairness. We need hope, and thus, we need fairies to brighten our expectations for the future.
Our village friend of the fairies has likely heard of the legend that some ancient oak trees possess magical powers. They are said to be able to heal, ward off evil spirits, and bestow blessings upon their worshippers. Fairies use these oak trees as portals between the mortal world and the enchanting realm of fairies.
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While I admired this mystical Lilliput world around a dark hole at the bottom of the tree, I wondered about the ancient Celtic practices where offerings of milk, wine, or bread were left in gratitude and exchanged for blessings or protection against evil spirits. Legend even suggests the brave could traverse the otherworld through these magical doors concealed within ancient oak trees.
In modern times, rumors of mysterious occurrences still abound near fairy tree locales. Tales of lights dancing above them in the night, unexplained noises emanating from their heart, abrupt weather changes in their proximity, and animals behaving mysteriously; true or not, they paint an enchanting storyline that continues to captivate the human imagination.
As a staunch believer in science, I’m usually the first to dismiss these tales as ancient nonsense. Still, as I returned to the village, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that I had visited a place of magic and mystery.
I realized this tree has a unique, or even magic, meaning for someone who walks these woods and cares for the fairies, a sentiment likely shared by others. I then thought that a bit of this magic experience may also transform me because I will never pass that tree again without feeling respect for this ancient oak that is, from now on, somehow different.
I won’t betray science and claim that fairies and portals to their magical world do exist, so if you catch me next time in the woods, bending forward to look into the deep, dark opening between the roots of the ancient oak tree with its offerings and washing line, I assure you that my stop serves only science and that I’m not checking if the fairies are doing fine. And if I leave some food or clothes as a gift for the fairies, it’s also part of my scientific research; after all, science benefits from more knowledge about the food and fashion preferences of the fairies in our local forest.
Which brings me to the third reason to believe in fairies:
Fairies bring balance into our lives. If you always live in the rational world, with its hard facts and undisputable truth, consider bringing in some balance from the other side of the spectrum where beauty, fantasy, creativity, and hope live. Your fairy may not look like one of the fairies in a Disney movie; it can be a metaphor for a life where kindness, humor, inspiration, friendships, and creativity are celebrated. These are all hard to measure in facts and numbers but contribute to a balanced life where you can escape from the cool rationality into the warmth of the fairy world.
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