The artwork of Brian Froud that tugged on the heart strings I didn’t know I had.
(Not every image is from the Faeries Oracle, but all images are that of Brian Froud and his brilliance)
“In the heart of the forest stands an old oak tree Existing through centuries, rooted in history Only if you believe will it let you see The magic that lives beneath it’s bark and within it’s leaves There at the center of its massive trunk Will be a wooden door, unlike any other one If brave enough to enter, you will see That another world exists, just beyond the trees”
-Marissa Orton (followherglow OR maiden_to_motherpoetry)
The kind of Masculine energy I need 💙
Brian Froud is my favorite artist. I’ll never forget the summer of 2020. I spent it on the river getting to know The Faeries Oracle Deck, written by Jessica MacBeth and illustrated by Brian Froud. When I bought the deck, I had no idea that it would unlock an innocence within me that i thought to be dead and gone. There is magic in these images. So much magic, wonder, brilliance and beauty. Brian Froud gives us a face to attach to the Fae, nature spirits and elementals. It’s as if he’s giving us a peak into a realm that absolutely exists around us, but cannot be seen with the naked eye. Maybe it’s not important that we see the Faeries, maybe feeling them with our heart is what really matters. The Faeries Oracle Deck gave me permission to let myself believe in faeries/nature spirits/elementals etc. I spent an entire summer on the shores of the river, exploring the deck and talking to the Faeries around me. At first, I felt silly and stupid for talking to the air. I think we’re conditioned to believe that it’s seen as silly and mentally unstable to believe in such things as an adult. But it didn’t take long before I began to feel something different and unusual, in the best way. The empty air began to feel more full and alive. By talking to the Faeries, I was inviting their presence. I felt them all around me and began to see them with my minds eye. I regained my childlike innocence and sparks of creative inspiration were popping off left and right. I connected to a source that I would not have connected to if not for Brian Froud and Jessica MacBeth. And for that, i am forever gratful, beyond belief or words.
There came a time when life resumed after the pandemic. I didn’t get to go to the river as often as usual. One day I went back after being away for a while. I was kind of devastated to discover that what was once a magical place full of invisible life now felt empty and vacant. I couldn’t feel the Faeries anymore and i chalked it up to it all being in my mind to begin with. It discouraged me for a little while until I decided to put effort in trying to connect to them again. Maybe it is all in my mind, or maybe.. just maybe, the Faeries were pissed at me for leaving them for so long. Turns out that they’re a lot like us, according to the Oracle deck, the Faeries take things personally, and you should never break the promises you make to them. I broke a few promises to the Faeries, and I had to work for their forgivness so that they may grace me with their presence again. Eventually they did, and I haven’t lost them since.
This could all just be the ramblings of a 29 year old chick who so desperately wants Faeries to be real. I could be delusional, mentally ill or silly. Or maybe Faeries exist when you allow yourself to believe that they do, and interact with them like you would an old friend. Maybe allowing yourself to believe in magic is what makes it real in the first place. One thing I do know, is that i want my life to be full of magic and possibility, because that makes life worth living to me.
And if you’ve read everything, thanks for listening. ♥️ 🧚 Now go get your copy of the Faeries Oracle so that you may feel what I felt 4 years ago at the River, and still to this day.
