Clothes are no small matter to fairies, who realize that clothing says a great deal about the wearer and has symbolic meanings. Some fairies prefer to remain naked,in the same way that some modern-day pagans,within closed rituals, prefer to “sky-clad”. They feel this is a sign that we are all naked before the gods,and shows respect for Nature.
Clothes As A Sign Of Power
By contrast, other fairy folk are very fussy about clothing,preferring the beautiful and costly. In many cultures, clothes define the status and occupation of the wearer,and so are an outward sign on an inward reality. We are freed from such constraints in the modern world, but fairies are well aware of the symbolic nature of all things. Some fairies,robbed of their clothing,are doomed to remain captive in the mortal world until they recover it. The good Persian fairy, the Peri, is one example,whose clothes signify her magical power.
One story tells of a weary merchant’s son,who rested from his travels by the shores of a lake. Four doves flew down and turned into Peries before his eyes. They then shed their robes and bathed in the waters. The young man hid the clothes and, when they realized what had happened, the Peries were distraught. One of them agreed to marry him in order that the others might escape,where upon he gave three Peries back their clothes,taking the fourth with him as his bride. They lived together for 10 years, after which he went on his travels again, leaving the precious clothes with an old woman. When he was gone, the Peri persuaded the old woman to let her put he clothes on just for a minute- whereupon she immediately vanished from sight.
Many fairies are intentionally ragged in appearance, such as the Brownies. However, if they are given clothes,they are so offended that they often disappear forever. This idea is echoed by J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter books, in which a house elf is freed by the gift of clothes. To traditional house fairies,clothes are an empty gift conforming to human standards,not to those of Fairyland.
The Significance Of Color
Color is also an important consideration,with red and green being favorites. Both of these colors speak of the power of Nature: red being the color of blood (and death,with which some fairies are linked),and green the color of leaves and grass. Irish Leprechuans usually wear green, along with leather aprons, silver buckled shoes,and three-cornered hats,on which they may turn upside down and spin. In fact, in Ireland green is so much the property of the Fair Folk that it may be unlucky for mortals to wear it. Some fairies even have green skin. Nature spirits are the types of fairy most closely linked to green and the world of vegetation.
Red has magical connections,and witches are believed by some to have red hair and to wear red cloaks or caps. Red is linked with death,and in prehistoric times corpses were often smeared with red ochre,to give them renewed vitality. And the sun, when it “dies”, goes down in a blaze of red. Many fairies have red caps, or are entirely red in color. Red caps may also be associated with shamanism and with the fly agarie mushroom,which induces a trance.
Clothes As Symbols
✿ Human clothes can also be used as a weapon to break fairy enchantment. When led astray by fairies while out walking,the best thing to do is to take off your coat and turn it inside out,thus distracting the fairies long enough to escape. This may also be a way of marshalling all the powers of your conscious mind so that you can think logically.
✿ If troublesome fairies are disturbing your nights, place your shoes by the bed with the toes pointing outward and put your socks beneath them. A glove thrown into a fairy ring will stop all the revelry, and one Cornish tale describes how a farmer called Noy threw down his glove at a fairy assembly,whereupon the entire company disappeared,along with the house and orchard. Many customs feature gloves,as a sign of intention or authority- “throwing down the gauntlet”, for instance, was a medieval challenge,accepted if the gauntlet was picked up. The human hand has been the tool that has wrought many changes in the natural world- small wonder that the fairies are alive to the meaning of the glove.
✿ Nothing is just what it seems: All things have a meaning beyond their purpose,and naught more so than clothes. If humans will not realize this,the fairies will teach them.
I see many gorgeous,crystal -encrusted wands for sale in metaphysical shops,and I am sure they are super powered. Bear in mind, though, that is a wonderful thing indeed to make your own wand. Start with a tree branch that has fallen to the ground on its own. Sand and polish the rough edges, as it is a wand, not a weapon. Then give it a good smudging. Hot-glue a large quartz crystal onto the wand near the handle, and hot-glue on any crystals that have properties that will complement your magic. Citrine makes an excellent pointer tip for your wand and aligns your self-identity with your spirit.
Crystals And Gems To Enhance Your Tools
Here are stones I recommend for harnessing various powers with wands:
Amber for grounding
Amethyst for balancing and intuition
Aventurine for creative visualization
Bloodstone for abundance and prosperity
Calcite for warding off negativity
Chalcedonyfor power over dark spirits
Citrine for getting motivated, and attracting money and success
Fluorite for communicating with fairies and other unseen beings
Garnetfor protection from gossip
Geode for getting through periods of extreme difficulty
Hematite for strength and courage
Jade for wisdom to interpret or realize powerful dreams
Jasper for stability
Lodestone for bringing a lover back into your life
Mahogany Obsidian for feeling sexy and emanating sensuality
Moss Agate for powers of persuasion and healing
Quartz Crystal for divining your dreams
Rhodochrosite for staying on course in pursuing your life’s true purpose
Rose Quartz for love
Turquoise for safety when traveling
Watermelon Tourmaline for planning your best possible future
This is quite honestly the most exquisite and the most original zodiac-based art I’ve ever seen. I am stunned, and moved in ways I do not entirely understand.
True form angel Castiel tattoo commission for @dooplissss
(This image is intended only for the use of the original commissioner–for information about custom tattoo commissions, email at [email protected])
[ID: angel design showing a humanoid figure wit a coat and tie and six black wings. Where his head should be is a swirling shape of five eyes in a circle and a singular eye in the center of a black nebula, with tendrils and wing shapes emanating from the center. /end ID]
“…BECAUSE THE EARTH IS SENDING UP DEITIES THAT ARE TELLING PEOPLE TO DESTROY THAT WHICH IS CREATING THE ATROCITY OF SUFFERING AND RAPE OF LIFE THAT IS CHRISTIAN-BASED SOCIETY.”
The Aztec religion, polytheistic and based on nature incorporated the main god of tribes they conquered. This, however, gave them such a large amount of gods that it became impossible to worship them all. Which led to the formation of separate cults which worshiped one god supreme and others as minor gods. This can be compared loosely to the many separate branches of Christianity such as Protestant, Catholic, Lutheran, or in particular, to Catholicism and the Saints.
Aztec legend of the creation of mankind and the origins of the Aztec tribe tie directly into reasons for human sacrifice. The main points in these legends is that the gods sacrificed for humans, thus, humans must sacrifice for the gods. Furthermore, the gods depended on humans for the precious liquid chalchihuatl, – human blood to sustain themselves. In Catholicism Christ was crucified to pay for human sins, in turn, Catholics sacrifice during lent, but also throughout the year. There is a close parallel between the Aztec gods need for blood and Catholic communion: the Catholic priest who is the representative of god is always the first one to drink the communion wine, the symbol of blood.
Another parallel is the legend of the creation of the Aztec tribe and the creation of the god Huitzilopochtli, one of the most important Aztec gods.
Huitzilopochtli was conceived spontaneously by a ball of down touching his mother. In Catholicism the Virgin Mary was visited by an angel with feathered wings to tell her that she was to give birth to the Messiah.
Moreover, Huitzilopochtli the god of the sun made the Aztec his chosen people in the same manner that the Hebrews where God’s chosen people in Judaism. Since Christ the Messiah was Jewish, the followers of Christ became the chosen people of god. Another very similar characteristic between the two religions is the fact that they both had saviors. Jesus Christ came to earth to teach humans religion and proper behavior; the god Quetzalcoatl also came to teach people this. They both said that they would come again.
The Aztecs view of death was similar to the Christian view. They believed that there was a hell called Mictlán and a Heaven called Tlalocán. Mictlán was ruled by the god Mictlatecuhtli and Tlalocán was ruled by Tlaloc the rain god and Huitzilopochtli the warrior god in the same manner that Satan rules hell and Jesus and God rule heaven.
The world of the dead was composed 9 levels below and 13 levels above the earth. The period in hell was not permanent but considered a 4 year journey, during this time the family of the deceased made many offering and sacrifices to make the journey easier. The remnants of this Aztec belief is the present day Mexican celebration of Día De Los Muertos where people set up altars for the deceased and make food offering. In preparation for De Los Muertos candy skeletons and skeleton bread are sold throughout Mexico, this has grounds in the fact that Mictlatecuhtli the Aztec god of the dead was a skeleton.
The Aztecs’ belief in how to arrive in heaven are very different from most main stream religions. They believe that entrance to heaven is based on the amount of suffering during life. For instance a new born baby would go to hell for he had not suffered enough during life. In Catholicism a baby would go to limbo if not baptized prior to death for Baptism in the catholic faith is the washing away of original sin. Limbo is a midway point between heaven, hell and earth.
But if a baby is baptized before death, he is immediately guaranteed entrance in heaven. The people who had suffered such as warriors, sacrificial victims, mothers who died giving birth and slaves were to enter heaven, just like good people do in the Catholic religion. Furthermore, stealing was considered bad as where most things looked upon as sins in Catholicism. The Aztec temples were a place of worship like a church.
The Spanish priests were quick to see these parallels and made use of them. The priests used the already existing religion and made changes. For instance they might change the savior’s name from Quetzalcoatl to Christ they might change the virgin from Coatlicue to Mary and the method of virgin conception from a ball of down to the speaking of a Feathered angel. These changes made it easy for the Aztecs to switch religions. One of the most important factors was that by converting to Catholicism the Aztecs were given the opportunity to place themselves on the social ladder with the Spanish. This means that Mexico started to form a new culture mixed with both the Spanish and Aztec in both blood and ideals.
