Feri

Week #11 - the letter "F"

Until a few years ago, I really had not had much exposure to other traditions or forms of Paganism.  I had done some reading and had some discussions but the opportunity to actually experience anything but a Wiccan-based practice was zero.  Lucky for me, and my Pagan community, two individuals became active and opened up a new world to all of us.

Liv and Andross started Prairie Star Circle to give ritual experience to our community that we would not have otherwise experienced here.  They also introduced me to the Feri Tradition.

I'd heard Liv talk about it and had been exposed to some of its practices but it wasn't until a small group of us decided to do a study group as we worked through the book "Evolutionary Witchcraft" by T. Thorn Coyle.  Liv actually studied under Coyle (who was fortunate to study under Victor and Cora Anderson) and was a bit of a guinea pig for the book.  Sadly, life happened and we never finished the book group and I have yet to actually finish the book.

According to a website on the Feri tradition:

F(a)eri(e)* is a modern form of American Traditional Witchcraft derived from the teachings of Victor and Cora Anderson and passed down through their various initiates. A rich and diverse spiritual art, Feri seeks to transform the individual through practices of ritual magic, meditation, and energy work. Faery draws power from various cultures and their magical systems including Huna; Conjure; Voodoo; Tantra; Celtic Folklore; Christian Mysticism; Yezidi Mythology; Greek Gnosis; and others, and continues to integrate the magic and mysteries of ancient and evolving cultures into its rich spiritual tapestry. Faerie is understood and integrated through direct experience; adherents include dedicated practitioners and persons initiated ritually into its mysteries.

*The diversity of our tradition can be seen in the various spellings of our name, which include Faery, Faerie, Fairy, and Feri.

I still have a lot to learn about the Feri tradition but there are some aspects that have already intrigued me enough that they are incorporated into my practice.

One of the first tastes I had of Feri tradition was being introduced to the Four-Fold Self, a concept based on the Three Souls (more below). 

The aspects of the Four-Fold Self are Clay Self, Moon Self, Sun Self, and Star Self.

Created by Alivanna Rose Moore

• Clay Self is our body, the vessel that contains the other parts of our self.  We are responsible for caring for our Clay Self and repairing ourselves when necessary.
• Moon Self is our animal nature, our "inner child".  It is feral and wild, innocent and social constructs, and only understands the now.  Moon self is the etheric body in the energetic sense.  This is your basic and primal needs, your battery, the present, gut reactions, emotions.
• Sun Self is our human nature, our talking brain, our personality, our ability to reason, communicate and exist as a social and civilized human.  Energetically, it is the aura.  This is what people see in addition to your Clay Self.  It directs energy, not stuck in the present and can visualize the past and the present.
• Star Self is our divine nature, our higher self, our guardian angel.  It is the part of us that is also divine, it's our link, inspiration, intuition, and it knows our potential.  

When we started the book study, I then learned more about the Three Souls.  This belief finds its roots in Polynesian Huna and Shamanism.  Each of the three souls have their own manner of communication as well as a basis of energy.  Through practice, we get to know each of these souls and therefore helps us access our potential. The aspects of the Three Souls have many names.

In Coyle's tradition, the three aspects are Sticky One, Shining Body, and Sacred Dove.

• Sticky One is the energy body that most closely follows the physical body. Energy “sticks” to it, drawn in and stored as in a battery. Sticky One carries our animal and child nature, our instinct, and the immediacy of our connections to sex, food, sleep and exercise.
• Shining Body includes your energetic aura, an egg shape around you. This is the seat of communication and intellect of giving and receiving information rationally, energetically and psychically.
• Sacred Dove, physically, is a sphere that reaches above your physical head, like a halo, intersecting all the parts of you. This is our own divinity, or God Soul, and connects with all the other realms, including the ancestors and Gods

I have embraced working with my Three Souls by using the Four-Fold Self.  To me, the difference between the two is that the Four-Fold Self recognizes Clay Self (your physical body) as an important aspect to work in harmony with your inner self and the remaining pieces.  Because doing what I can to keep myself physically healthy is important, I prefer to use the Four-Fold Self.  I work daily to keep them aligned, healthy, and positive.

The second Feri practice I learned was one that I still practice - The Kala Rite.  It is also referred to as the Rite of Unbinding.  I don't practice it daily, at least not consciously, but do perform it when needed and at least weekly.  The version I do is slightly different from that in the link and there are many ways to perform this Rite.

This practice is for cleansing and healing.  It is an opportunity to release anything that is holding you back from reaching your fullest potential.  This can be in the form of bad habits, energetic blockages, frustrations, doubts, fears, old wounds, etc.  These all form "knots" of energy in our Sun Self and Moon Self, which when unbound, allow our energy to flow freely, allow us to be more authentic and empowered.  Big complicated knots can take several sessions.

This is my version, based on a class with Liv:

1. Pour water into a cup (only as much as you can finish within a breath).
2. Align the Four-Fold Self/Three Souls.
3. Breathe out the knot of energy into your hands, visualizing it forming an egg - as much breathe/times as needed.
4. Toning "Ah", drop the egg into the water.
5. Hold the cup up, and toning "Ma", let your Star Self/the Gods/Universal Grace pour love and light into the cup, unbinding the knot and freeing the energy within it.
6. On the next breath, drink all the water.  Drink in the light, love, gratitude, grace, energy, and the now-unbound energy.  Let it flow into you, cleansed, healed, and revitalized.
7. The water will continue to do its work until it passes back out of your body.  That is when the Rite is complete.

Feri tradition definitely has influence on my personal practice.  As I continue to study, it may have more of an impact.  Only time will tell.