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Of Angels and Fairies

A Story by Margaret Barton-Wahl

A sweet little tale from my childhood and the adventures I had in church and the garden

Of Angles and Fairies

When I was very young I could speak as clearly as any adult. I’m not sure why but I do remember thinking that to talk was the greatest thing. And so some how I learned to talk before I could walk. It got me a lot of attention at first but some people became afraid of me. I’m sure it must’ve seemed weird that a little girl that could barely walk could carry on a conversation. But there you have it I could talk, but mostly I repeated what was said to me, a bit like a parrot. When someone would say, “How are you today?” I learned to say, “FINE, how are YOU today?” It is a bit different but mostly just parroting what they had previously said. In such a way I learned the art of conversation.

My dear granny, my mommy’s mom, taught me verses from the bible. John 3-16 “ For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. That who so ever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” A devout Southern Baptist she would take me to church and all of the people would marvel at my “GIFT”, as they called it. “What a little angel!” they’d say. Granny was so very happy that she read the bible to me every chance she got so I could memorizes its passages.

For Christmas that year I was instructed by my dear granny in the telling of the story of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Starting First with Matthew 1:1, “ The book of generations of Jesus Christ, conception and birth. Eventually ending with the last verse of granny’s favorite Christmas hymn, “Silent Night”. There was a hush in the chapel as I sang. The lights above the pulpit seemed to twinkle as the star proclaiming his holey birth. As I ended with, “Sleep in heavenly peace,” I placed my hands together as in prayer and bowed gratefully. Granny was very proud of me and everyone said that I sang like an angel!

I admit I was a bit full of myself. At this point I almost believed myself to be the angel that the parishioners proclaimed me to be.

I was four when my father, a devout atheist, decided to put a stop to the whole thing. So one day he taught me some limericks that he had heard at the bar.

“There was a man from Nantucket.

Who went to hell in a bucket.

But when he got there they asked for his fare.

He stuck out his bum and said, SUCK IT!”

I was so pleased to have something new to share with my friends I repeated the limerick as soon as we arrived at the Sunday meeting. Needless to say, granny never took me to church again. I didn’t realize what had happened at the time and thought that granny hated me. I was a very sad little girl after that and would hardly speak to anyone.

I spent most of my time outside in mommy’s garden. Among the lilacs, roses and shrubbery that encircled our yard. It was there I met Violet. She was tiny, purple and smelled like flowers. She had the loveliest soprano voice and she sang with me every day. (Although I cannot remember any of the songs now.) She was fun to play with and I spent all that spring and most of the summer with her.

Every morning I’d wake up at the crack of dawn. I was filled with anticipation for the fun and surprises each new day would bring! I was oh so quiet as I slipped out of my bed and into my clothes. Giggling inside myself, thinking of the wonderful games my tiny purple friend and me would play that day. What joy, what fun and laughter filled my child’s heart!

One day in particular as I tiptoed out of the back door, I found Violet waiting on the stoop of the back porch. “It’s Summer Solstice!” she gleefully announced. “Time for dancing and trouping about the countryside!”

Her sweet little face was all a-flush with excitement and the little curls of her lavender hair seemed to make a lovely tinkling with every gentle breeze.

“Oh my!” I exclaimed. “This will be a fun day!”

We walked into the woods behind our house, and at the foot of a gnarled old oak tree there was what first looked like hundreds of butterflies. Each of them a different color! But as we got closer I could see that they were the same sort of folk as Violet.

It started softly at first, as a faint whisper on the summer breeze. Then the sound grew louder and sweeter. It was a song!

”Rapture of the sun, sing, dance and all have fun!

We rest when the day is done.

Oh rapture of the sun!”

We danced and sang fairy songs for a great portion of the day. Suddenly I heard my mommy’s voice calling me in a most frantic way. She appeared her eyes filled with tears and her voice horse with strain. “Oh, thank God I found you!”

As she approached the fairies quickly swarmed and flew away. On our walk home she questioned me. “What have you been doing all day? You had me worried half to death!”

“I was singing and dancing with my little purple friend and her people. Didn’t you see them?”

“I saw nothing but butterflies, you silly child!” she replied in a stern rough voice. “Stop making up stupid stories!” She yanked my arm as we briskly walked toward home. No more was said about that day.

One day our family was leaving to go to my grandma Barton’s house, my daddy’s mom. After grandpa had passed away she had moved in with her sister my great aunt Violet. While everyone got ready to go I played in the bushes singing and laughing with my purple friend. Mommy was calling me as I told my friend about my great aunt Violet. My fairy friend took a little seed out of her hair and planted it beneath the bush where we were playing. “When this grows give it to your great aunt.” It was then mommy found me and we left to go to grandma’s house.

“What were you doing under there?” mommy scolded, “I was looking all over for you calling and calling! Why didn’t you answer me?”

I told her about my friend and the seed that was planted beneath the bush near the driveway. “Stop making up stories!” she chided. So I didn’t say another word about it until four weeks later when we were getting ready to go to see grandma and aunt Violet again.

As everyone else was scurrying toward the car I was busy digging up the lovely little violet flower that had sprouted beneath the bush near the driveway of our home. I found a small clay pot in the shed, and potted it with my own two little five-year-old hands. I was so proud of the pretty flower. “Mommy!” I exclaimed. “The violet bloomed and I’m taking it to my Aunt Violet. Giggle, giggle, giggle.”

To which my mother replied, “That’s not a violet! It couldn’t be! But if you want to take that little purple weed to your aunt you are more than welcome.”

We set off on the long trek to grandma and aunt Violet’s house. The trip seemed to fly by for me; I was so excited to give the flower to my great aunt. We soon arrived and after all of the grown-ups had shuffled into the house I went to the back of the car and got my gift for aunt Violet.

I took the potted flower into the house, being careful not to drop any dirt on the rug,

stood by my aunt ‘till she realized I was there and spoke to me. ( At this point in my young life I knew enough not to speak until spoken to.)

“What have you there?” she said, in her kindly sweet way.

“It’s a weed she found beneath a bush in our yard.” Mommy replied.(as if I couldn’t speak for myself.)

“ Well, let me see it sweetie.” She looked at the plant and a huge grin spread slowly over her face. “This is no weed, in fact it is a violet!”

Mommy couldn’t believe it, nor could anyone else. On the long way home mommy said that Violet just said that to be kind to me and that it was really just a weed like she had said. But I knew different. It was a beautiful violet given to my kind and sweet aunt by my little fairy friend of the same name.

I keep these memorizes close to my heart and think of my dear fairy friend from time to time. It was long ago and so far away, my magical time of fairies and angels. And now in my middle age I think of that time more and more. “Those days of angels and fairies.”

By, Margaret Barton-Wahl

http://www.fairylandtrust.org/…..es_02.html

Washington State
Just recently (May 2002) I saw my first fairies. I am 37 years old. It was about 10:00pm and I had gone to bed and was laying there unable to sleep and wishing from the bottom of my heart, "If only fairies lived in my garden." It was kind of a silly thing to think. I guess I was thinking it because I love the garden, had been working in it that day amongst the tulips, and it just seemed like fairies belong there. No sooner had I had the thought then something told me in my head to look in the rose garden. I've learned to listen to this sixth sense, as more and more psychic/spiritual things have been happening in the last 3 1/2 years. Still, I couldn't quite bring myself to climb out of bed to look. It seemed silly. Finally, I did so. I walked into the dining room overlooking my rose garden and peered out the window into the night. I stared but saw nothing. Just as I was about to give up, I saw out of the corner of my eye a tiny white light in the left bottom of the rose garden near the lupines. Then I saw another and another. Looking straight on, I saw hundreds of tiny white lights blinking all over my rose garden. The garden was full of tiny white lights! I watched for awhile and the lights kept glittering, then I turned away from the window and went to bed.

Climbing back into bed, tears in my eyes, I was filled with the unearthly all enveloping peace and love feeling I get when I feel close to God and that tingle of energy running up the back of my head. I thank God every time I receive such a gift because it makes my heart and soul swell with love. I didn't tell my husband because I didn't know what he'd think. So many things have happened to me in the past three years that this was not out of the ordinary. Three days later I told my husband, with tears in my eyes, that I'd seen fairies in the rose garden. He smiled and told me, "I see things in the wind." I asked him, "What do you mean?" He said he sees tiny cylinders in the wind sometimes.

My husband and I are very close, and being able to tell him about my "happenings" and actually talk about them with someone to whom they also occur makes me feel truly blessed. I believe the fae came because of the great amount of love in that garden. It thrums with birdsong, the puppies play in it, and everyone who visits enjoys it and proclaims, "What a happy garden!" I don't know much about fairies, but this January I learned my soul name in a dream/astral visit. Upon looking up the name on the internet, I learned that the name belongs to a Welsh moon goddess who is Queen of the Fae. Coincidence? I've always had a strong affinity with mermaids, and some to fairies too. I have been documenting these "spiritual happenings" for 3 1/2 years and am writing a book. Having seen the fairies and wondering about others who have seen them led me to this web site. I have done something right to bring fairies to the garden. I only hope I can keep them happy and safe. Love for the plants and creatures that reside there and care for their wellbeing I believe is the key. I will not be using chemical fertilizers on the roses ever again.

http://www.spiritsjourney.net/…..e-t124.htm

There is this really cool website I visit each month called "Hidden Portals"    A section there called the "Elf Salon"  features a painting and article of a various Elven or Faery Being that the moderator sees in her minds' eye during meditations.   She paints them from what she sees in meditation.

Many times there is a dialogue beteeen herself and the Being –    This time she saw a Flower Deva Being- one of the small Faery Beings that minister to small plant and flower life-    These beings exist on a higher frequency than we humans do-  Here is a copy of her feature this week.  She calls this Faery "Amythest" as she saw her as a purple energy surrounded by yellow light.

http://www.hiddenportals.com/e…..alon.shtml

http://www.fairygardens.com/si…..uth27.html

Stephanie, Hawaii

We had a small, tropical 'garden' in the front of our house. It had a few coconut trees, palm trees and a few flowers- and it was always booming with wildlife. When I was around seven, I had been playing outside by myself infront of the garden. I felt something watching me, and then out of the corner of my eye, I saw something small fluttering a few feet above some plants. I turned to look at it, but before I could get a really good look at it, it just suddenly disappeared. I had conviced myself that it was a hummingbird and told my father that I had seen one; however, he told me that there were no hummingbirds in Hawaii. Though we had hummingbird moths, it didn't seem like one. A few days later, I had an exact repeat of the experience, except I was able to catch a glimpse of the body color. It was a very light shade of gray, almost white. I told my mother of this next, and she exclaimed to me with delight that I had seen a fairy. Apparently, she had seen a society of fairies ranging from babies to elders at night when she was sleeping between her parents. She had stirred awake at midnight to light chattering and small, dim lights. Fairies were dancing around her- laughing and having the time of their lives. She said she mingled with them a bit before her parents roused from sleep. Then they disappeared in a blink of an eye. So that's the story of my mother and I! I have always been facinated with mythical creatures all of my eighteen years (or at least when I was able to understand the stories of them), so this just boosts up my believe ;]

thank you Lisa for sharing these wonderful stories of real life encounters – they make my day!