This post begins a series on the Guardians, and this post serves as my overly broad introduction on that topic.
My knowledge of the Feri Guardians comes primarily via T. Thorn Coyle, but with some inflection from other sources. I have learned that many Feri initiates considered the Guardians initiatory knowledge, lore only to be shared with those brought into the Feri family, but their “English names” and general “attributes” have escaped into the wild. Their “secret names,” though, remain, well, secret. However, I know someone posted about Thorn referring to Fire in the Earth as “Focus Deep” at, I think, PantheaCon a couple of years back.[1] Storm Faerywolf offers online descriptions of the Guardians, dubbing them “Lords of the Outer Dark,” with more detailed notes, seals, etc for each Guardian.
Let me be clear that my experience of the Guardians seems fairly idiosyncratic to me, at least in terms of their typical appearances, personalities, WtaW, and etc. Well, what I know of their typical appearance, personalities, etc. My calls and so forth for working with the Guardians are also my own.
Storm offers almost Goetic descriptions of the Guardians—at least for his BlueRose line—which in combination with his calls would certainly inflect one’s expectations and experience of the Guardians. In contrast, while Thorn offers calls for the Guardians, she’s rather vague and abstract about what they look like, what they’re like. I began with Thorn’s abstract representation of the Guardians, but I didn’t like her callings. They didn’t “sing for me.” I used them as a starting point, though.
Dragons and Wyrms that Are Wise
Before I continue, I want to note my draconic inflection on the Guardians. With “Wyrms that Are Wise” and passing references to “dragon speech” and other comments, someone who looks through the archive or even this entry might think I have a huge draconic emphasis. I do not feel it’s a huge one, but I have to admit it’s there. My experience of dragons has been idiosyncratic, and I’ve had off-and-on again contact with dragons for years (originally via G., then K., and occasionally others). I see dragons as an interesting other “group” of beings in the Otherworlds: they aren’t gods, but sometimes the gods can be draconic or dragon-like. I think the gods and dragons often share notes, trade lore, favors, etc.
Patrick Dunn discusses dragons in passing. As I wrote in Raven Singer, Dunn “classes dragons as ‘Otherworld Entities’—existing ‘outside our universe’ & visiting ‘for arcane purposes,’ ‘truly alien’ that are ‘sometimes…not even spirits.’” Meanwhile, Jan Fries addresses dragons and titans, giants, and other primeval elemental numinal intelligences in Seidways and elsewhere. Fries points to these classes of intelligence as the primal forces that humans represent the gods deposing and usurping their power: Apollo replaces Hyperion, Zeus deposes Cronos, and Apollo replaces the older Pythian goddess and cult. Some of my peers don’t care much for dragons, have had bad experiences with them, and I’ve found that the older ones demand a certain amount of formality, civility, and ceremony. And a good amount of respect.[2]
In regards to the Guardians, somehow, I had the sense early on that the Guardians had a draconic aspect, or they could for me. And as I worked with them, they actually gave me/showed me WtaW associated with them, had me puzzle out the meaning, significance, mystery of those WtaW.
The Guardians
I recently realized that the Guardians saved my sanity, and they possibly saved my life. I returned to some kind of practice partly because I was anxious, depressed, stressed. I had sleep problems. Professional, existential, financial, identity crises assailed me, and I needed a practice again. I wanted a practice again. So I went to Feri and Evolutionary Witchcraft as a starting point. Ultimately, I suspect a good portion of what I did with the Guardians, what I do with the Guardians, represents my take on the Iron and Pearl Pentacles.
I have to admit I feel often a burning desire for magical, metaphysical, arcane, and [other suitable adjectives] lore, knowledge, theory, and so forth. Such “theory” also leads to a burning desire to discover a practice to go with the theory, and that has gotten in my way over the years. It certainly still can. I have a love for theory—and part of that love of theory represents, I think, a longing on Talker’s part to get at the magic and to get past all of the utter shit that clogs her down on a daily basis. The Guardians represented not only something new to try but also seemed like a way at theory (theorizing self, the universe, etc.).
My only expectations of the Guardians, beyond Thorn’s writings, came out of a generalized notionality of directional invocations. Wicca, Hermeticism, etc. all have systems in place for throwing blue fire Octarine at the different directions and calling at Watchers, Watchtowers, Archangels, etc. and etc.[3] I’ve also had poor opinions on elementalism in the past, and my thoughts on the elements remain rather—I find elementalism problematic, but I’ve grown less resistant over time. (And the Guardians have helped with that.)
| Guardian |
Direction |
Element |
Other Names |
| Star Seeker |
East |
Air |
Star Finder, Hûro-Tûr, Nirellian |
| Shining Flame |
South |
Fire |
Shá-Rîn, Darith |
| Water Maker |
West |
Water |
Ilváyo, Mirela |
| Black Mother |
North |
Earth |
Môr-Rîn, Valamu |
| Heaven Shiner |
Zenith |
— |
— |
| Fire in the Earth |
Nadir |
— |
— |
| Center |
You |
— |
— |
Let me note right now that my “Other Names” are not the secret, initiatory Feri names: they’re names and titles that I’ve found, have been given, etc. Also, I took to calling Star Finder Star Seeker almost immediately, for Star Finder did not sing for me.
In later posts, I’ll look at my early interaction with the Guardians, my work with WtaW they showed me as challenges, and how my interaction with the Guardians has served as my form of the Iron and Pearl Pentacles (and still does). I’ll also talk more about the individual Guardians, working my way around from Star Seeker to Black Mother and then to the “Final Three.”
[1] I believe my response at the time was, “Huh, really? *scribble note*” One thing I do appreciate about Victor and Cora Anderson’s writings on Feri witchcraft is their utter practicality, pragmatism, and lack of pretension. “Focus Deep,” at least, seems very much in that mold.
[2] Part of me wonders if some experiences of the angelic and demonic in their more “material” and “elemental” aspects represent an alternative thread to the draconic, titanic, and gigantic.
[3] I now note how these invocations can seem quite perfunctory from an outsider’s perspective: I don’t think I’ve ever heard/read of a hermetic vibrating Raphael up and then chatting with hir. “Hello, how are you, Raphael? Um—so—angels? Um—Air? East? How’re those going?” No, I’m actually being quite serious. I’m totally imagining awkward conversations with celestials right now.
Image:Hubble Ultra Deep Field