Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon, my Darlings.   For this week’s Siren Saturday, I have decided to share another entry in my Incarnated Mermaid Diaries series.   Today’s topic is Walking the Faery Wheel of the Year!

So, the idea of walking the Faery Wheel of the Year is something that I have been doing for many years now.   It began with thinking of Faery alignments for each Wheel of the Year holiday, and focusing on working with the archetype and energy of that type of Fae during that holiday season.   It has evolved a lot over the years, with an expansion on what types of Fae I work with each holiday season and even aligning different Faery Queens with each season.   

Beyond that, I have also broken down the year into the four seasons and associated each season with a specific type of Otherworldly Being.   So, for the blanket season of Spring, there are the Woodland Faeries, encompassing all sorts of forest Fae.   For the blanket season of Summer, there are the Mermaids, encompassing all sorts of Mermaids, and there are many.   For the blanket season of Autumn, there are the Vampires, encompassing all sorts of Vampires and Vampiric types of Fae, of which there are many, but also Fae associated with death and being death omens.   Then, for the blanket season of Winter, there are the Werewolves, encompassing all sorts of shapeshifters!   This breakdown actually serves to align well with the Wheel of the Year connections I have made over the years.

For instance, Imbolc has always been aligned with Swan Maidens in my practices, and they are certainly shapeshifters, making for an ideal alignment for a holiday that ends Winter and leads into the beginning of Spring.   The Spring Equinox is often aligned with Flower Brides in my practices, which certainly have a forest Fae energy, but this is also a great time to work with any sort of Earth Fae, like Woodland Nymphs.   Beltane is a time I often align with Well Maidens, whose Wells are most often found in forests, tying these Springtime holidays well with the Woodland Faery seasonal association.   The Summer Solstice is aligned with Mermaids, of all sorts in my practices, including the Merry Maids of Cornwall.   Lughnasadh is associated with Mari-Morgens and also with maternal Fae energies, which is an obviously very watery energy.   So, the Summery connection with Mermaids is well attested to in my practices.   The Autumn Equinox is most associated with Queen energy, holding deep resonance with countless types of Avalonian Faery Queens in my practices, but I also align this energy with Selkies specifically, as she finds Sovereignty through regaining her Seal Skin.   This bridges the Summery Mermaid associations with the darker energies of Autumn as Vampire season, for while the Selkie is not Vampiric, she does hold immense strength, is deeply forlorn to not be in the Sea, and has a boundless heart.   It is Samhain that holds the most obviously Vampiric and death-related energy.   During Samhain, I work with Banshees, the Washers at the Ford, and Leanan Sidhe (who are Vampiric Faery Lovers).   Finally, during the Winter Solstice, I work with transformational energies of Gwragedd Annwn, Dragons, and even shapeshifting Mermaids (like Merrows).   

Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg, and I work with all types of Fae all year round, but I find their energies align well with these seasons and holidays.   So, it is great to incorporate these associations into magickal practices to celebrate the Wheel of the Year holidays.  Yes, there are Fae who align well with multiple holidays and seasons, which is why this is an ever-evolving way to walk the seasonal wheel!   Each year, I deepen into this more and more, as a way to align with the turning tides of nature.  I even have whole Wheel of the Year associations for Faery Queens, for Mermaids and Water Fae, and for specific Faery Queens (breaking down their archetypes based on seasons).   So, this is something I have given a lot of thought to, and something that works for me!   It ever shifts in liminality, with ebbs and flows of how it works, but what is more Faery than that?

I hope you have enjoyed this reflection on Walking the Faery Wheel of the Year.   What types of Fae do you associate with which holidays and seasons?   Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!    

Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is an Incarnated Mermaid Diaries Title Artwork that I created using the Waterhouse painting Hylas and the Nymphs.   I found the painting on https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Waterhouse_Hylas_and_the_Nymphs_Manchester_Art_Gallery_1896.15_n2.jpg.                          

LINK TO AVALONIAN ROSE FAERY MYSTERIES PATREON: patreon.com/AvalonianRoseFaeryMysteries