Glass fairies

[helen99]

Recently several breakable objects have appeared to spontaneously leap out of our hands or off their shelves and make a break for freedom, only to plummet to their untimely ends upon impact with the inevitable Surface. The latest of these was the lid to a glass pan, which ordinarily is tough enough to withstand a large impact. It leaped out of the cabinet as Rialian was getting a pan, and it hit the edge of the counter at just the right angle to shatter into more tiny pieces than one would think possible for a chunky glass lid. This happened while I was doing something on the opposite side of the kitchen with my back turned (fortunately). The crash sounded like an entire cabinet full of crystal glasses expiring - it was impressive. Rialian swept it up while I stood rooted to the spot (no shoes on, so couldn't help). Of possible importance is the fact that the pan was going to be used to make hot chocolate. A few weeks before this, we made some hot chocolate. Rialian's favorite hot chocolate mug was a large handmade one (Dancing Pig Pottery) with a spiral design. This design has been discontinued. He picked up the mug full of hot chocolate to drink it, and the cup leaped out of his hand. There was hot chocolate everywhere (I think I just found the last of it this weekend, actually). I tried to glue the cup back together but was not successful. These were just the two most dramatic cases (involving hot chocoloate), but they're not the only ones...

Recently I've been noticing tiny chips in many favorite ceramic items. A pretty ceramic faerie that someone gave me broke before I got her home. A wonderful soup dish we got at a ceramic shop has a chip at the rim. Another soup dish broke in transit. A wine glass shattered during a weekend when we had friends over. And then there was the case of the heavy-duty glass pan that broke when a spice jar leaped out of a cabinet (I was several yards away) and fell on the pan at just the right angle to shatter it. The spice jar was unharmed (never mind that the pan's glass was twice as strong as the spice jar's). This all happened in the last several months.

So... Maybe an altar to the glass fairies would make this better? I have plenty of broken ceramic and glass to put on it. Maybe a windchime or two to simulate tinkling glass, in case the sound is what they're after...

Comments

[rebelfilms.insanejournal.com]

Interesting, as I have noticed an increase in "activity" around the house here as well.

[helen99.insanejournal.com]

The dreamtime has also become more active. Last night I dreamed that I was arguing with someone for leaving the stove and all four burners turned on and unattended (which was all part of a larger plot in the dream that I don't remember, but the result of which was to cause me to argue).

[illuviel.insanejournal.com]

Have you considered making food and beverage-based offerings? The contents of the smashed containers may be part of what the folks are after as well as the lovely glittering light and sound of broken glass.

Windchimes and prisms; chocolate, wine, and spices. Sounds lovely and seems, at least from here, that it may be well received.

[helen99.insanejournal.com]

Eek - those sound like wonderful ideas. We have just the chocolate to do this with, too. We found something called "Stone Ground Chocolate (http://www.tazachocolate.com/thegoods.php)", which actually tastes a lot more like Cacao than any other chocolate I've tasted, yet it tastes like chocolate too (not too bitter)...

[siabha_maellyn.insanejournal.com]

Ah, I'm sure the fae would love the wind chimes :) I also agree with the commenter who mentioned food offerings... cookies or bits of cake, etc.

We had brownies in the house I lived in in Houston. At least, that's what I think the diminuitive little humanoid shapes I'd every now and again see flitting around the kitchen floor at night were. Things-- like silverware, especially-- would routinely turn up missing, only to be found again at a later time, and there were quite a few instances of things moving by themselves. Once, as I was about to make tea, the tea kettle slid itself across the stovetop and into my hand. I promptly washed it, as it was needing a cleaning and brownies of course are known for being rather fastidious.

[helen99.insanejournal.com]

I can see where house brownies may get a little perturbed by a change of ownership. Neither of us is as competent a housekeeper/decorator as the previous owners, nor are we as skilled with woodworking, painting, or home repairs. This worried me when we bought the house -- it seemed to deserve something more than two suburbanites who spend most of their days at a computer rather than in the garden or woodworking. It's the kind of place where the whole house (and all its surfaces) and the land around it want to be treated as a magical environment. I feel I have so much to learn.

[siabha_maellyn.insanejournal.com]

Perhaps there is a way to communicate with the entities in question, especially if they actually consider the place to be their home? Introduce yourselves and see what happens :) The place does indeed seem magical, just from the few pictures I've seen and your descriptions... maybe the fae/brownies can give you thoughts on how to caretake it. I have a feeling it may be intent and the energy behind that intent that they look for... the skill part comes in time.

[helen99.insanejournal.com]

Ah, thank you! That unraveled a big knot in my mind. I will do that.

[illuviel.insanejournal.com]

The Germanic tradition calls them housewights, nisse and a couple of other things.

The Celtic tradition has brownies and cetera.

Traditional peoples all over have built relationships with the guardian spirits of their houses and hearths, and information on doing so is available for skimming online, to see what resonates well with you and your place.

[helen99.insanejournal.com]

I think one problem is that we're not there all week - only on Friday night and on weekends. It's getting to the point where I think we're needed out that way more often, both to anchor out there more, and to get a feel for what should be there, how it should feel, etc. (not to mention all the projects I want to do). I've tried to keep it nice and shiny, but I'm hoping friends can help with a few suggestions...

One thing we did was to put a new ornament on the outside to replace the Sun that the previous owner took with him. These shots were taken after sunset, so had to use contrast/brightness adjustment to get them to show up, but these photos give you some idea of how it is in the wintertime:

http://www.rialian.com/duckwall/1-14-2009/Mithlond_tree1.jpg
http://www.rialian.com/duckwall/1-14-2009/Mithlond_tree2.jpg
http://www.rialian.com/duckwall/1-14-2009/Mithlond_tree3.jpg
http://www.rialian.com/duckwall/1-14-2009/Mithlond_tree4.jpg
http://www.rialian.com/duckwall/1-14-2009/Mithlond_woods1.jpg
http://www.rialian.com/duckwall/1-14-2009/Mithlond_woods2.jpg
http://www.rialian.com/duckwall/1-14-2009/Mithlond_woods3.jpg