Ep 72: Californian Gnome Portals

Our guest describes a sighting in 2016 in California, which occurred after a plant medicine church meeting. Whilst sitting in his car waiting for a friend, he watched two gnomes, no more than three ft tall in height, appear from a bush one after the other. They ‘waddle’ across the street and disappear into another bush.

(Apologies for the poor sound quality! I have done the best I can with the file – it was much worse to begin with). 

⭐️ BONUS EPISODE ⭐️

In the exclusive bonus episode on Patreon we hear of a multiple witness sighting of a white glowing human-sized figure after taking part in an indigenous ritual. It was observed on private land and the owner of the land appeared to be aware of the spirits that he shared this space with. The encounter lasted several minutes and the being emitted a ‘headlight’ type of light which shone into his eyes.

Warning: These are not fairytales. The Modern Fairy Sightings Podcast is designed for viewers and listeners 16 years and older. This show is unsuitable for children or anyone who might be sensitive to creepy content.

Podcast intro music: Transmutate by Snowflake (c) copyright 2020 Licensed. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Image: A Travelling Gnome with his Toadstool by Heinrich Schlitt (German, 1849-1923)

Shownotes

SHOW NOTES:

Marjorie Johnson (2018):   Seeing Fairies: From the Lost Archives of the Fairy Investigation Society, Authentic Reports of Fairies in Modern Times

Simon Young: Fairy Census 2014 – 2017

Jack Hunter (2023) Deep Weird: The Varieties of High Strangeness Experience

Rudolf Otto (1917) The Idea of the Holy: An Inquiry Into the Non-rational Factor in the Idea of the Divine and Its Relation to the Rational

The ‘Curious Folk’ tier is now available to join 

Here is the experience at West Kennet that I refer to: https://www.patreon.com/posts/west-kennet-82913328  it’s in our new Collections on Patreon. 

Subscribe, rate, review and share the wonder ❤️✨

If you enjoy the show, please consider sharing your favourite episodes with friends. Don't forget to rate and subscribe wherever you listen, and if you can, please support by joining The Curious Crew on Patreon

Want to report a sighting?

Contact me at: scarlettofthefae@gmail.com
If you love the show and want support it and join our loving community you can find us at Patreon 

Ep 65: Guest Host Takeover with Kate Ray and Claire Casely

✨Welcome to part one of two Guest Host Takeover specials produced by my fellow podcasters and researchers.*

In this episode I’m delighted to introduce hosts Kate Ray of Hare in the Hawthorn and Claire Casely of ‘Fairy Whispering Podcast’. Their fabulous chat includes a discussion on the merits of gnomes (Kate hails from Nottingham, scene of the Wollaton Gnomes) and pixies (Claire is from Devon, land of the pixies).

🧌🧚🏻‍♀️ They discuss our human connection with nature, and their own personal relationships with fairy beings. Some musings are offered on the evolution of fairies and they even treat us to some encounters from their local area!

Thanks so much to these marvellous women, who are also dear friends 💗

On the next special episode we’ll hear from Bethan Briggs-Miller of Eerie Essex and Spectre of the Sea and Icy Sedgwick of Fabulous Folklore with Icy .

*Jo will return with a brand new series on Sunday September 3rd.

⭐️ In the bonus episode on Patreon⭐️

Jo offers a look at the life and work of 19th century Cornish poet, John Harris. Though narrated excerpts from his autobiography, we catch a glimpse of how our ancestors may have lived and their close relationship with nature.

The video version will release on YouTube one week after the audio release.

Warning: These are not fairytales. The Modern Fairy Sightings Podcast is designed for viewers and listeners 16 years and older. This show is unsuitable for children or anyone who might be sensitive to creepy content.

Shownotes


🧌 Kate Ray is host of Hare in the Hawthorn podcast on YouTube, alongside Neil Rushton, in which they discuss many supernatural topics. Kate is fairy experiencer, paranormal investigator, author, writer for Haunted Magazine and member of the Fairy Investigation Society. Kate has featured on TV and Radio. Kate contributed a chapter to a book about the case of the Wollaton Gnomes which was published in 2022 and has recently released her fictional book ‘Woolly Snotts – The Curious Case of the Wollaton Gnomes’.
Kate’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@kateharegirlray 

🧚🏻 Claire Casely is host of ‘Fairy Whispering Podcast’ which explores fairies and other supernatural topics. Claire is a fairy experiencer, fairy artist, and is currently writing a book about the pixies. She is passionate about connecting people with nature, wonder and wellbeing through her creative and fairy work.
Claire’s website: www.faerywhisperer.co.uk 

Both Kate and Claire have previously featured in Modern Fairy Sightings podcast episodes:
https://www.scarlettofthefae.com/interview-with-kate-hare-girl-ray/
https://www.scarlettofthefae.com/ep-54-claire-casely-the-fairy-whisperer/

The next episode release on 20th August is from:
Bethan Briggs-Miller of Eerie Essex and Spectre of the Sea
Icy Sedgwick of Fabulous Folklore with Icy

Jo returns on Sunday 3rd September. Massive thanks to these fantastic women for producing these episodes 💚

Fae Connection Tea Ceremony Online Workshops with Todd Grube

Saturday 12th August 2023 16:00 – 17:30 (BST) and
Saturday 19th August 2023 09:00 – 10:30 (BST)

Tickets Eventbrite: £25.00

(Patreon supporters of The Modern Fairy Sightings Podcast receive 20% off)

☕️Tea meditation or Cha-dao is a ancient form of Shamanic meditation practice from south China which uses the plant medicine, Camellia Sinensis or tea!

🧚‍♂️It has been used by shamans, healers and Taoist for around 20,000 years as a tool to communicate with gods, Fae, elementals, guides, Star people and power animals.

🌱Tea is a plant teacher and medicine which helps open you to receive messages and even communicate with different Fae and light beings.

Todd Grube – Tea Ritual Teacher and Mystic Mover

🌟In this workshop Todd will talk about:
the history of tea : how to do a tea meditation : which teas to use for tea meditations : philosophy of tea meditation : how to use tea as a medicine and to connect with the Fae and light beings.

✨We will run a ritual ceremony during the workshop followed by an opportunity to share our experiences and ask questions. The whole workshop will be 1.5 hours

☕️ 🧚🏻‍♂️✨🧚🏻‍♂️✨🧚🏻‍♂️☕️

Todd has previously discussed his extraordinary experiences with Fae and other non-human beings on The Modern Fairy Sightings Podcast.

You can hear Todd talk about tea in this episode:

Book your space on Eventbrite

For more information contact scarlettofthefae@gmail.com or
https://www.facebook.com/todd.grube.3

Subscribe, rate, review and share the wonder ❤️✨

If you enjoy the show, please consider sharing your favourite episodes with friends. Don't forget to rate and subscribe wherever you listen, and if you can, please support by joining The Curious Crew on Patreon

Want to report a sighting?

Contact me at: scarlettofthefae@gmail.com
If you love the show and want support it and join our loving community you can find us at Patreon 


Shownotes

Ep 61: Wollaton Gnomes Special with Kate Ray and Dr Neil Rushton

This episode, is part of a Wollaton Special which initially released on Sunday evening as a video on my YouTube channel. If you are not familiar with the Wollaton Gnomes encounter here’s a short explanation:

On 23rd September 1979, six school children reported encountering thirty gnomes driving ‘Noddy’ type cars around Wollaton Park, near where they lived in Nottingham. It had taken place around 8.15pm, while they were playing.

After a series of events, they ran from the park and some of the younger children appeared to be traumatised afterwards. Upon return to school, their headmaster tape recorded separate interviews with all the children.

They answered a number of questions about their experiences and gave detailed descriptions of the gnomes. This transcript still exists and is available here.

In the following days, local and national press released articles about the incident. The case eventually went quiet. To date, the witnesses have been unresponsive to multiple appeals to discuss the event.

In 2022, Dr Simon Young published a collection of essays about the Nottingham fairy mystery which, I contributed to along with some other researchers including Dr Jack Hunter, Dr Neil Rushton, and Kate Ray.

Neil, Kate and I recently took an expedition to Wollaton Park and in the YouTube version I’ve included a short film about what we did there. If you are interested, I’d recommend going there and watching the film and please do subscribe as it all really helps the Project. But Effectively, we we aimed to connect with the landscape and sense out the areas where events may possibly have taken place.

At the end of our gnome wander video we hold a debrief session which took place a couple of days after our trip. I’ll be sharing that debrief session here in this episode. We plan further expeditions later this year and I will produce more episodes about the case later in the year.

Watch this space for further action in this area and I hope you enjoy the episode.

⭐️Join the Curious Crew to support the show and access bonus content on Patreon ⭐️

Warning: These are not fairytales. The Modern Fairy Sightings Podcast is designed for viewers and listeners 16 years and older. This show is unsuitable for children or anyone who might be sensitive to creepy content.

Please subscribe, rate and share this podcast 💚 


Shownotes

I highly recommend Dr Simon Young’s and Chris Woodyard’s episode about the Wollaton Gnomes on their and Boggart and Banshee Podcast.

Kate Ray and Neil Rushton also produced an episode about the Wollaton Case and a further one involved a chat with Dan Green who was also a contributor to the book.

And Kate will be releasing a gnome-themed novel set in Wollaton Park in June 2023

If you enjoy the show, please consider sharing your favourite episodes with friends. Don't forget to rate and subscribe wherever you listen, and if you can, please support by joining The Curious Crew on Patreon

Want to report a sighting?

Contact me at: scarlettofthefae@gmail.com
If you love the show and want support it and join our loving community you can find us at Patreon 

Ep 57: Processional Gnomes, Psychopomps and Chanting Monks of Staffordshire

A plethora of encounters and experiences from two sisters who grew up in the Staffordshire Moorlands. Twins, Gemma and Kate lived on a farm in Leek and their experiences shared here include: trooping gnomes, lights in trees, a visitation from a Raven at a funeral, spectral chanting monks, disappearing and reappearing objects and much much more!

⭐️In the exclusive bonus on Patreon, our guests share further spooky events which took place at a haunted hotel in Devon that used to be owned by a member of her family. Plus, I will read some supernatural lore and weird tales of Staffordshire including the headless horseman of Onecote, local fairies dancing in a ring near Leek, the Black Mere of Morridge and Lud’s Church. Staffordshire seems to be quite a hot spot!⭐️

*Bonus will release on Monday 24th April at 4pm at https://www.patreon.com/themodernfairysightingspodcast

Main Image: “Pro Pàtria” fragment of verses from the same chapter of Liliana.
by Apel les Mestres 1907

Please subscribe, rate and share this podcast 💚 

Warning: These are not fairytales. The Modern Fairy Sightings Podcast is designed for viewers and listeners 16 years and older. This show is unsuitable for children or anyone who might be sensitive to creepy content.

Show notes

A photo I took on the path to Tintagel Castle in Cornwall (the legendary place of King Arthur’s conception and birth!). I think it’s a raven. Or is it a crow?


Ravens

Ravens, the largest birds in the corvid family, are well known in folklore as psychopomps – creatures who lead the recently deceased souls to and from the afterlife as part of the transmigration process.

The Morrigan famously takes the form of the raven as does the Welsh god, Bran the Blessed. In Native American mythology they are known as messenger spirits and guardians of magic. In Northern European folklore, ravens were viewed as guides for the dead. Odin himself had two ravens, Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory) who flew around the world gathering knowledge on his account, similar to Lugh the Irish God who also had two ravens.

Processional Gnomes

It was the Irish poet, William Butler Yeats who originally divided the fairies into ‘trooping’ and ‘solitary’ in his book, Irish Fairy and Folk Tales. The general sense is that the troopers are largely benevolent while the solitary folk can be mischievious or dangerous. However, from my own pleasant experience with what appeared to be a solitary Fae man, the above does not necessarily ring true!

Other instances of these observed formation of Fairies are in Episode 31: Arrival of the Fairy Host. I also mention previous guests of the show, Dr Jack Hunter and Dr Neil Rushton‘s experiences.

Mentions

Lights in the Sky https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12367516/reviews

Mixon Mine Fairies: https://ludchurchmyblog.wordpress.com/places-of-other-local-interest/mixon-mine-fairies/

Gem’s She-Shed and Garden Sightings

Gem talks about some anomalous lights in her shed, which I will upload on Monday 24th April. In the meantime, check out this strange photo which seems to capture a being with a hat wandering around her garden!! If anyone out there is an expert on photos and videos, please contact me.

Gem’s ‘Missing Jewellery’ story on BBC Sounds:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0f3108w

Subscribe, rate, review and share the wonder ❤️✨

If you enjoy the show, please consider sharing your favourite episodes with friends. Don't forget to rate and subscribe wherever you listen, and if you can, please support by joining The Curious Crew on Patreon

Want to report a sighting?

Contact me at: scarlettofthefae@gmail.com
If you love the show and want support it and join our loving community you can find us at Patreon 

Ep 53: Dartmoor Gnomes and Seer Lineage

Another delve into the original interview recordings I made in early 2017 when the Modern Fairy Sightings Project first launched.  Mark Norman and I were at the time researching for the Devon chapter in Simon Young’s book Magical Folk.

One particular woman responded to a poster I’d pinned up in Dartmoor, calling for people to contact with their fairy encounters! We spoke about her family history with fairies and her own understandings of the Otherworld. 

Later on in the show, I share more reported fairy sightings on Dartmoor featured in Janet Bord’s book, Fairies: Real Encounters with Little People.

In the bonus episode on Patreon, we explore  20th century Dartmoor folklore by Theo Brown, which mentions a few stories of sightings in Postbridge, not far from Bovey Tracey, where our guest had lived.

Please subscribe, rate and share this podcast 💚 

Warning: These are not fairytales. The Modern Fairy Sightings Podcast is designed for viewers and listeners 16 years and older. This show is unsuitable for children or anyone who might be sensitive to creepy content.

Shownotes

Janet Bord’s Fairies: Real Encounters with Little People (1997)

Theo Brown’s Tales of a Dartmoor Village: Some Preliminary Notes of the Folklore of Postbridge (1973)

Susan Chittenden’s A Romance of Two Worlds (2021) (pls email me for Susan’s contact)

J. R. W. Coxhead – Devon Traditions and Fairytales (1959)

Edward L. Gardner: Fairies: A Book of Real Fairies (1974)

Marjorie T. Johnson’s (Simon Young ed) Seeing Fairies: From the Lost Archives of the Fairy Investigation Society, Authentic Reports of Fairies in Modern Times (2019)

Dermot MacManus Middle Kingdom: The Faerie World of Ireland (1980)

Simon Young’s Magical Folk: British and Irish Fairies: 500AD to the Present (2020)


Subscribe, rate, review and share the wonder ❤️✨

If you enjoy the show, please consider sharing your favourite episodes with friends. Don't forget to rate and subscribe wherever you listen, and if you can, please support by joining The Curious Crew on Patreon

Want to report a sighting?

Contact me at: scarlettofthefae@gmail.com
If you love the show and want support it and join our loving community you can find us at Patreon 

Ep 52: Interview with Kate ‘Hare Girl’ Ray

I speak with paranormal investigator, Kate ‘Hare Girl’ Ray from her excellent YouTube podcast show, Hare in the Hawthorn.

Originally hailing from Nottingham, Kate has a particular interest in the Wollaton Gnomes case, and is a published author on the subject. She also writes for Haunted Magazine and creates magnificent mushroom-related art pieces in her spare time!

Kate shares a gnome encounter that took place in her teens at the Uffington White Horse and describes the time she acted as a mediator between a troubled home owner and an angry French Fae being, for the TV show Help my House is Haunted.  We also discuss the strange potency of this time we are living through. 

A video version of this episode will release on The Modern Fairy Sightings YouTube channel next weekend. 

 
In the bonus episode waiting for you on Patreon, Kate shares a shocking experience which left her terrified but offered a greater understanding and respect for the Fae.  Join us there for access to a whole back catalogue of bonus episodes.

Please subscribe, rate and share this podcast 💚 

Warning: These are not fairytales. The Modern Fairy Sightings Podcast is designed for viewers and listeners 16 years and older. This show is unsuitable for children or anyone who might be sensitive to creepy content.

Shownotes

In the main episode, Kate describes a being she saw on the way down to Wayland Smithy from the Uffington Horse. Here’s what she created in its likeness:

Likeness of a Fairy Being seen by Kate Ray in the bushes near Wayland Smithy
By Kate HareGirl Ray of Hare in the Hawthorn

Subscribe, rate, review and share the wonder ❤️✨

If you enjoy the show, please consider sharing your favourite episodes with friends. Don't forget to rate and subscribe wherever you listen, and if you can, please support by joining The Curious Crew on Patreon

Want to report a sighting?

Contact me at: scarlettofthefae@gmail.com
If you love the show and want support it and join our loving community you can find us at Patreon 

Episode 21: Awakening to Them

This episode is a deep chat about a number of extraordinary events and contact that my guest has experienced. The subject of a UFO/orb experience is covered early on but we do return to the subject of Fae. There’s so much cross over between fairy experiences and alien encounters and it’s been generating a lot of discussion for some time now. From my discussions with many listeners, topics about aliens and UFOs have also been gaining general interest, alongside fairy encounters.

My guest shares how these encounters have developed for him over time, resulting in an ever-deepening spiritual path. The discussion was recorded back in May 2021.  

There’s a bonus chat on Patreon where we discuss more personal healing experiences and he enlightens me on the idea of Starseeds – people on earth who come from other planets and are here to help the earth and its inhabitants.  

Please do subscribe, rate and share this podcast. Thank you ❤️

Main image: by Dorothy Lathrop (1922) from, Down-Adown-Derry: A Book of Fairy Poems, by Walter De La Mare

Become a Patron!

Warning: These are not fairytales and the content is unsuitable for children. Episodes may contain descriptions which some may find unsettling or frightening. The Modern Fairy Sightings Podcast is designed for listeners 16 years and older.

Tea Ceremonies

My guest shared some information about tea ceremonies, which feature strongly in his practice.

Chinese tea ceremony (artist unknown)

“Tea has been used for over 10,000 years in China as a plant teacher and medicine by shamans who later travelled to Japan. Tea is very connected to the elementals and nature spirits, as you will experience when you drink the tea. For meditation, I use Oolongs or Pu-erh tea, from China or Taiwan – organic if possible. The Fae tea is called Shuixian tea or sometimes Wuyi Shuixian tea. Shuixian means ‘water fae’ and people who drink it often see Fae. Phoenix Oolong is also a good choice as it connects you to the heavenly creatures (dragons, phoenixes etc). China has a large number of Fae found throughout their folklore, because they were Taoist. The tea does contain a small amount of caffeine but it calms, helps you meditate and opens the upper chakras. It’s all in the brewing: a teaspoon of the Fae oolong tea to one cup of boiled water. Put the leaves in the cup and take out after one or two minutes. Wait until the tea has cooled down a little, then take it to a sacred place (this could be your garden or somewhere safe to meditate in a park). Stay empty and flow with what comes in. You can ask the tea if it has any messages.”

My deep gratitude to our guest for sharing this information. We may provide an episode about tea ceremonies at a later date. Let me know if this is something you’d be interested in!

Shownotes

UFO Documentary: ‘The Phenomenon

Dr Jack Hunter’s Spirits, Gods and Magic: An Introduction to the Anthropology of the Supernatural.

Dr Jack Hunter’s short course, ‘Spirits, Gods and Magic: An Introduction to the Anthropology of the Supernatural‘, Sophia Centre, The University of Wales, Trinity Saint David.

If you enjoy the show, please consider sharing your favourite episodes with friends. Don't forget to rate and subscribe wherever you listen, and if you can, please support by joining The Curious Crew on Patreon ❤️
Become a Patron!
Podcast intro music: Transmutate by Snowflake (c) copyright 2020 Licensed. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.