S2 Ep9 - The Trouble With Fairies with Mhara Starling

Do you believe in fairies? And if you don’t, would you still know better than to mess with them?In this episode of Woo Wisdom, Andy Walker talks with Welsh author, witch, druid, teacher, and folklorist Mhara Starling about the trouble with fairies, why they are not Tinkerbell, and how fairy lore opens a serious conversation about consciousness, ghosts, alien encounters, household spirits, and the unseen world.Mhara is the author of Welsh Fairies: A Guide to the Lore, Legends, Denizens and Deities of the Otherworld. Her work explores Welsh fairy lore, Welsh magic, animism, witchcraft, druidry, and the old stories that still seem to hum underneath modern life.In this conversation, Andy and Mhara explore the Welsh fair folk known as the Tylwyth Teg, the otherworld of Annwn, fairy mischief, fairy morality, liminal places, household spirits, and the strange caution that still surrounds fairy lore in Wales. Mhara also shares practical fairy etiquette for anyone curious enough to begin respectfully acknowledging the unseen presences that may live close to home.Woo Skill in This EpisodeThis week’s Woo Skill is fairy etiquette for the woo curious. Mhara suggests beginning close to home by acknowledging the spirit or fairy associated with your own household. Set aside a small, respectful space where you can leave simple offerings such as milk, cheese, or a small piece of food. The point is not to demand proof or force an encounter, but to recognize your home as a living place with its own presence, memory, and unseen relationships.She also recommends paying attention to liminal spaces and times. Fairies are traditionally associated with thresholds: doorways, bridges, edges of water, dawn, dusk, and the spaces between one state and another. If you want to explore fairy lore experientially, approach those places with humility, curiosity, and caution.Woo Wisdom+ Extended EpisodeIn the extended episode, Andy shares his own possible fairy encounter. In an old rectory in Grimsby, Ontario, and later in an old farmhouse, he noticed small shadowy forms seeming to peek around doorways at a low height. Mhara connects the experience to Welsh lore about the Pukka, a mischievous household or farm spirit that can begin as a trickster or poltergeist-like presence but sometimes becomes attached to a family.The extended discussion also covers fairy protection, including iron, rowan berries, red thread charms, gorse, and the old folk practice of turning clothing inside out if one feels “pixie-led.” Mhara also explains the difference between trying to keep fairies away and building a cautious magical relationship with them.Show notes: https://woowisdom.com/s2ep9Guest: Mhara StarlingBook: Welsh Fairies: A Guide to the Lore, Legends, Denizens and Deities of the OtherworldBuy it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3S0FGlXHost: Andy WalkerShow: Woo Wisdom