A Bell Ringing in the Wood

Audrey, the bell rings throughout the woods. It is time for learning to begin.

The fairies come. All of types. The sprites, the nymphs.

Some dance like ballerinas through the moss on toe shoes pink with ribbons tied.


Others are so tiny they look like fireflies in the early morning light. They are pink and blue.

There are Jovial ones who as the come, with needle in hand, care for the flowers, stitching petals that are torn or shabby.

The Gothic ones come to learn the ways of  spiritual magic. They like the schoolroom with the books. They are the

ones who built this Learning Cooperative.

And, the other fairies come to share their knowledge of the elements: the woods and the air, the water and the spirit.

This Cooperative is open to all. Sometimes you many learn. Sometimes you may teach. But it is a Cooperative. And, there, the bell rings again in the woods. There, by my right shoulder the fairy flies so close. She is in a hurry, she says.

Look for this from your Nana. She will bring this to you. Please, let Bridgie play too. And, Greyson, if he wants to add his "superheroes" to the Learning Cooperative: I wonder if the fairies will vote to say, yes?

Here is the school.

And, see, on the side of the Learning Cooperative, one fairy saw that the flower vine needed to be mended. It must have been blown apart from the storm that blew in the woods last night.

Outside the Learning Cooperative stands one of the Gothic

fairies, Maggie. Maggie is nine years old and she loves to act in plays and she sings and dances. She likes singing the best. She carries to class her beautiful totem animal, Maug, the Magpie. Maug is seven years old, and he teaches a Treasure Finding class. Actually, Maug and Maggie are always together.

Inside the school are the pink and blue fairies. They take their seats on the little bird cages that hang from the ceiling. See, they are already facing the chalkboard, waiting form Cecilia, who is teaching today with her dog, Peter, to begin.

Come in, Audrey, take a seat in the parrot feather chair. It is your chair from now on. The fairies are saving it for you.  There are books for you to read on the bookshelf. Move closer to the lamp on the table and read through the pages or write your own book with stories that you want the fairies to know.                             

                                                                                   Or you can go through the apothecary bottles on the shelves. The fairies have also collected baskets of turquoise from the rock and pearl from the rivers and stars from the skies. These talismans are all in the burlap baskets on the shelves. You will be taught how to leave these for the humans as talismans for luck and protection, for guidance and wisdom. And, when you sit in on classes, you will learn how to make your own baskets of talismans to put on the shelves.   There is even a Tibetan Peace Flag hanging on the wall just behind the bookshelf. Don't worry, the messages of peace will still go forth from this little corner of the fairy world.

On the roof, there is a picnic. This is a class, too. It is important to Megan, the ballerina fairy, that you learn how to have a good picnic.                                                           When the day is warm and the breeze is just nice, the birds  will call you to come out and sit under a  tree, or under         the umbrella in this case, and have a lunch and call it a picnic.  Pack tiny cucumber sandwiches and iced tea. Make oatmeal cookies.                                                                          Bring a book on poetry.                                                   After you eat, you must either read a good book, read some poetry or lay back and take a nap in the shade. This is how to have a good picnic.                                                            Any good school will teach you how.                                  Some classes will add painting as part of the picnic classes.  Oh, yes, you can place flowers on the blanket you spread out and you can use real pretty plates and glasses and cloth napkins.                                                                           And, if you have a basket, please carry all your picnic items in the basket!

The design of this Fairy Learning Cooperative is inspired by Terri at Artful Affirmations http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/p/fairy-school.html. It was longer than I thought because of everything else in life going on, but it was more fun than I thought. It gave me a respite that  I much needed at various times.

If you have some time to invite the fairies to your life, this is a fun adventure. Thanks, Terri.

Peace.

Brianne