Magic School: The Fairy Faith with Ken Rees

Tutor Kenneth Rees is running a two-day course on the Fairy Faith in central London. The dates for this are Saturday 22 September and Saturday 6 October.

Here is the information about the course:

This course explores the importance of the Otherworld for a possible enhanced understanding of oneself. Our focus will be primarily on fairy tale and the role the fairy story has in making links between mortality and immortality, birth and rebirth, cosmic and human integration. The means of access to, and release from, Faery is examined as is the interaction within its realms, its denizens, its otherworldly geography, its roles and quality of life.

Journeys to the Otherworld, by whatever vehicles (e.g. dream, trance) can be viewed as episodes in local or regional `books of the dead’ (e.g. Celtic, Egyptian, Tibetan) by which means instruction is given and a range of outcomes achieved. These may range from the endowment of treasures to unwanted gifts. Visiting such altered states of consciousness may have initiatory import for the individual involved.

Theoretically, the origins of fairy tale will be reviewed and examples of the fairy faith provided. Connections will be suggested between different fairy tale narratives and a person’s life history as a means of shedding light on each, thus demonstrating that the metaphorical power of story can often be applied to an individual’s circumstances today.

The reading list for the course includes:

• K. Briggs, A Dictionary of Fairies, Penguin, 1976
• J.C.Cooper, Fairy Tales: Allegories of the Inner Life, Aquarian, 1983
• R. Kirk, The Secret Commonwealth of Fairies, Observer, 1933
• J. Harte, Explore Fairy Traditions, Heart of Albion, 2003
• J. Bord, The Traveller’s Guide to Fairy Sites, Gothic Image, 2004

Venue: The Mary Ward Centre, Queen Square, London WC1 (nearest tube stations – Holborn, Russell Square)
Dates: Saturday 22 September and Saturday 6 October
Time: 10.15am – 5.30pm
Course No: 448
Fees: £56 Cons: £20
Enrolment: 0207 269 6000 (or online)
Enquires: 0208 671 6372
Website: www.marywardcentre.ac.uk