I am an initiate and abiding student of the Faery Tradition of witchcraft (also known as Feri), which was passed through Victor and Cora Anderson. This tradition is a beautiful, and uniquely American, order of Old Craft. There are many things I feel and believe about my practice of Faery witchcraft, and I do not speak much publicly about those. However, I want to express a few things I feel are important, and make them available publicly in the event they prove helpful to someone seeking out this tradition.
1. There is no ‘one’ way of practicing Faery. There really aren’t any agreed upon ‘core’ beliefs or practices within the tradition. The only fundamental and congruous element is the unique Faery Current. However, having said that, each initiate has a very specific way of working and practicing, and anyone studying with an initiate will first learn their way of practice, just like the old apprentice model.
2. The majority of Faery initiates teach for free, in a rather old school ‘in-person’ way, or at least more one-on-one. There are a handful of very public initiates who teach according to a large classroom model, some of whom teach via the internet and charge a fee. [Edit: There are, within the handful of more public initiates, those who teach fewer students, using various methods, and charge a fee.] But most initiates within the tradition are more private, and take students as they meet them, or not at all.
3. Since the fundamental thread of the tradition is built around a living current, in-person contact with an initiate is paramount. My one and only advice to anyone interested in this tradition of witchcraft is to ASK, ask, ASK if an initiate lives anywhere near you and contact them directly, or indirectly (through an initiate willing to make introductions) if they are private.
4. There are now Feri initiates located all over the world. If you have heard of this wild, queer, androgynous, non-degree system of witchcraft, and are drawn to it, I suggest you ASK, ask, ASK until you find an initiate close enough to your location to visit in person, and contact them. [Edit: Since the majority of initiates are private, you won’t be able to find them doing a google search. You will need to ask around. You can even email a more public initiate and ask them to introduce you to an initiate living closer to your area. We initiates have ways of contacting each other.]
Luminous : Æ
Confessions of a Hedge Witch 
Do you want this shared?
I certainly don’t mind it being shared.
Thank you for saying this. It has been said before, but needs repetition frequently 🙂
Reblogged this on faithinbalance and commented:
This might be useful to another
hello,
i thought i would post here and aSk if there are any initiates that might consider taking an apprentice in Stockholm, Sweden…or a relatively close country.
blessings
noel
I have been really interested in the Feri tradition for a long time now, but have yet to be directed to someone willing to teach south of Tucson, Arizona. Thanks for making this post! It has some great info 🙂
Vicky,
There actually is an initiate in Phoenix.
Oh wow! I don’t think I’d be able to travel up there (I don’t have a car, and that is nearly a 6 hour drive from where I live). But thank you for informing me! I will keep it in mind in the future 😀
I hope you find someone. There are initiates in Texas, if you are willing to travel.
https://andersonfaery.org/teachers/
I realize this post was years ago, but hopefully you can answer my question, as this is something I’ve been trying to figure out for some time.
So I had a question about something that is a bit more detailed, and I’m not sure if you’re comfortable answering, but I figured I’d ask anyway and see if it’s okay with you.
I have been doing my research about Feri for some time now, and I’m very interested in it for a number of reasons (the number of souls believed to be had– I was amazed because this was a belief I had before hearing about Feri, the Feri current, etc.) and I had a concern about something. One thing that most sources say is that you become so close with the Gods of Feri that you practically become married to them. While I definitely have no issue with becoming close with the spirits of Feri (and my spirits have no problem with that, in fact, they have encouraged me to give Feri a try due to some overlapping beliefs I have with Feri), I did have a concern based on my particular situation. I’m already part of a godspouse relationship, and I have a very active devotional practice to my deities.
I’m worried that most initiated will ask me to completely devote my time to the deities of the Feri tradition to the point that it will get in the way of my already existing devotional practice.
Do you have any suggestions or remarks about this? Do you think there is a likelihood I will find a person willing to teach Feri to someone who is already part of a devotional practice, and would be willing to tailor their teaching to me needs within reason?
Hello. I’m glad you asked this question. No one initiate speaks for the lineage, as the current is an organic being, finding unique expression in each initiate. The core goal of Faery is Self-possession. Victor took the meaning of the Biblical phrase, “thou shalt have no other gods before me” to mean that as Faery witches, we put no other gods before our personal God – our God Self. As Faery witches we are peers with the Great Persons connected to our lineage. I know this does not give you the standard direct answer, but I hope you can find what you seek within it.
Great post. Balanced well. Right on about ASK!
Thank you!
Is there a contact for Arizona? Thank you!
Any contacts for Arizona? Thank you.
Even though this was written years ago, I found it very helpful! I’m currently looking for a teacher in the Northern VA area. I’ll keep asking around (if anyone knows of an initiate near me, please let me know), and will keep learning on my own in the meantime.
I’m glad it’s helpful. There is an initiate in southwestern West Virginia and another in northern North Carolina. I’m happy to ask either or both of them if they are willing to chat.
Yes, that would be wonderful! I would be grateful if either or both would be willing to help me start out (whether advice, recommendations, tips or general info). Both are likely too far for in-person chats, but email is always a good place to start. Thank you so much! Please keep me posted.
This is such a helpful post. If possible, I’m in Arizona and hoping there is an initiate willing to teach here. Thank you for letting me know.
Hi C,
I suggest sending a message to the Anderson Faery website. There are a group of initiates that receive those messages and we can ask within the initiate community. https://andersonfaery.org/contact/
This is such a helpful post. I’m in Arizona and hoping there is an initiate who would be willing to teach. Thank you!