Feri Tradition

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The Feri Tradition (which is a different tradition than Faery, Fairy, Faerie, or Vicia,) is an initiatory tradition of non-Wiccan witchcraft. It is an ecstatic (rather than fertility) tradition stemming from the experience of Cora and Victor Anderson . Strong emphasis is placed on sensual experience and awareness, including sexual mysticism, which is not limited to heterosexual expression.[1] The Feri Tradition has very diverse influences, such as Huna, Vodou, Faery lore, Kabbalah, Hoodoo, Tantra, and Gnosticism.

Among the distinguishing features of the Feri tradition is the use of a specific Feri power or energetic current.[1] Feri witches often see themselves as "fey": outside social definitions and intentionally living within paradox. They believe that much of reality is unseen, or at least has uncertain boundaries. Within the tradition there is a deep respect for the wisdom of nature, a love of beauty, and an appreciation of bardic and mantic creativity.

Core teachings acknowledged by most branches of the tradition include the concepts of the Three Souls and the Black Heart of Innocence, the tools of the Iron and Pearl Pentacle (now commonly also used by Reclaiming (Neopaganism)), as well as an awareness of "energy ecology", which admonishes practitioners to never give away or waste their personal power. Trance experiences and personal connection to the Divine are at the heart of this path, leading to a wide variety of practices throughout the larger body of the tradition.

Feri is not a tradition of Wicca; there are Wiccan groups and traditions sometimes calling themselves "Fairy" (Faerie, Faery, etc.), but these are distinct from the Feri Tradition.[2][3]

Practices and beliefs[edit]


  • The Three Souls. Drawing primarily from Huna (though other traditions such as Kabbalah have similar concepts) Feri postulates the existence of three separate yet interdependent souls as a part of the natural psychic structure of the human being. The Talking Self is that part of humans which is self-aware and deals with language, rational thought, knowledge, and communication. The self often called "the Fetch" is primal and subconscious, being the source of dreams, desires, and drives both instinctual and physical. The name derives from the fetch of Irish folklore. The third self is the God-Self, also called the Higher Self. Of key importance in Feri are practices which are intended to bring these souls into alignment so they may communicate freely, granting the practitioner a more holistic sense of self, and deeper communion with the Goddess.
  • The Iron Pentacle. A symbolic and energetic tool that is used to help realign and purify the practitioner. The five points of the pentacle correspond to aspects of human life which Feri believes are often warped by the dominant culture, and which need to be reclaimed. The points are Sex, Pride, Self, Power, and Passion.
  • The Pearl Pentacle. It is believed that when the points of the Iron Pentacle are fully present in the practitioner, then the points of Pearl can appear, which deal more with human relationships, both interpersonal and communal. In this move from Iron to Pearl, Sex becomes Love, Pride becomes Law, Self becomes Knowledge, Power becomes Liberty, and Passion becomes Wisdom.
  • The Black Heart of Innocence. A state of being in which all souls are aligned, characterized by complete connection to the rest of reality, and liberation from all social restraints. This state is understood as primarily sexual, being likened to the untamed feral sexuality of wild animals and innocent children.

Deities of the Feri Tradition[edit]


  • The Star Goddess is the central deity of Feri. Sometimes referred to as "God Herself", She is the androgynous point of all creation, the primal darkness of deep space, the intelligence of the great Void. She can be seen as an ecstatic feminine form of what is called in some theologies "the Absolute" and as such can be seen as cognate with the Star Goddess Nuit of Thelema[citation needed].
  • The Divine Twins. While most branches of Wicca understand the Goddess to have one Consort, in Feri She has two: the Divine Twins. These Twins can be seen as brother and sister, two male lovers, two female lovers, a heterosexual pair, two enemies, or any number of combinations. If the Star Goddess is the great Unity, than the Twins can be seen as representing all Duality.
  • The Peacock God is born from the reunion of the Divine Twins back into one Deity. He is seen as holding all duality within Himself, so He is both deeply erotic and seductive, but also destructive and frightening. Many Feri practitioners call Him by the name Melek Taus, the central deity of the Yazidi. In some lines of Feri, the two deities are, in fact, understood as the same being.
  • The Feri Guardians are seven beings associated with the seven directions: north, east, south, west, above, below, and center. The Guardians serve a function in Feri ritual similar to the Watchtowers in Wicca, but in Feri each Guardian has special associations unique to the tradition.

Some practitioners use the infinity symbol as a cosmological glyph to illustrate the other main deities of the tradition, sometimes called The Infinitum. As an infinity loop has two lobes, but is in fact one continuous line, so the Divine Twins appear separate, but in the universe manifest as many gods, who are still mysteriously interwoven into one: the Star Goddess. The gods of the Infinitum include beings similar to gods known in more conventional Wicca, such as the Horned God, Green Man, Mother Goddess, and Crone, and others who are very unique. Some of these gods have names and attributes of deities from diverse cultures, such as Nimue, Mari, and Krom, but they also have many aspects and attributes which are distinctively Feri.

Founders and major figures of the Feri Tradition[edit]


Significant Events[edit]

Early in 2011, a split in the tradition broke one tradition into two. Initiates who call themselves "Feri" allow public, classroom-style teaching and teaching for pay. Initiates who teach privately and/or for free (and who prefer that the tradition be secret in its entirety) split from Feri completely. While some of the privacy-favoring initiates chose to adopt the "Faery" spelling of the tradition in order to distinguish themselves from the public for-profit faction, some "public Feri" also use "Faery" as an alternate spelling. The term "Faery" has additional contextual uses within the neopagan milieu which are not related to the "Feri vs. Faery" question.

The "private Faery" folk see themselves as a separate tradition, yet related to Feri by common ancestry. This was not only a political split in nature, since "private Faery" also has a distinct and separate culture, theology, liturgy, and secrets that are no longer shared with their Feri cousins.[5][6][7][8][9][10]

Books and publications[edit]

  • Victor Anderson, Thorns of the Blood Rose. A collection of his poetry, much of which has found its way into the liturgies and rituals of the tradition.
  • Victor Anderson, Lilith's Garden. A companion volume to Thorns of the Blood Rose, is another collection of mostly liturgical poetry, including some that was considered too "scandalous" for inclusion in the original volume.
  • Victor Anderson. Etheric Anatomy: The Three Selves and Astral Travel, (Harpy Books | http://www.harpybooks.com). A look at the psychic structure of the human being, with intuitive insights into some of the practices of Feri magick.
  • Cora Anderson, Fifty Years in the Feri Tradition. Musings about the Feri tradition and community.
  • Cora Anderson, Kitchen Witch: A Memoir –her life. (Harpy Books)
  • Anaar, The White Wand. Looks at the artistic foundations of Feri. It also includes an interview with Victor Anderson. (available as pdf from http://www.whitewand.com/)
  • Storm Faerywolf, The Stars Within the Earth. Collection of liturgical poetry, visual art, and spells inspired by the work and mythos of Feri.
  • T. Thorn Coyle, Evolutionary Witchcraft. Training manual in Feri written primarily for a non-Feri pagan audience. Contains poetry, exercises, and lore.
  • T. Thorn Coyle, Kissing the Limitless. Expands on and continues the training in Evolutionary Witchcraft, for use with whatever spiritual path the reader follows.
  • Francesca De Grandis, Be A Goddess. Comprehensive training in Fey (not-Feri) shamanism. The better portion of its liturgy, worldview, and cosmology was channeled by the author, who came from a family tradition, with feedback from Victor Anderson on parts of the manuscript.
  • Francesca De Grandis, Goddess Initiation. An experiential initiatory journey into Goddess spirituality and Fey shamanism.
  • Starhawk, The Spiral Dance. Early and influential liturgical codification of Anderson craft.


  2. ^ Is Feri a Wiccan tradition?
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ Gwydion Pendderwen
  5. ^ Pitzl-Waters, Jason. "When Schism Happens to Pagans". 
  6. ^ Mater, Art. "The Faery Well". 
  7. ^ Ravenna, Morpheus. "Two Roads Diverged in a Wood and I". 
  8. ^ Coyle, Thorn. "The Sundering of Feri". 
  9. ^ "Our Principles". 
  10. ^ "The Faery Tradition". 

External links[edit]