I've heard that neurodivergent people were classified as "taken by the fae" in some ancient European cultures. Is this true? If so, is that a way that I could potentially start to work with the fae in my spells/sigils?
There is no historical evidence or widely accepted scholarly consensus to suggest that neurodivergent individuals were classified as "taken by the fae" in ancient European cultures. The concept of neurodivergence as we understand it today, with its modern definitions and classifications, did not exist in ancient times. One explanation is that if a child was born as what we call today "neurodivergent" in those times it was thought the child was actually a changeling that has taken the child's place, ie: the baby was stolen and a fae put a changeling in the baby's place where the changeling shape shifted into the form of the baby and then was raised by the child's human parents. Now is this true? Of course not, the people back then viewed everything "unnatural" as being "demonic" and during that time period the fae were seen as "evil beings" so the church folk believed that this neurodivergent child is actually a fae. But of course that's not "true" in the literal sense, same thing with children born with deformities were seen as "demons" by the church. Secondly, if you want to work with the fae you should research each type of the Elemental Fae, then once you learn a bunch of information on one of the types, start reaching out, leave offerings, don't just say "hey your going to help me with x, y and z" take it as "Hey, I know you like x, y , z, and are good at [something] I would like to work you so this [insert offering name] is for you, if your interested in potentially working with me in my spells please give me a sign, we can talk about the terms later if your interested." Do you understand what I'm saying? It takes time to build a relationship, and accept that they might say no, its nothing against you ,but pretend someone came out nowhere and asked you for your help? Would you blindly do as they asked? Probably not. Another thing, never say the words "thank you" to a fae, they will take it to mean that you are indebted to them and they will collect on it. I've worked with the fae before for a very long time now, and while it's not my primary practice , I did see results. Let me know if you have any other questions.
I appreciate the advice, Spirit. I was curious after looking through my Pinterest and seeing a post about how back in the ancient days, when people still worshipped the Fae, neurodivergent people were considered "fey-touched" and were held in high regard. Given that I'm neurodivergent myself(autism and ADHD),I decided to ask in the forums to confirm this, since they've helped me out a lot in the past... So thanks for the help with this, Spirit! :)
SpiritWitch8 is correct with the basic lore of a Changeling. Changelings were children who fairys would take a liking too and snatch, replacing them with their own baby. They would take the human child back to the fairy realm to raise as their own and the human child would gain special abilities being raised in a different realm. The fairy child was meant to blend in with the human realm and be raised among humans, and gain special privilege's as well. However, fairy children would not climatize to the human realm perfectly, so they would either have physical differences appear which the family did not notice at birth, such as struggling to walk or different growth rate. Or, the more common tell, the child would seem lost in another realm. They would not make eye contact, they would not speak, or they would by hyper and easily distracted. So, neurodyvergent. For those born with a physical disorder, like Down Syndrome, it was concluded the mother fornicated with a demon and the child and mother were put to death because the baby was evil and the mother was a witch.
With that said, it really does not give you an advantage or disadvantage to work with The Fae. However, having my fair share of neurodyvergent friends, family and being neurodyvergent myself, I feel we have a closer bond with the fairys because their laws are not the same as humans laws, so it might be easier for us to understand them.
If you are interested in working with The Fae, as SpiritWitch8 mentioned, you should do your research. Look into the lore, not the new age view of these sweet little children with butterfly wings dancing around under the moonlight. A fairy will never lie, but they do not need to tell you the whole truth. They will help you at a price, always read the contract, never/u give a fairy your full name, and keep a little iron in your pocket in case things go south and you need to escape. If you would like a book, read Forbidden Mysteries of Faery Witchcraft by Storm Faerywolf. It is pretty good and easy to acquire.
