Fairy Doors, Fairy Shrines

While thinking about how we could use fairy cards (such as Froud’s Faeries’ Oracle or Mason and Franklin’s Fairy Ring decks) in creative projects such as altar arrangements and fairy shrines, I recalled that the city of Ann Arbor has become known for a number of “fairy doors” that have appeared on the sides of buildings about town.  These colorfully detailed miniature doors are a project of the artist Jonathan B. Wright, [urban-fairies.com].  When I did a keyword search on “Ann Arbor” and “fairy doors,” I read a number of accounts from tourists who related that looking for the fairy doors added much fun to their visits, as well as residents who feel that the doors enhance their delight in their community.  The Ann Arbor fairy doors don’t actually open up, but it’s fun to imagine what sort of miniature scenes one could peep into if they did.

It occurred to me that persons wishing to create little fairy shrines at home, but who don’t have carpentry skills, could purchase miniature doors from dollhouse shops or websites, and mount/affix them to walls, trees, fences, boulders, etc.  For doors and windows that can be opened, you could set them into some kind of a framed backing, with one of the fairy oracle cards (or any other fairy images) inserted, so you could have the pleasure of opening the door to greet a fairy friend.  This would also activate “the magic of opening,” and traditionally fairies do help us open to magical adventures and insights.