Asking the Fairies: Varia on a Theme
I have many books on the lore of the Good Folk--it is Politically Incorrect to call them "Fairies" or "Faeries"--they are Royalty and should be spoken of obliquely if you must talk about them.
I have tried "asking the Good Folk" to return lost objects with great success. Since I am usually furious at the time, I tend not to be polite. Swearing at Them and threatening to thoroughly sweep the room if the little B******* don't return the lost object(s) is just as effective as asking politely, although it is not recommended when people are in earshot.
If you are one of those Silly Christians who have qualms about dealing with the Good Folk for fear of dealing with the Devil (how do people like you pray if you'r so paranoid?) then I suggest you ask your Guardian Angel to find the lost object(s) for you. Works just a well.
For that matter, you could hold a seance and ask your deceased buddy Rover. Canadian Prime Minister Wm. Lyon Mackenzie-King asked his mother and a favourite dog for political advice (both having passed on to the Great Beyond) and was one of the country's most successful and longest governing PM's.
Personally, I don't think it much matters whether you ask God, the Devil, the Wee Folk, your Guardian Angel, or your imaginary friend. The effect is purely psychological (or is it? who knows?). You give up looking, then you remember. Works a charm.
Here is a true Asking the Fairies story: I misplaced my shoehorn, which has a two-foot long handle. I asked the fairies (actually threatened them with a broom) and went out to cool off. When I returned after a few minutes Walkman time, the shoehorn was on my chair, which I had "searched" twice. Being more than two feet long, it was sticking out under both arms, in plain sight.
You can see why "asking the fairies" (or prayer) has caught on. Even an atheist can appreciate the value of something that works, even if it is impossible.
My point is you don't have to believe in the entity to whom you are addressing your prayers or curses in order to experience the beneficial effect of giving up the search. You can call it Magick (please, please don't), or you can call it psychology (yawn!), or you can call it Satan Worship (Ye Foolishe Christians--the Devil just wants you to think he answers all the prayers your God doesn't, because HE knows that a Duopoly is almost as good as a Monopoly--you would know that Deceit if you voted in a Two Party System!), but it works, so damn you and all of your gods!
Do I believe in fairies? Don't be silly. I am a Fortean. I don't even believe Charles Fort half the time. You can never tell when that man is joking.
As for finding anything about the quaint custom of asking the fairies on the WWW, I hope you have better luck than I did. Page after page of Dungeons & Dragon-type twaddle.
By the way, if some earlier posters read this far, the Devil is interested in acquiring your "soul". Your "sole" is of little use to him, unless he needs a fish course or has a shoe to cobble.
In addition to my books on folklore, I have a book entitle HOW TO FIND LOST OBJECTS which advises: Remember the Three C's: Remain Cool, Calm, and Collected.
Well, buggrit. I am anything but. Here is the webpage for
HOW TO FIND LOST OBJECTS:
http://www.professorsolomon.com/
EXCERPT from Dr. Solomon's webpage:
"The Twelve Principles are:
1. Don’t Look for It; 2. It’s Not Lost—You Are; 3. Remember the Three C’s; 4. It’s Where It’s Supposed to Be; 5. Domestic Drift; 6. You’re Looking Right at It; 7. The Camouflage Effect; 8. Think Back; 9. Look Once, Look Well; 10. The Eureka Zone; 11. Tail Thyself; 12. It Wasn’t You".
Dear me, I am verbose today. I think I will go and have a good lie down and wait for it to pass.
Fortean Moral: Impossible things happen with depressing regularity. Inevitable things fail to happen just as regularly, and just as depressingly.
Fortean Moral for Statisticians: The probability of any given event, E, is between 0 and 1, but never exactly zero or one.
Fig. 1 Probability Continuum for a Fortean Universe
O- - - - - -O
Well, that just about explains Life, the Universe and Everything.