Meeting Fairies: a true story

Robert Ogilvie Crombie (known as Roc to his friends) strolled through the Royal Botanic Gardens of Edinburgh in 1966 and made an astonishing discovery. ‘I saw a figure dancing around a tree about twenty yards from me - a beautiful little figure about three feet tall...it was a faun, the Greek mythological being, half human, half animal. He had a pointed chin and ears and two little horns on his forehead. His shaggy legs ended in cloven hooves and his skin was honey-coloured.’

The faun’s name was Kurmos, and according to Roc, he had an ‘infinite, mature wisdom - combined with the naiveté of a child.’ During their conversation, Kurmos stated that many of the nature spirits had lost interest in humans because they had been made to feel they were, ‘neither believed in nor wanted.’ One month later, in a nearby street, Roc felt the presence of Pan, the god of the fields and countryside, who was ‘radiating a tremendous power’ and who smelt of ‘pine woods, damp leaves, of newly turned earth and of woodland flowers.’ Roc’s meetings with Pan became more frequent and each visit led to a deeper understanding of the Horned God’s personality.

During one of Roc’s walks, ‘the woods became alive with myriad beings - elementals, nymphs, dryads, fauns, elves, fairies and so on.’ Most of Roc’s encounters in this book relate to these nature spirits, so the title could just as easily have been called ‘Meeting Elementals and the Pagan Gods’!

Apart from the nature spirits mentioned earlier, Roc also met and interacted with fire and water spirits, sylphs, gnomes, goblins, imps, and even the Elf King! And regarding all of these creatures, Roc wanted it known that they were not the ‘cutesy and delightful fairies’ of children’s stories, but ‘vastly powerful beings’.

Roc is described by one of his friends as ‘a loving man who carried the presence of the invisible worlds with him like a cloak.’ From his writings he seems to be fully aware of the elemental realms, while maintaining an analytical and questioning mind from his scientific career. Although his Christian background influenced his understanding of the Otherworlds, his training in Hermetic Magic helped him to work with the subtle energies in which he found himself immersed.

Mike Scott, lead singer of The Waterboys, wrote the prologue for this book. Mike was born in Edinburgh and is famous for songs with magical themes, including gems such as, Pan Within, A Pagan Place, The Whole of the Moon, and Return of Pan. He now lives in Findhorn, Scotland. Most of the chapters in this book reflect the mystical theme of Roc’s spiritual encounters, for example there are titles like, Magic on Midsummer Eve, The Wild Garden, Pan’s World, and Enchantments of Autumn.

Meeting Fairies was designed to look like a hard cover book of fairy tales from the olden days. It is delightfully illustrated by Elise Hurst, and the text was compiled by Maggie Hamilton, Allen & Unwin’s Inspired Living publisher.

In Roc’s own words, the underlying message of this book is: ‘The nature spirits must be believed in with complete sincerity and faith. They must be appreciated and given thanks and love for the work they do. Let us try in our own ways to make friends with these wonderful beings and ask their help in making earth a beautiful and perfect place.’

Author: R. Ogilvie Crombie
Published by: Allen & Unwin (Inspired Living)
ISBN: 9781741759907
RRP: AUD $29.95 (hardback)