Fairy magic

Do you believe in fairies? You may scoff at the very notion, but, according to Cassandra Eason, an author and psychic expert from the Isle of Wight, they are all around us. In fact, the New Forest is positively heaving with them.

"The New Forest is a haven for nature spirits," she says. "It's full of trees, flowers, plants and running water, which are all things that attract fairies. The New Forest is a perfect environment for fairies to live and for seeing fairies."

In Cassandra's new book, A Complete Guide to Fairies & Magical Beings, she describes some of the fairylore of the Isle of Wight. For example, Puckaster Cove on the Southern tip of the Isle of Wight is a place where the fairies held their revels at the full moon and on May Eve. They kept their gold in puffballs but guarded it jealously from mortals. One May Eve in full moonlight, the story goes, a man returning from a wedding was walking along the shore when he saw a strange golden light that led him to the cove, where he came upon the fairy feast. The man was made welcome by the fairies, who offered him food and drink that he had never tasted before, danced for him in the moonlight to the music of their pipes, and sent him on his way with gold from their puffballs, saying he should never be poor again. The man became a wealthy landowner, and many have followed his path to Puckaster Cove on moonlit nights to pick the puffballs that shine golden under the moon. But by morning they have crumbled to dust.

Cassandra describes people who have described seeing fairy beings as being "intelligent, rational people who are marked with a degree of sensitivity and insight others lack". And there is no shame in admitting to having seen a fairy. Vivien Greene, widow of the author Graham Greene, tells of how she and her son had simultaneously seen a dark elf in his bedroom.

In the book Real Fairies - True Accounts of Meetings with Nature Spirits, by David Tame, ex-Blue Peter presenter Valerie Singleton tells of her encounters with the fairies, and, if you look on the internet, there are any number of people who admit to having met with the wee folk.

But there still isn't any concrete proof as to if fairies really exist. Probably the most famous images of fairies are the Cottingley Fairies photographs. These pictures taken by two young girls, Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths, in 1917, famously fooled Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and also many other people.

It wasn't until 1983 that Elsie and Frances admitted all the photos but one were fake, but were quick to add that they were reproducing the real fairies they had seen. Interestingly, when the collection of glass plates and other negatives were put up for auction this year they fetched £6,000 - nearly twice as much as expected. This may prove that fairies still hold as much magic and intrigue to us as they ever did.

The last word on fairies goes to Cassandra.

"You may never see a fairy with your physical eyes," she says. "On the other hand you may, and of course it will be such a privilege, such a precious moment that you may want to keep it a secret."

l A Complete Guide to Fairies and Magical Beings by Cassandra Eason (Piatkus) £9.99

The New Forest Fairies have been captured on film for a set of five greetings cards by local photographer, Joe McCarthy. The cards are available from various shops in Lymington or by contacting Joe on 01590 671988