Feri

Domain XIV · Western esoteric, divinatory & new spiritual movements · Victor H. Anderson, Cora Anderson · 1960 · United States

What it is

Feri (also spelled Faery, Faerie, Fairy, and earlier "Vicia") is an American initiatory tradition of witchcraft. It traces its lineage to Victor H. Anderson (1917–2001) and Cora Anderson (d. 2008). They married in Oregon in 1944, moved to California in 1948 and are honoured by initiates as…

Format

• Seeker. Anderson-lineage initiates run an invitation-only "Seekers of Faery" discussion group for people not currently studying with a lineage teacher. It is "not intended as a teaching list". Members leave once a teacher accepts them.
• Student. Teaching is preferably one-to-one or in small groups, with direct in-person contact. It is aimed at initiation, although not every student will be initiated. Only initiates may teach. Teachers may decline a student, and a student may work with several teachers. BlueRose also teaches…

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Duration. One initiate gives an average of six to nine years of training before initiation. No other durations or session counts are published; none are given here.

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Evidence status, in one line: empirical evidence for magical efficacy or for contact with spirits or the fae (beings of the tradition's lore): none found in the sources consulted. These are matters of faith, neither affirmed nor dismissed here.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• community contacts who are entangled with the alleged harm.
• requests to join the client's rituals or to vouch for a teacher.
• secrecy around a child's involvement with adults outside the family.
• relatives' anti-pagan prejudice, and pressure on the therapist to "deprogramme". Decline that role.
• urgency, flattery that the client is "chosen", and requests to keep the relationship secret from other initiates.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.