Woman credits her youthful looks on fairies after they told her to do one thing

Karen Kay has been talking to fairies since she was four and says she can also see centaurs and mermaids

Ever since she can remember, Karen Kay has seen fairies. Karen says magical beings have been a constant presence throughout her life, offering messages from the spirit world. Karen, 62, from Truro said: “Fairies usually show themselves to me as tiny flashing lights. They often have messages for me. If I see one around someone’s throat, it usually means they have something significant to say. I can see fairies in the trees now. Dryads and sprites dancing in the afternoon sun. They are smiling at me.” Karen moved to Cornwall 40 years ago and believes the county is rich in magical energy. “I love it here. It’s the home of my heart and there are definitely fairies and mermaids in Cornwall.”

Known as a fairy whisperer, Karen organises the Three Wishes Fairy Festival, an annual event she says was inspired directly by the fairies themselves. “I set it up because the fairies told me to do it 20 years ago. I also organise fairy balls and fairy fairs, including a fairy market in Glastonbury,” she says. “It began when I was a single mum to my two sons. I started running spiritual and charity events to raise money. It wasn’t my intention to turn it into a business, but it just happened that way and I’ve been doing it ever since.” According to Karen, fairies are just one type of elemental being. “Fairies are guardians of nature. There are lots of beings that come under that umbrella, including pixies, elves, gnomes, mermaids, dryads and naiads. I also see centaurs and unicorns.” She’s been communicating with them since she was four years old, when she would collect rose petals from her grandmother Chris’s garden and make rose water. She would leave a bowl of it in the narrow space between her nan’s garage and the neighbour’s garage.

“The next day it was always gone. I knew the fairies had accepted and were pleased by my little offering.” Karen remembers seeing tiny points of coloured light around her from a young age. “My nan had two neighbours who looked like gnomes. They were brothers and short and round. At the same time, I would see fairies everywhere. They appeared as tiny dancing lights in vivid electric colours. It was completely natural to me. It wasn’t something I questioned.” But as a goth and punk-loving teenager, Karen worried that believing in fairies didn’t fit her image and began questioning what she was seeing. “So I got my eyes tested, but found out I had perfect 20/20 vision. That was confirmation for me that what I was seeing was real, even though I already knew that instinctively.” So Karen embraced her beliefs, getting fairy tattoos, including a rose and Tinkerbell on her shoulder, and expressing her love of fairy folklore through her clothing – dressing in wings, tutus, crowns and sparkles. “Fairy energy was always manifesting through me in a physical way,” she adds. However, it was after moving to Cornwall that the experiences intensified. “The energy became much stronger. I started experiencing telepathic messages, feelings and even fragrances. You can have urban fairies, but in wild natural places they’re much more prevalent. It was wonderful to connect with the mermaids when I moved to the coast in my twenties.”

Then in 2005 she received one message that changed the trajectory of her life. “They always let me know they were there, but the strongest message was about the festival. Fairies can get quite bossy when they know you can hear them. “They said: ‘You must organise a festival. It must be in Cornwall. It must take place at midsummer. And you must tell everybody.’” Karen insists the message felt entirely different from her own thoughts. “I’d lived long enough to know the sound of my own internal dialogue. This was definitely a different voice. It came with a different energy. I can’t fully explain it. It felt fizzy, almost like opening a bottle of champagne.” She held the first festival at Colliford Lake Park, beside Dozmary Pool, where Arthurian legend says the Lady of the Lake lived. And more than two decades later, the festival is still running, although it has since moved to Glastonbury. “Working on the fairy path isn’t an exact science. It’s not for the faint-hearted because it’s unpredictable, but that’s what appeals to me. “With fairies, you always have to expect the unexpected. Everything is inside out, upside down, back to front, betwixt and between, and topsy-turvy. You never know what you’re going to get, but the journey will be magical.”

For Karen, fairies are also the secret to staying youthful. “Fairies bring me joy, happiness, upliftment and loving energy. And they keep your inner child alive. As adults, life can become weighed down by responsibilities and bills, but fairies help you stay connected to that playful part of yourself. I feel joyful, playful and almost immortal.” Karen’s daily routine reflects her spiritual beliefs. Each morning begins with a walk in nature before she does anything else. “I acknowledge the plants and the fairies and ask them for inspiration and guidance for the day.” After breakfast, she consults her Enchanted Realms Oracle Cards – which she has just launched on her website – before spending time writing, planning events, handling admin, posting on Instagram @‌karenkayfairy, making music or meditating. And whether or not she’s heading out, she gives careful thought to her outfit. Karen has become known locally as “The Fairy Whisperer” thanks to her flamboyant wardrobe and sparkling accessories. “If you’ve got to wear clothes, why not make them fun? It’s a big part of my day, even if I’m not going anywhere special.

“Sometimes I wear wings and I’m very often in a flower crown. I love expressing my creativity through my clothing.” She also credits fairies with helping her maintain her youthful appearance. “Fairies definitely keep you young. I’m not saying I never would, but I’ve never had any work done, Botox, fillers or anything else. Lots of people say I look younger than my years and I think that’s because of their playful magic – and my plant-based diet. “People who connect with fairies often have a youthful glow. That’s down to fairy glamour, the beautiful energy that keeps you feeling uplifted.”

Karen knows her beliefs are not for everyone, but she says she has no intention of changing. “My friends and family have all accepted what I do. I only recently discovered that my nan believed in fairies too, which made me feel very supported. “People who believe in fairies often feel a bit different or like the odd one out. When we meet others who think the same way, we form really beautiful friendships and bonds that last a lifetime.”