ENERGY OF MASS CONSCIOUSNESS RIGHT NOW ~

SWORD NINE SPEAKS ~ I challenge you to the combat within; let the barrier between your world and this be dissolved and may peace reign between us.

~ If Sword Eight represented self-made prisons, then Sword Nine represents the mental anguish endured within those prisons. In our time there are more cases of mental torment than at any other era in history, it seems. From everyday human paranoias through to the worst criminal mentalities, we see the horrific defeat that humankind has brought upon itself. Our species has imprisoned every other species in its own conceptual frameworks, which are alien to the natural order. The existential anguish of humankind is certainly in proportion to its need for the Sword’s liberation.

**To me this card really describes what can be *seen* externally in the world right now. TRUST my lovelies..not all is always as it seems!!**

CURRENT DIRECTION OF MASS CONSCIOUSNESS ~

STONE KING SPEAKS ~At the centre of the land sit I, the sustainer of the law. By the deep wisdom of the Stone, all things are known to me. Wherever you walk, I know it. Walk wisely upon the earth and uphold its laws.

~ The Stone King is the enduring warden of the land’s wisdom. He is that part of yourself that patiently abides, husbanding deep reserves of strength in times of adversity. His constancy is maintained because of his deep communion with the Stone, a representation of which hangs about his neck. As the guardian of the Stone, he has a sensitivity to all that passes in the land. By merely touching the Stone he can access both memory and ancient wisdom and act as a voice of the land.
Our society does not have a high regard for traditional values.
Popular culture mocks tradition as a hidebound. True tradition must speak pertinently to all generations of people and its guardians have a duty to let tradition breathe and evolve; but this must be done with respect and patience. The Stone King is an oracular guardian of tradition transmission, like Bran the Blessed, the many stories, songs and legends which preserve ancestral wisdom.
As the ‘Father of the Law,’ he knows all time’s precedents: when a thing was first done or spoken. He acts as a bridge between our generation and the ancestral levels of understanding.

**This card for me explains how we ALL have the deep wisdom within us, but we must listen, and not buy into the illusion of negativity of the previous card.**

COLLECTIVELY, HOW WE BLOCK OURSELVES FROM MOVING FORWARD~

SWORD THREE SPEAKS ~ This is the bridge of loss. Yet not all is lost. This necessary separation leads you to a domain wherein the lost will be found, where sorrow will be assuaged by deepest joy.

~ Sword Three brings us to a critical part of our path. All esoteric training changes our lives. This card, like that of the Seeker in the Wasteland, presents us with an abyss. On this side of the bridge, we know what life is like; the other side is unknown to us and therefore frightening. After we have crossed it, we may have to change and be unable to draw upon our resources, whispers a little voice. Sword Three challenges us to count the cost of our training. This is often the time when our outer lives present challenges and when we feel that to continue in this way will be to the detriment of our well-being. This critical time of decision comes to us all.

**This card represents our fear of letting go..and our lack of faith!! And our belief in the illusion**

COLLECTIVE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO US ~

STONE HALLOW SPEAKS ~ I glow in the darkest depths of the earth. I am the floor of your dancing step, the ground of your experience. The black squares bring you trials, the white squares bring you realizations: step upon both with a light foot. I am the gem of your highest attainment, awaiting discovery.

The Stone Hallow is the touchstone of wisdom. It is akin to the earth itself as a preserver of knowledge and guardian of tradition. It appears in many guises within legend: as the inauguration stone upon which monarchs were acknowledged, as the perilous seat at the Round Table, as the Stone which fell from heaven, as the gaming board on which kingdoms are won and lost. The gaming board may seem a frivolous emblem for a power that has such important consequences. This fear underpins our insecurity about all issues concerning the wielding of treasures. Prosperity is not an enduring quality to be freely enjoyed at all times by all people. Possessions are lost, destroyed or stolen. There is no abiding security anywhere. Everyday we wager our very lives by our actions. This is where our mother-wit is important, for we do not live our lives by hazarding another’s wealth or experience, but by daring our own resources and interacting with the coinage of life itself. We can win all or lose all at any time.
The Stone Hallow abides in darkness in the frozen earth of Winter, keeping its secret treasury safe for all. It is used as a shield of defence, as a receptacle of ancient lore, as an oracle of wisdom. It brings deep wisdom and security to the lost and ignorant. It is the proper symbol of the elder who has a full entitlement of experience to draw upon.

**This card represents our stepping back and seeing the bigger picture, and remembering to step lightly through all of our experiences, because they are just that..experiences, we are not our experiences my lovelies**

THE COLLECTIVE ENERGY OF FAMILY~

GAWAIN SPEAKS ~ My strength is greatest at midday, yet the enemies of the kingdom come often by night. I must hone my skills upon the stone of fortitude in all seasons, to pit my body and spirit against the challenges that threaten this land. Have courage, be ready and fight with me.

~ Gawain holds the power of tanaiste, or ‘likely-sucessor’ to Arthur. In Arthur’s absence, he stands in the place of the king as defender of the passes that the kingdom may not be invaded by anything that would harm it. This position in the orthodox tarot pack is one of Strength, most often represented by a woman. The kind of strength represented by Gawain is that which is evident in any person of integrity. Gawain is also a champion of the Goddess. Throughout his career, he shows a tendency to frequent the company of women, to champion their causes and to have many meetings with the Goddess’ representatives. The polarities of male and female guardianship are balanced in him, for he shows an extraordinary balance of strength and compassion, severity and mercy in his nature. Whether as companion or opponent, he shows the same courtesy which stems from his self-discipline and poise. Here he is shown defending the land, in Arthur’s absence. Gawain is the companion of the Queen in his court, so he may be seen also as the Queen’s Champion ~ a role that more usually falls to Lancelot. This is his function in the autumnal Grail court, for there are many cards in this set that denote the withdrawn nature of the King in autumn; not only do we have the Wounded King but also the Sleeping Lord.

**This card speaks to me of the shift in the modern family..a moving back to the importance of connection and a protective loving force that a family brings**

COLLECTIVE ECOMONY~

STONE FOUR SPEAKS ~ I am the dragon’s hoard, the attainment of your dreams. If you would wield the withdrawn Hallows, seek first the treasures that you hoard within. Bring them forth, that others may benefit from them.

~ Stone Four typifies the spiritual treasury of the path. The amassing of knowledge can become an end in itself: more books and workshops seem to point to personal fulfillment and the gratification that we are more ‘spiritual’ than our peers. Spiritual materialisim is the chief temptation on this part of the path. The way beyond lies through committing our life and works to the service of creation in a conscious way, by maintaining a strict self-clarification programme to ensure we are not slipping into a form of spiritual materialism.

**This card speaks to me of the importance of moving inward to our deeper treasures…LOVE and moving out into the world with that energy and sharing with all your beauty and uniqueness**

COLLECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS ~

WASHER AT THE FORD SPEAKS ~ You fear me and rightly, for I wait at the crossing places of your life and know everything about you. I wash your seemingly white linen and reveal the map of your life. I can cut you off the loom of life, yet I can also change you. Whoever needs the empowerment of renewal must first kiss me ~ if they dare!

~The Washer at the Ford is a challenger. All who encounter her receive the initiation of death, which is renewal. Her appearance in a reading does not indicate sudden death, rather she represents the katabolic ‘breaking-down’ action and subsequent release of energy which is at the heart of all life. Such chaos brings confusion to us, but creation is not the only side of the picture; destruction or devolution is also necessary. When we are presented with the possibility of a sudden ending, the doors to freedom are instantaneously opened to us. Great need is the spur to discovery. When we want the fullness of spiritual life to the same degree that we need bread or sex, only then we are able to create something new.
The dynamic struggle between order and chaos is perceived by us in our daily lives: the breaking down of our ordered existence into muddle and confusion, the laborious reassembly of a fragmented situation are both common experiences. To our mortal eyes, death seems to bring everything to an end. But there is another way of looking at this. Our birth into our present incarnatory existence is really a death to Otherworldly reality; our death brings us back into Otherworldly existence and so is a kind of birth. This is a very difficulty concept to maintain in the face of the death of a loved one. Our lives intermesh with others so completely that when a partner or child dies, our own lives are shattered.
Whether we mourn a death or the ending of a situation, the elimination of the Washer at the Ford brings about new opportunities and new patterns in our lives. We cannot retain the exact pattern we have planned so carefully without losing its essential spirit. When the spirit flies freely, new energies can flow again and revitalize our lives.

**This card speaks to me of the ending of destructive relationships within our lives that no longer serve and nourish your growth, and how letting something destructive go can be fear filled and painful, because its what we know**

WHAT WE ALL NEED TO BECOME SELF AWARE OF ~

SPEAR FIVE SPEAKS ~ In life there are many struggles, many obstacles to be overcome. Do combat with me and you will find the road ahead easier to travel. I will show you your true motives.

Spear Five reminds us that the path does not run on smoothly. Sometimes we must turn aside along it to deal with challenges. Modern life is full of many such combats which seem to steal time from our ‘spiritual’ pursuits; we should consider all strife as a teacher that challenges our motivations and desires. One of the subtle traps into which we may be tempted is spiritual competitiveness: each student travels his own road and is responsible for his own journey. To pit ourselves against other travelers is foolish: rather let our inner teachers be our tuitional combatants ~ they will give us the challenges that we need.

**This card reminds us to stay centered and focused upon our inner world, focus the love even amongst the darkness..its the love that will get you through, and it reminds us that sometimes in life our greatest teachers are the ones who bring us the greatest feelings of pain**

OUR COLLECTIVE FUTURE FROM THIS CURRENT STAND POINT~

SPEAR SIX SPEAKS ~ Who goes there? Pass, Seeker of the Spear! Behold, the banner of victory is spread and the enemy is subdued. Advance with confidence and seek a test worthy of your strength.

~ Spear Six brings a self-confidence and satisfaction from service which is deeper than that gained from Spear Four. The severity of challenge meted out by Spear Five has been overcome and the inner landscape lies open for the student to proceed. The validations of success come only by good preparation and steady progress. In this world, no formal honours are given to esoteric students by way of medals or certificates; success is validated by the student being requested to help or serve in some more challenging way. No victor’s laurel is proffered, only the new awareness that one has advanced sufficiently to tackle the next task.

**This card speaks to me of moving through old illusions and seeing the truth once more, and becoming more centered and loving in our personal pursuits..our thoughts will shift and it paves the way ahead much lighter and easier to navigate**