21 ways adept level step 7.3
21 steps adept level 7.3
DruidCraft deck.
This is the first level. Levels 2 and 3 will be edited in as they are finished.
This is a story of the Fools’ journey through the DruidCraft world.
We begin at the beginning or is it the end? Or is it the middle? The fool plays his game already, moving swiftly here and there, no stopping place, no home. But by using our writing craft, we will place him at a start, and make him meet himself 21 times. The journey for the Fool encompasses 3 phases; gaining awareness, secondly exploring the mind beneath or beyond consciousness and thirdly a quest for pure and unqualified knowledge of the self, to ultimately achieve enlightenment.
The Fool starts his journey meeting himself as The Magician. Standing tall and erect, the powerful magician tricks the Fool into giving up his staff, through clever use of words and charisma. The Magician twirls it around, using all the elements at his disposal, changes it into a wand, his symbol of potential, power and direction.
Inspired by the Magician the Fool walks jumps forth, landing with a splash into a lake, wading out, he come across the High Priestess. She stands there gathering her wisps of consciousness and reflections of her inner thought. Her intuition, feelings and sensuality becalms the Fool into passivity and patience. She gives him strength to see his dreams and sends him forth balanced and stronger.
Walking around a cove the Fool comes across a lush valley, a harvest of abundance and fertility, he spies a pregnant Lady sitting on a wooden throne. Looking deep into her eyes, he sees nurturing, sensuality and kindness. Her cloths and throne bear witness to her creativity. The Fool would like to stay longer in her warmth and security. But he must on. So leaping forth, happy and passionate, he climbs out of the valley.
On the hill top he spies a new figure. Atop a hill, sitting on a stone throne he meets the Lord. The Lord, looking strong and authoritative has the Fool’s staff. A bit cautiously the Fool approaches this truly powerful man. The Lord bangs his staff on the ground and demands allegiance and fidelity from the Fool. In his domain, there will be law and order, no tricks from the Fool will be permitted. The Fool a bit miffed at this, though pleased someone will look after his interests and defend his rights, he thinks this is a bit too much right now, so he leaps on.
Around the next corner he sees another man on a throne. The High Priest, in all his ceremonial costume, stalwart, masculine and wise. He looks at the Fool and shakes his head. So unpredictable, flighty and fun loving. The High Priest raises his right arm; looks forward, and ask the Fool to be law abiding in his realm. He asks the Fool to remember what his forbearers have taught him, that traditions have their meanings and uses. Let them guide you on your journey onwards. With this last teaching the High Priest gives the Fool his blessing.
Heavy with new knowledge the Fool, decides to shrug off the old and musty traditions foisted upon him and marches forward. Coming upon a glen, he catches sight of a hind, beautiful, shinning and ethereal. Coming closer he spies two lovers lying together in the moss and flowers by a stream. The Hind shushes him, be quite, do you not see love and companionship in its most beautiful form. Look, Fool, they have chosen one another, they have offered their own individuality to become one. What could be more loving and wholesome? The hind turns towards the Fool and looks deeply into his eyes. The Fool a bit startled by this, he’s not ready for any long term relationship, looks around him self and sees a possible way forward. He spies a chariot in the distance.
Getting closer he observes that a woman has jumped on it and is racing away. Powerful horses pull the chariots forwards. The Fool runs up beside the chariot and shouting over the drone of the wheels: where are you going mistress with my staff? Looking down on him she shrieks back: I’m off on a journey. I am off to celebrate my successes and triumphs! Showing true control and mastery she guided her horses on and on. Maneuvering around obstacles, and showing great strength of mind, the Lady on the Chariot, left the Fool behind looking at her. Not a bad one that, she knew herself through and through he surmised, she knew when to say yes or no. This reminded him that he had to get on.
The Fool, leaps of the cliff down to the next level. Feeling that he has a good grasp of the conscious world, a place where he has learned to make decisions of all kinds, he knows now its time for a bit of hard work.
Skipping merrily along, he smells something a bit musty. Here comes a big giant wild boar, tamed and held by a powerful woman robed in red. A bit frightened the Fool asks here how she keeps the boar from gorging her. It is my compassion, trust and love that hold it true to me. It senses the completeness of my life-force. I allow it some freedom of course, but never too much or little. I like things balanced and in harmony. Impressed the Fool walks on leaving Strength behind.
Walking along a path he sees a strange light I the distance. By and by, he come across and old man and his beast, a wolf, on the same path. The Hermit looks closely at him and asks what the Fool is doing on his path. A bit serious for a change, the Fool explains that he needs to find himself. That he has to look more closely into his soul. The Hermit offers him guidance on this journey, so they go off together, a bit close to the cliffs edge though, but exhilarated by the knowledge of themselves that they gain.
At a fork in the path, the Hermit and the Fool part company. The Fool wanders on, and down by a lake he spies a lady making a ring in the sand by a cave. The woman looks up, seeing the Fool looking at her, she asks him how Fortune is looking upon him. A bit surprised, he tells here, that Fortune comes and goes. He says he reaps rewards for what he has set in motion. It’s no coincidence that you are here then, she says smiling. Well I see a pattern now the Fool confesses, things go round and around, like birth, life, death and rebirth.
Leaving the beach, the Fool decides walk on a wall for a bit. Good things walls, they train the balance. After a while he meets an owl who takes him to a lady holding a sword and scales. She’s balancing something as well he sees. What are you weighing he ask. I am trying to decide what is wrong and right, what is fair and Justice. Well make a decision, cries the Fool. The lady swipes the sword through the air, its blade showing both sides of the answer. Oh no she says, you decide, you who has learned discrimination and clarity from your journey!
Heavy with the burdens of giving Justice, the Fool gradually gets back his humor, and comes across a man, naked, hanging from a tree. How odd, a Hanged Man. The Fool, ask him, and he’s surely he’s been asked before, what you are doing there hanging. The man, a bit unclear, because he’s gagged as well, replies patiently. I choose silence, he glares at the Fool for making him break silence, waiting, because I need to let go, I need to experience the healing power of the unconscious. The Fool lays waiting by the hanged man some time, however his impatience grew and he left.
The Fool glances up, while jumping over a river. He glimpses the Lovers in embrace. He walks up to an old Crone who is holding a skull in her hand. Death she says is the consequence of being born, and being born is the consequence of the lovers embrace. So get on with you, leave me, I must make way for the new, or would you like to be cleansed and transformed in my cauldron? The Fool a bit wary of this, felt cleansed anyway by wading through the river, and decided to leave.
The Fool walked on and in time came across a pleasant house. Inside he met The Fferyllt. She was concentrating on combining water and fire to make harmony, balance and transformation. How do you do that the Fool asked. It not easy The Fferyllt answered. To be successful you have to blend common sense and intuition, the masculine and feminine, to create awareness and creativity. Seeing a rainbow not far away, The Fool thought he might try and reach it, a bit of luck ,may be on his way if he did that. However he didn't make it, he fell down to the next level, the level of enlightenment.
The Fool wandered into a forest. Lying on the ground were two figures, male and female. Both were asleep. Tiptoeing forwards, he became aware of anther presence: Cernunnos. The Fool felt a strong life force around him. The wood seemed to burst with abundance, energy and freedom from the material world. Not daring to wake the individuals lying on the ground, he could felt more keenly the responsibility for the world around him. If they were to live, he would have to take care, nurturing the possibilities of life, avoiding its misuse or obsessing on one aspect of it, to let them awake to a beautiful world. The Fool left the wood, feeling stronger, more alive, more attuned to the world around him. He was thankful for the lessons he learned when visiting the Magician and Strength. Both had given him knowledge to deal with power and energy.
A couple of days later the Fool was idling time away in a Tower with a lady companion he had come across earlier driving a chariot. Suddenly the weather turned bad, lightning began to strike out across the sky. The Tower was struck and the Fool and the lady were flung from the Tower into the lake below. Well that jolted us out of our life’s, he thought. Looking around he saw new possibilities. He felt more awake and lease tense than he had for ages. He felt his intuition and instincts more finely attuned to his needs now. The fresh air, the energy in his step, the sense of renewal pushed him out further on his journey.
Having walked all night, he eventually reached the river side when dawn was breaking, thought the stars were still in the sky. A beautiful naked lady, the Star, stood by the riverbed. Calmly she told the Fool, that she was pouring intuition and hope, healing and optimism into the river of life. Dipping his toe in, he felt the source of life, a contentment, feeling of his inner self, and a confidence in the future to come.
Walking on, the day being a glorious one, he felt more attuned to himself. No need to make fun of anyone to tickle his being. The day began to wane and the Moon came out. He had come across that place where he had first met the High Priestess. A couple of hounds were braying to the Moon. A Shiver ran down his spine. He felt alone and afraid. He felt him self ebbing and flowing in and out of consciousness. He felt creativity and imagination flowing freely. However he couldn't stay like this. He had to move on, or maybe he would loose himself forever.
The Sun rose again and he felt its warmth on him. A boy on a horse road by, greeting him with cheer and merriment. Shrugging off his moodiness, the Fool, felt energy flowing in him again. Possibilities for success, creativity and contentment came back to him. On the ground he saw the pretty flowers of the St Johns Wort, a sure sign that happiness was present and abundant. The Fool walk on singing merrily and joyously.
Hearing a horn blasting in the vicinity, the Fool abided its calling and rushed to its origin. Standing outside a temple-tomb a priest was blowing his horn as a small child emerged from the temple. The trumpet sound is the call of Rebirth and renewal. The Fool felt a decision surfacing in him; he felt that a change was coming. He knew that this is the time to take that call and emerge better for it.
He walked on, not the same Fool as before, but a more enlightened one, one more tuned to life. He skipped on and suddenly felt the World beneath his feet. He danced in the ring of intertwined branches. He radiated ecstasy and fulfillment. He knew that he had successfully completed his journey. The sense of achievement gave him joy. He felt the inner and outer worlds of his being melting together into one whole. He could now face the world afresh, a new journey could begin.
Verdi
