E09

Earth Temple

Wednesday 3rd August 1994 (approx 10:00pm)

Earth Temple Air Temple Water Temple Fire Temple

Rob: The face of the Green Man is heavily overgrown. Still the black eyes shine. It is almost dawn.

Barry: The sky is cloudy, there is a faint hint of rain in the air. I can sense the kestrel's presence perched on the Eastern stone. Its' feathers are ruffled by the wind. Its' eyes are bright and alert.

Rob: There is a strong smell of greenery. A figure detaches itself from the vegetation and moves to edge of the circle - it is indistinct. I sense great age and strength.

Barry: The figure is cloaked and carries a bow on its back.

Rob: I can't see its' face.

Barry: He carries a bag. As he approaches the circle he is opening the bag for us to take what is inside.

I reach in and draw forth a mask - that of a fish. It is made from wood covered in strips of copper.

Rob: I reach in and I have become the ground. It is a strange sensation. I can move my consciousness around, I can feel the stones, I can feel the cave mouth, and interconnecting roots mingling with each other. I pull forth a mask with the face of a man. His beard is ivy. It is the face of a king. His hair is hawthorn, and his crown is holly. I put on the mask.

Barry: I am the Kestrel, hovering over a mountain stream. The salmon are jumping high. Sunlight shines on their scales, making them hard to see. The river is very loud - I can feel the urgency to return to the spawning ground.

The kestrel tells me that he is the connection with the Air element. His form can be used to connect with Air. Likewise the salmon form connects with the Water element. Four of the animals in the totem circle can be used in this way.

Rob: This is the mask of a king who reigns thirteen lunar months and then dies. He gives his life willingly, for in death he is reunited with his bride, the Earth. He is constantly reborn, and carries the knowledge and wisdom of all his past lives. The body of the king is young and strong, yet his mind is not prone to the follies of youth.

The king's rule is one of harmony and active observance of natural laws. We have already touched on the significance of the salmon - it seeks its spawning ground, we seek our spiritual home. This is easier if we follow the natural laws of ebb and flow.

I take off the mask and hang it on the maypole.

Barry: The figure pulls the bow from over his back, and takes a silver arrow from his tunic. He lifts his bow and fires the arrow deep into the woodland. He says that we need to find the way through the woodland to search for the arrow. This is our goal. The arrow signifies his and our will. We need to cast our own arrow (will) and to find the way to achieve will. This is vague, but the forest pathway is important - it is easy to get lost.

Rob: We need to use the boar mask. The boar knows the paths of the forest.

Barry: It is the animal closest to the earth. The arrow of his will is shot straight. It is hard to follow without knowing the paths. I hang up the salmon mask untried.

Rob: We should work with the animals in pairs.