E16

Earth Temple

Monday 19th December 1994 (9:30pm)

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Rob: The scene is as before, (previous working 14th December), the circle is covered with a light scattering of snow. It seems to be morning, the air is fresh. The Green Man's face is untouched by the snow and his eyes are shiny. The forest is still and expectant.

Barry: I can see a tall figure by one of the forest tracks. He wears a cloak and carries a staff. He has his back to us.

The wind is cold and carries a slight sleet.

Rob: A tendril of ivy climbs the maypole. Hanging from the pole is the sun and moon mask, but not the boar mask.

Barry: I take down the mask, one side is warm and smooth, the other is cold and wet. Putting the mask into a bag, I pull my hood up and follow the man.

Rob: The kestrel hovers above you. Fenir appears, his fur is a white winter coat. We follow you.

Barry: The snow lies thick at the circle of trees. The large man in front is some distance away. I can hear the howling of wolves hunting in the forest. It is to be a long winter.

Rob: The man is blind, his eyes are covered by a rag, but he moves with purpose. He knows where he's going.

Barry: An owl watches from the forest, as we are one of the few creatures he has seen in this deep snow.

We reach a clearing; in it is a ramshackle hut. There is a hole in the roof; its walls are covered in ivy. I can see a window. The door has no lock, key or handle on it, but is inscribed with the figure of the sun and moon.

The blind man has disappeared.

I reach into the bag and pull out the mask. I put the mask on. With my right eye the scene is as before. Through my left eye I can see the hut in good repair, bathed by the light of the moon. A strange light comes through the window. The door swings open. Inside is the figure of a woman.

Rob: Through which eye?

Barry: Left.

Through the right eye the inside is derelict, there are cobwebs and broken shelves. The figure of a large black crow sits watching me from a window.

Rob: I cannot see the woman, or the dereliction. I see the darkness of night, pin-pricked with bright stars. There is a sense of immensity. Hanging in the darkness are seven planets arranged in a circle. The significance is that they are heavenly bodies. The earth and these planets are made of the same stuff. There is some of them in earth and vice versa. The building blocks are the same. As the planets move around, lines of light dance between them like a laser, making an elaborate pattern.

Barry: The old woman is spinning a dark blue cloak. Looking into her eyes is like gazing into the universe. She is using earth and natural materials for the cloak. It is an outer shell and disguise, that protects us from the elements and the gaze of others. It reflects what people wish to see. It is half finished. We should look for it when we have the need.

Rob: I once again feel very solid.

A crow has landed on my left shoulder. He puts his beak in my ear and whispers, "Can you see the hands? The planets are not moving on their own, but being juggled by barely perceptible hands. Remember, nothing moves but that God wills it."

Barry: The crow says that he is a benefit and a warning. He is a bird who collects bright objects, they can be useful, but may be illusionary. Beware of outside influences, they may be illusions. We should not pick over the dead bodies of others thoughts, but look within ourselves. We must consolidate, Spring will be a testing time.

I take off the mask, and see the scene as before, the door is closed. The woman is similar to the dwarf, but more refined, more cunning. We shall have need of her.

Rob: I am now looking down on us. Behind us the blind man stands as if waiting. It is not yet time to go back.

I am back in myself.

The blind man is unkempt with white scraggly hair. His hands look strong, and do not feel the cold.

Barry: He seems similar to the madman last week.

Rob: He is more heavy set, if it is the madman, he is changed. He leads off down a small track and we follow. It is not far to another clearing with the barrow.

Barry: I can see the tree. Its wood looks diseased. I can see the cave under its roots.

Rob: Beneath this rock sleeps the archetypal hero Arthur.

Barry: Arthur has destroyed the shadow.

Rob: At time of need he will awake and lead people to victory, but the truth is that the treasure of knowledge, wisdom and understanding, fused together in alchemical perfection lies buried and discovered again.

You were right that this barrow is the place to leave behind that which is outmoded. It is also a place where gold may be found.

Barry: The elves and fairies of folklore guarded treasure in places such as these.

Rob: This made them fey.

Barry: Is the knowledge outmoded, and of the past?

Rob: No. this was buried because its potential could be used for the wrong ends. There has been much darkness on this land. Light and dark interplay. Knowledge is buried, then springs forth afresh.

Barry: This knowledge is in the form of a golden bull surrounded by thorns. Thorns are the first barrier of the shadow., which must be defeated to get to the gold.

Rob: Thorns may be pricks of consciousness that lead to change and transformation of the shadow.