Rob:            The temple is lit with a golden light. The light appears from around the door, which swings open. We step through. The path beneath our feet is of dry packed earth and is surrounded by hilly, rolling grassland. The path leads through the hills.

Barry:         It is dry and warm. We have belts with pouches that hold water and some coins.

Rob:            The coins are for the dead, to pay the Ferryman. We become aware that we are not alone. Shadows of others move in the same direction.

Barry:         Some rest by the wayside, because the way is long and hard.

Rob:            One looks up. He is a fool in traditional motley red and green garb. He wears a three pointed cap, and asks if we know the significance of this? His face is both old and young. He has seen a lot, but is still an innocent.

Barry:         I see him as Janus, seeing both ways.

Rob:            He shows us the contents of his pouch – nothing at all, but he smiles, he has everything that he needs. He slings the pouch over his shoulder and offers to accompany us for a while.

Barry:         He has a dog.

Rob:            It is a terrier type and very alert, with knowing eyes.

Barry:         The fool asks us why we journey for the road is hard, “why not turn back?”

Rob:             I tell him we are here to learn, and that nothing is gained without effort.

The path leads down into a valley with a large lake at the bottom. The path then curves and follows the side of the lake which tapers into a river. The river runs from the lake into a cave mouth, and the path runs alongside it going under the hill.

The fool is juggling three small balls as he walks.

Barry:         There is a figure by the lake fishing with a net. I can see the wall and towers of a sunken city. He casts his net and brings up objects from the sea. He searches amongst them. The Jester smiles and we ask him why the figure fishes? He replies that the man hasn’t the sense to know that what he seeks is on the path and not in the water.

Rob:             We see at the cave mouth that the way is not dark. The path continues to follow the contours of the river and is quite wet at times. Eventually it peters out and the fast river is in front of us. We see that the path continues on the other side.

The Fool points to an offery bowl by the river. I take out four solid gold coins. They are stamped with a circled cross on one side, and a tree on the other. They ring as they hit the bowl. A shadowy figure on the other side of the river moves across on a small boat.

Barry:         I see two pillars, one on either side of the path. Then I also place coins in the bowl.

Rob:             The Fool does too. The Ferryman is featureless and moves effortlessly across the river once we are seated in his boat. As we cross hands reach out from the river. Because of our coins the Ferryman reaches some people out.

We get out of the boat, and see that the path is leading upwards.

Barry:         We use our staffs on the steep path.

Rob:             We look at our new companions. One is a knight in dull armour, he is middle aged and balding and walks with a limp. There is a peasant woman with a large round open face. The third is a small thin ragged boy, he has dark hollow eyes. They are with us, but don’t really notice us, and become increasingly transparent as we travel.

The light gets brighter as we climb. We can now see a great walled city in the distance. There is a vast turreted castle at the centre of the city. It flies many flags. The path leads to enormous gates made of gold and precious stones.

Barry:         The plain below the city is waist high with flowers

Rob:            The Fool is whistling “Greensleeves”.

Barry:         As we stand at the gates of the city, many birds fly around us.

Rob:             The gates slowly open, beyond is a bright and bustling town, there is a lot of activity. The Fool leads us in, and to a small door in the white gatehouse tower, the other tower is black. There is a spiral staircase which he bounds up with his dog. “Count the steps” he says.

At the top, I have counted 900 steps, and Barry has counted 9. We come out onto a large flat, but safe area from which we can see all the city.

I can see a pattern to the movement and colours, it is not random. The city is laid out according to the Tree of Life. In the centre is a fantastic castle, this is not Tiphareth, but Yesod. We can see that all the people are wearing masks.

The Fool shows us a small mask on a stick – the mask is his face. When he holds the stick up, he has a face, but otherwise there is nothing at all where his face should be.

Barry:         Then the Jester juggles. The balls gain speed and twist and turn and their colours flash. “Gaze into the balls” he says.

Rob:            He adds more, now he is juggling 5,6,7, his hands are a blur, 7, 8, 9. He seems to be showing us that the balls are moving in a pattern. He claps his hands and they all vanish. “Come on” he says, and trips downstairs with his dog. Then he opens the gates and we go through and find ourselves sin the Temple of Malkuth. The Jester smiles.

Barry:         Whilst he was juggling, I saw a massive waterfall of light being concentrated through a Men-an-Tol stone figure into a more concentrated form.

 

 

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