esson 16a: Sword Hallow

ilver, grayscale; spectrum, rainbow--tricks of the light. Too much water; too much moonstream.¹

   "Lady, I know that my nature is like the fluctuating moon, but even she has her orbit, based on universal laws. I need an anchor--something to keep me from floating away on the tides of the moment. I humbly request of you a glimpse of the Sword Hallow."
   "By what right do you request this privilege, granted to no mortal being?"
   "I have no right, or I might demand rather than request! I have instead a deep *need*--a touch of solid steel and a sharp edge of discipline to keep me on the right path. I kneel before you as a humble seeker and ask again--please?"

   She lays her hand on my bowed head and I am transformed into a crane. The others gather around me and we take flight. Soaring through the air I feel, not the usual freedom, but a sense of purposeness and direction. We head northeast and approach a high mountain where the winds from these directions meet. Flying to the summit, I see air, heated in the bowels of the earth, rising to the cooler heights and steaming out of a fissure. As I observe this, the Sword itself rises into the air from out of the fissure. Was it forged in the Vulcan fire, and tempered in the alpine air?

   The cold air refreshes me, but its moisture weighs on my feathers. It seeps into my bones, and I fear I will fall like hail. The Sword has risen vertically, but now it turns horizontal, and a path like a contrail² extends from its tip. In the near darkness, I can't see far along this path. I follow to see where it leads.

   Over the mountains and to the east I go. The rainbow fills the sky and I head toward a light source on a far distant mountain range. As I get nearer, I see an old man with a lantern on a peak. I go to him, pleased to find that here the mountain air is dry, but with a coolbreeze.

   The old man sees me and thinks I am an omen. I have no way to communicate with him, but intuitively know what he's thinking: He thinks that he is a Fool in man's eyes, alone, seeking on this mountain; yet God has sent a crane to show that he is wise in His eyes. I fly to a nearby mountain lake and return with a fish for him. He gives thanks and praises to YHVH for providing him with the means and strength to bring the message to the people--God's Law. I silently observe him as he prepares the fish, along with some bread he took from his pack. He kindly offers me part of each and we share a meal.³

   After eating, he wipes his hands on his beard⁴ and hefts two stone tablets from a ledge. I step over to him and peck at the stones. He pulls them away from his chest and I see on the topmost one a large "X" carved in it. Within the X, clockwise from the top, are the letters  

   X marks the spot! The heart of YHVH, the Law, One Love All Love. ("The rest is all commentary.")

[Interlude to look up the commentary in Exodus 20.]

   What the "Ten Words" says to me is: Love and respect God; love and respect others; love and respect self. As for the 10th--covetousness--I thought this was because covetousness leads to other sins/crimes, such as adultery and stealing, but these things are prohibited in themselves. So . . . ? I think this one is more about *self.* Be happy with what you have and be happy for others for what they have. Lust for or jealousy of what belongs to another erodes inner peace and brings no profit. Norman Vincent Peale said that when you are depressed or irate, you should count your blessings (literally). Is the cup half empty or half full? Power of Positive Thinking. We are *not* created equal! Each is unique, and dwelling on what one lacks when compared to others can make one miserable. All we need is Earth, Water, Air and Fire--everything else is an extra blessing.

   Jesus said love God and love others *as* oneself--not *more than* oneself. I am one of the All, deserving of just as much love and respect as the rest.

   The 'rules' are set in stone to guide us, like signposts showing us which way to go. The Sword can be the Enforcer. But once the rules are written in your heart, the force of the Sword is internalized. The rules no longer need enforcement if they are part of you.

[end interlude]

   As the old man begins his journey to bring the Law to the people, I take to the skies and return to the Lady of the Lake. Her touch returns me to my human shape, and she says, "Moonchild, you have a lot to consider. Take this book and these Tarot cards and they will help you gain insight into your own inner wisdom."

   I seat myself in an open spot and lay out the spread . . .

2) "condensed vapor trail" behind an airplane {back}

3) The bread and fish could represent the Old Testament and the New Testament--Old Law and New Law. {back}

4) ? This must come from some biblical storage room in my mind? Oil on the beard was a thing, wasn't it? {back}