esson 25: Spear King, Spear Eight and Spear Nine

 set out from Spear Seven feeling free and light. The sky is blue and clear and summer is at its height. Morning bells are ringing in the distance and as I get nearer to the sound I discover that its not bells at all, but a smith at his forge.

   My first impression is that the men in the Spear Realm are so ... well ... masculine: tall, strong, active and purposeful. I observe the Spear King working on the Spear in silent concentration. Finally, he is satisfied with its quality, and he turns to me.
   "If you're going to just stand there watching, I'm going to put you to work," he says, unsmiling.
   "Fine," I say. "I don't have any other plans at the moment anyway."

   He sets me up with a small chunk of metal, which I forge into an arrowhead.¹ When I am finished, he shows me how to hone it to a fine point, and then to attach it to a shaft. As I continue with this work, he explains:
   "This arrow will help you get to the point--to aim for the heart of a matter. Use these feathers [representing mental power] to guide it on a true course, and it will find its target and, with its sharp point, will stick until removed. It will not fall short or fall away."

   As I finish up my work, he walks down to the stream and returns with a jug of cold, clear water. We sit and refresh ourselves and I learn that his name is "Bronx."
   "What is that stone, on which you have rested your foot?" I ask.²
   "That is the cornerstone, the foundation of any work. One must stand firmly on the foundation to be steady in one's tasks."
   "What is this stone inside? And this implement--a broom?"
   "Just more tools of the trade. Would you like to become my apprentice, and learn how to use them?"
   "Not at this time. I'm on a quest and cannot linger. I wish to investigate that tower in the distance. Can you tell me something of it?"
   "Only that it is a watchtower. Go and see it for yourself."

   I rise, thanking him and taking up my arrow, and walk to the stream. The water flows gently here and I place my arrow in the stream, then sprint to and up the tower. Looking out from the topmost window, I am just in time to see my arrow go shooting past, as the current picks up speed and carries it into the distance and the future. I watch until it is out of sight. Yes, its aim is true; and I'm going there too.

   I descend and walk along the bank of the stream, feeling confident and secure, as if I have sent an emissary before me, to prepare my way. I travel long and long, finally coming to cliffs at the shore of the sea.
   Clouds of black depression build on the horizon. They start to move inshore, filled with potential storms and threatening to isolate me. A little voice in my heart says, "You can't stay here! It's as gloomy as that ruined fortress."
   Raising my axe (from the Green Knight), I reach up and cut through the clouds. With the sun piercing them from the other side, they melt away like a nightmare upon waking.   

1) The Sagittarian in me? {back}

2) The forge and smaller stone resemble two paintings which are part of the Templar mystery: "Shepherds of Arcadia" and "The Temptation of St. Anthony." {back}