esson 37a: Spiral Tower part 2

ince this is the "tower of changing," I choose other cards whose influence I wish to have 'conquer' the influences of the past.

   Beginning with the first position of "Who am I?" (and although I love and admire Talesin and will return to him later) for now I must subdue Talesin under the influence of Empress Guinevere. In the coming year, I want to be a mother.
   Moving on to how I've handled my resources, I cover the Spear Castle with the Washer at the Ford. I think she (and her menagerie) can help me to get rid of old carcasses, to clean up resources to their simplest, most purposeful and useful forms.
   The kinds of choices I've made in the past year, a la Spear Two, should become more focused and rational, but without losing intuition and feeling. For help with this, I call on the influence of Sovereignty, and will plant sunflowers in her honor in my garden next spring.
   For the influence of home-life/environment, I choose to replace Sword Seven with the warm and cozy refuge of the Stone Castle. Only now, I will not be a traveler or stranger, but will sit comfortably at the Stammtisch.¹
   The way I wish to express myself, rather than feeling like "a voice . . . in the wilderness" as in Stone Nine, is with a more reciprocal approach like Stone Six. I recall my night spent at these stones, talking and being talked to, listening and being listened to; and not just idle empty words, but words that had/have meaning for both speaker and hearer. This is the type of expressiveness I want in my life.
   The Spear Seven way I've worked has not been very productive or fulfilling. I believe that in the year to come, I will need to work more like the Stone Queen, although I'm not sure it's a good idea to give up my outside job.
   I know that I should think about my man when considering relationships in the future, but the White Hart card isn't really the mutual admiration I would choose. So keeping in mind the "fly-by-night" relationships shown by the Spiral Tower, I choose the Cauldron to cover this. I think that female relationships centering around the cauldron (womb) will be important for me in the coming year.
   The legacy of my previous actions will go from the winter of Stone Two to the spring of the Grail Queen--Mother of Love. 'Nuff said.²
   My relations to spirituality, legality and/or philosophy will remain the bountiful orchard of Grail Three. If the position was focused on the legal aspect, I would probably lean more toward the Sword Maiden.
   I think that the way in which I respond to society needs to be a bit less flamboyant and rebellious than the Spear Knight, and my initial response was to choose the Stone King, i.e. playing by the rules of the game. But the more I adapt to the rules of this society, the less joy I have in my life. So I choose the Flowering of Logres. I want to join hands in the circle, but I want to dance barefoot and hope that I can find and/or establish a place for the dancers and the dance which is not too far outside the boundaries.
   While Stone Eight is quite a good card to reflect my aspirations in the world, I cover it with Spear Four, for festive joy and simple bliss.
   And finally, the part of myself of which I've been unaware--Grail Queen--must become part of myself of which I *wish* to become unaware? If that's the case, let me bury Sword Nine. Let worry be banished from my consciousness. Or, if this implies subconscious influence, then let it be Grail Six, so that cycles and ancestors always remain in the back of my mind.

   I sit now and contemplate the spread in its entirety. It's interesting to note some of the correspondences across its symmetry.

Positions 1 and 7 (top and bottom) are what one might call "feminine issues." (Guinevere and the Cauldron)
Positions 2 & 12 (if Sword Nine) are rather gruesome-looking. (Washer at the Ford and Sword Nine)
Positions 3 & 11 Sovereignty and Spear Four ???
Positions 4 & 10 are happy home and community. (Stone Ten and Flowering of Logres)
Positions 5 & 9 are about sharing with others. (Stone Six and Grail Three)
Positions 6 & 8 are both queens. (Stone Queen and Grail Queen)

Also interesting that I increased the Majors from two to five, and decreased Spears from four to one.

   Looking deeply at the cards, I've lost sense of my surroundings, and nearly jump a mile when something tickles my cheek. The white fairy woman laughs a hooting laugh. "Lighten up!" she advises. "Change isn't all such hard work. It can be simple. It can be fun and exciting too. But don't imagine that you can do it all yourself. You have friends in ALL worlds who will help you, most importantly the Big Guy Upstairs. Don't forget to ask Him for direction. Your friends in the four realms will help you from the inside, and there are plenty of folks in the physical world who are willing to help you too, if you'd ever ask them.
   "Now, here's what I was tickling you with, and it's a present for you. It's an owl-feather duster. No, I'm not trying to push you into being housewifey, though you can certainly use it for housework if you wish. But you know, owls are wise and far-seeing; and feathers both protect and allow to fly. So dust your house, clean out old ideas and useless beliefs, stale patterns; brush off the windows so that you can see clearly; yet also use it to 'tickle your fancy' and softly caress those you love, or those you want to love; tickle their feet and make them dance!"

   As she has been speaking, she has been waving the feather duster in the air and prancing around me in an ever-widening spiral. Now she tosses the feather duster to me, changes into a great owl once again, and flies out the window. I rise and watch her fly off into the distance, then gather my gift and my cards, and descend and exit the tower.

1) I considered choosing the Flowering of Logres here. The first thing I noticed when I pulled out the card was how the girl resembled me. (It's the hair.) Then I thought of the three in the card as representing my husband and his two "children" (i.e., me and Pinky), and so I passed. {back}

2) Since I had to pull this card away from its position 12, I replaced position 12 with the Queen of Cups from the Ancestral Path deck. {back}