Gate: Nine of Pentacles

Joining the Dance

I stepped through the vision gate into mist that obscured my vision further into the realm. Slowly, the mist turned pitch black around me and, far overhead, a full moon began to shine down upon me like a spotlight through the gathering shadows.

Suddenly, rushing and dancing figures appeared through the mist. I caught glimpses of curly-haired heads and the hooved legs of satyrs. I felt a pang of fear at these spirits’ appearance as I have heard stories about such creatures, that they drag unsuspecting travelers off their designated paths into the woods, but they were soon past.

As I continued down the woodland path through the shadowed forest, the dark mist changed into standing trees. Bedewed cobwebs filled the branches of some of these trees, while others sported climbing ivy or held families of small woodland creatures like squirrels. A few nocturnal spirits moved beneath the trees like living shadows, traveling parallel along my path towards a destination that they seemed to know but which I was still to discover.

After traversing the woods for a time, ahead, in a clearing within the trees, I saw a great bonfire. There was much dancing, singing, and merriment around its flames. The satyrs I had spotted near the entrance to the woods and stately women with leaves for hair and moss for raiment danced madly around the flames in concentric circles. I was pulled into the circle by a blonde haired spirit and whirled around with them in their wild celebration.

“I wonder how I know the steps to this dance,” I thought to myself as someone draped vines and white flowers around my neck and I was flung from hand to hand in the midst of the wild mob. With some difficulty and pushing back against over-enthusiastic dancers, I extricated myself from the celebration and ventured further into the woods to seek the true nature of the place beyond its initial appearance.

Two carved, wooden thrones with flowers and ivy upon their arms and back sat well away from the fire and the madcap woodland dancers. A being with stag horns upon his head sat in one and an earth spirit with long, flowing hair reclined in the other. Her hair, clothing, and skin were all green. I moved towards these figures down a long avenue of soft green grass lined with burning torches.

The Throne of the Forest King

As I neared the thrones, I beheld wispy spirits of glowing light moving in clouds about these two figures, whispering secrets into their ears and darting away again into the forest for some unknown destination of their choosing. “I wish I had fairies of my own,” I thought as I observed the nearly invisible crowd gathered about the Horned King and his queen. “Maybe I would never feel alone again if this were so.”

After what seemed a surprisingly long distance, I finally stood before the thrones of the royalty of the woodlands.  “Hail, Great Ones,” I said, bowing my head in respect. They acknowledged me with regal nods of their own. “My name is Heidi,” I said. “And I have come to this place seeking your true natures. What are your names?”

The moment I spoke my true name, the crowd of waiting fairies about the throne exploded in all directions like a firework shot from a cannon with the epicenter of the explosion being the seated Horned King and his queen. The sitting lord and lady themselves shared a glance loaded with meaning that I did not understand. Then, the spirits turned their attention back to me.

“Heidi,” said the Horned King. “I am the forest god Cernunnos. We have been expecting your arrival for quite some time. Whatever kept you from our presence?” The green goddess seated to Cernunnos’ side remained silent.

“Expecting me?” I said in some confusion. “I suppose I was caught up in the woodland fire dancers for a little while, but I promise I went looking for you both as soon as I was able to break free from their wild celebration. Where are we again?”

“The glade, my glade to be exact,” Cernunnos said. “You’ve been here so many times before, I really find it hard to believe that you don’t remember being here.

A mist moved in front of my eyes and through my heart at the king’s words. “I have no memory of this place at all,” I said earnestly. “But I certainly want to visit again. Do you have mammoth parties like this all the time?” I plucked petals from the flowers around my neck as I spoke and strewed the silken offerings before the gods’ thrones.

The goddess laughed. “They dance to celebrate the end of the winter and the return of spring,” she said. “We have celebrations on all the equinoxes but the spring observance is the most exciting, my poor lost lamb.”

“I am not lost, Great One,” I said. “Maybe just a little turned around. Who are they?” I asked, gesturing towards the fire and its ever-spinning celebrants.

“My children,” answered Cernunnos. “And hers.” He stood and the goddess whom I internally christened ‘The Green Lady’ ran to his side. She put her arm around the god to assist him to stand as well as hold him once he was up. “Come with me, Heidi, and I will show you a great mystery,” he said. The Horned King limped away from his throne with his queen pacing steadfastly beside him.

“What is wrong, Cernunnos?” I asked. “I may not remember much about this place but I have a feeling that a woodland king of your stature should not be hobbled by pain.”

“He has a wound that never heals,” said the Green Lady. She paused in her efforts to support the Horned King to gaze more closely at me through the gathered shadows. “You honestly do not remember anything other than the god should not be injured?”

“Well, Great One, it seems to me that a god should be whole and unbent,” I said. “In perpetuity. For the spirit is perfect and it is only the physical body that suffers the slings and arrows of illness and ill-fortune throughout time. We are not in our physical forms now but spirit. Therefore, Cernunnos should be healthy and whole.” The god continued to limp on his way down the path that appeared before him. “But I see that this is not so. I would know why.”

“This way, silly person,” said the Horned King over his shoulder. “Perhaps you will understand more of my great mystery in time.”