Gate: Ten of Wands

I entered the vision gate and found myself standing in a mighty forest. The ground shook with rhythmic bangs underneath my feet and the trees swayed back and forth in the percussive blasts of energy. Then, in a particularly loud explosion, a giant burst into existence from the forest growth and picked me up as if I was no more substantial than a wildflower. I caught a glimpse of a hairy body covered in a green material like grass, but the vision was fleeting because the giant moved so quickly.

The giant lifted me gently and deposited me on a cloud, high above the forest floor with a view that revealed the entire realm to my sight. “There you go, small one,” he mumbled and then disappeared from my reality.

As I stood on the puffy white clouds, a castle made of the same material appeared before me.

“I wonder if this is the castle of the sky giants I visited before or somewhere new?” I mused to myself. “I’m sure someone knows the truth of the matter but that person is not me. Is there anyone around who could act as a guide in this place?”

There was movement from air currents within the cloud that formed the ground I stood upon and a small being made of mist popped out. To my sight, he appeared as a snowman made of cloud at times and then a humanoid figure at others. This spirit came close and flew quickly in circles around my head, enclosing me in some of his sky energy through his tornadic presence.

“Hello!” the sky spirit sang in melodic tones. “Who are yoooooooou?”

“I’m sorry I don’t know your song or I would sing it with you. My name is Heidi and a giant of the woodlands brought me to this place,” I said. “Who are you?”

“I am Cloud and a guardian as well as guide for this realm. You find yourself before the Castle of the Southern Wind,” Cloud said, abandoning his song for more pragmatic speech. “Would you like to go within, Heidi?”

“I would like nothing better, Cloud,” I said. “Thank you for responding to my request for help.”

“My pleasure, forest spirit,” the sky guardian said. He completed one more circle around my head then took off towards the castle gates. I followed the easy path formed by his energy through the sky towards the Southern Wind’s seat of power.

The castle, though formidable and strong from a distance, seemed as if it would be blown away by the slightest breeze when I finally stood next to its walls and was able to examine it more closely. As my guide and I passed through the gate, we emerged into a courtyard filled with the golden light of the sun streaming from another place. Once my eyes adjusted to the brilliance of this courtyard, I could see a room from whence the light came. Cloud took me directly to the threshold of the source of the light.

We entered a throne room and at one end sat a being who glowed with shining golden robes that moved about her constantly as if in a light breeze. Her impossibly long, blonde hair flew from her head in every direction and it was from these strands that the light flowed from the goddess to fill her courtyard. As I stood gazing at this figure in admiration, some of the wandering strands brushed my cheek and I felt as if a warm breeze from the tropical realms of my waking world had caressed me in that far realm.

“Hail, Southern Wind,” I said, the touch from the strand of hair breaking my reverie. “Forgive my rudeness and silence, I have rarely beheld a spirit with your innate loveliness and it took my voice away.”

“Who comes into my hall and presence?” the goddess said. “I treasure my solitude and the stillness of my palace in the sky. Do you have a good reason for intruding upon my sacred retreat?”

“My name is Heidi and I’m here on a very important mission, to learn more about your true nature and the state of this palace,” I said. “I bring you greetings from those who live and thrive in your breezes upon the ground and thank you for excusing my intrusion into your arena of influence.”

“There is no need to thank me, Heidi, for I am the Southern Wind and I act according to my nature. I bring growth and change to stagnant reality,” the goddess said. “I am warmth untold and an abundant gift of presence from those who dwell in the sky to those who walk upon the ground. I bring life as well to those who require the energy of the sun to exist throughout the worlds.” The spirit rose from her throne and came towards me, her hair filling my vision and the throne room. “Come with me, Earth-bound seeker. I have something to show you that shall demonstrate my nature beyond mere words.”