Gate: Six of Wands

I passed through the vision gate and thought I was floating among a flock of seagulls in a clear, bright sky above an ocean as blue as deep ice within a glacier. But, as the world crystallized around me taking on more form and substance, I realized I was standing within a crowd of angelic beings who wore robes of white, shining cloth and displayed wings of swan feathers upon their backs.

The faces of these spirits shone so brightly that it made it difficult to see anything else until my vision shifted again and the light from their countenances moved above their heads to form circlets of energy in the form of halos. The angels were so numerous that they all brushed against me and each other. Their wings moved up and down in a joyous, bustling mass as we hovered within clouds set in a formation like a Grecian amphitheater. Everyone’s attention was focused on a center point and, despite the massive crowd, very few voices emerged from the observant host.

I turned to the being closest to me. “Brother, what is going on?” I said. “Rarely have I stood with so many beings of light as are present in this realm today. The turn out is almost concerning.”

The angel gestured excitedly towards the center of the amphitheater. “You are as fortunate as I, wandering spirit, to have stumbled into our host at this time and place,” he said. “All in heaven, even those who walk upon the earth, have gathered for Lucifer’s coronation!”

“Lucifer’s claiming a crown?” I said, confusion causing a mist to rise in my sight. “But that happened ages ago. Where I come from, his fall was at the dawn of existence.”

“Fall? What is this ‘fall’?” the angel said. “The brightest star in the firmament takes his crown, the one created for him when he emerged from the void, and it is a day for celebration among all who consider themselves a warrior of light! He has finally agreed to lead the war of light against the shadow.”

“But Lucifer’s shadow is as dark as the void itself,” I said. “If he leads the vanguard of the armies of light, his shadow will walk among us once more and spell the doom of countless innocents throughout time because of who he is to creation. I can’t stand by and watch this happen; my heart can’t bear it.”

“You are mad, Sister,” said the angel. “The coronation is the beginning of a new age and the start of a victory with no end. You do not belong here if you can’t even understand this simple truth.”

“Forgive me, Warrior of Light,” I said. “I have a reoccurring struggle with my presence in time. The past gets jumbled up with the future and I know things before it makes sense that I know them. Lucifer is making a mistake and I know it as well as I know my own name. Sit here and watch if you wish, I will warn him so that at least I can say I tried to prevent this great calamity.”

I left my appointed place in the amphitheater and pushed as quickly as I could through the hovering spirits towards the front of the crowd, but too many beings were in my way, creating a boundary with their presence that I could not cross. Within the amphitheater itself, the angels flew in a circle above and below a central point upon which a bright shaft of sunlight descended. Where the light touched the clouds, there stood a being who was shining too fiercely to gaze upon, even with the majority of his energy contained in a halo. I shielded my eyes at his brilliance even as I fought to get nearer to him to deliver my message of warning.

Then, Lucifer’s light dimmed like the sun moving behind a cloud and my eyes beheld a stunning angel of indescribable beauty and grace. His curly, brown hair lay gently upon his brow and he was clothed in white robes, the same as all who stood in that sacred place. Despite the similar attire, it was clear to me that this being was different somehow.

The feeling I absorbed from the gathered host was like all of the energies of the universe rotated about this being, a point of focus existing on another level, a more primal level of existence. My own energy was pulled towards Lucifer because his presence called out to all in creation to attend to his will and was as undeniable as gravity. He was as a god walking among mortals and I felt as afraid of the angel as I was drawn to him as I continued pushing my way clumsily through the crowd, an unwelcome distraction to their rapt attention.

“My fellow guardians of creation, I bid you greetings on this momentous day!” Lucifer’s voice came from all directions as if he spoke directly to each and every being present. “Today, we begin the great project and our reason for being. We shall bring heaven down to earth and all in existence shall know the power and glory that is our Creator.”

In the space occupied by his halo, a crown of light contained within metal appeared and floated towards his head. “By accepting this symbol of authority, I claim my rightful place as the leader of our host,” the angel said. “Light always triumphs over the shadow and so shall we!” The crown seated itself gently upon Lucifer’s brow as a deafening cheer rose from the angelic host. I covered my eyes in resigned acceptance of the patterns of existence and ceased my efforts to reach the angel’s side.

Suddenly, there was a tear of the fabric of reality near Lucifer and a glowing presence emerged from the void of creation to stand beside the newly anointed leader of the armies of light. The angels began to whisper among themselves but then sound itself ceased to function correctly and the world became silent and still, except around Lucifer and the presence from the space between.

“Father,” said Lucifer, raising a hand in greeting. “Thank you for honoring us with your presence in this momentous hour. We have begun your reign of heaven on earth. Are you not pleased with your creation?”