Gate: Three of Wands

I stepped through the vision gate and found myself standing on an unreflective surface made of black water which released large bubbles at intervals that felt random, but as I stood and watched the bubbles I began to detect a pattern in their appearance. I slowly became mesmerized as the bubbles burst one after another, each emitting a sparkling light of radiant brilliance. The lights shone so brightly for a moment, then faded. Again and again, the bubbles formed, light emerged, then slowly disappeared.

“It is like the lives of those who are born on earth,” I said to myself as I watched the interaction of the light bubbles and dark waters. “We emerge for such a short time, shine in our destined life spans, and then return to the place we came from. It makes me sad, this contemplation of impermanence.”

A feeling of melancholy and loss built in my heart until, quite unexpectedly, a particularly large bubble burst in front of my face, breaking my ruminations on death and rebirth. Instead of a bright light emerging from the bubble, a well-formed cube made of dark water came out.

“Don’t be sad, Heidi, and for heaven’s sake please don’t cry,” the cube said. “We are the Organizing Thought for this place. It was meant as a reminder of immortality and the resilience of the spirit, not a demoralizing memento mori. You fall so easily into shadow, maybe this is a propensity you should address.”

“Hello, friendly Thought,” I said. “I appreciate your observations about my behavior but cannot help who I am and the way I process reality. Someday this may be different, but this is who I am right now. What world are we experiencing?”

“You stand in another of the realms of the Divine Mother,” the cube gently responded. “With self awareness and self knowledge, anything is possible. Never give up trying to develop your lens of perception to make it the most beneficial version it can be, not only for yourself but for those you encounter in the worlds.”

“I strive to embody the best potential version of myself,” I said. “Thank you for the encouragement on that front. What occurs in this world, Organizing Thought, beyond the symbolic nature of it?”

“Birth mainly,” said the cube. “Come this way. I will take you to the Divine Mother so that she may share further wisdom and knowledge with you.”

“Please lead on,” I said. “I find myself more than ready to consider new universal truths other than endless grief.” As the cube and I moved over the surface of the water, light bubbles continued to form, burst, and reform in their arcane patterns. Then, the very air around us changed into an inky and impenetrable darkness. The new environment banished my sadness but caused an inescapable feeling of fear to rise within my spirit and my steps upon the dark water began to flag.

“Keep going, Heidi,” the cube said. “We’re nearly there.”

“Why are the skies so dark now when they were light before?” I said. “I don’t like feeling afraid as I explore reality. I prefer joyous wandering.”

“We move into the realms of the formless,” the cube said. “It has also been called the unexamined part of the psyche, a place where few choose to go and so the ruling power of Fear has claimed this corner of reality for their own.”

“The Servants of Fear I’ve encountered are unpleasant but generally manageable if you can overcome the emotion they engender,” I said. “Sometimes the most extraordinary beings are waiting to meet you on the other side of fear. I can’t name how many spirits I have met after walking through the shadows and confronting the unknown.”

“Fear maintains power here because the world of forms provides many distractions from inward journeys,” the cube replied as we went deeper into the darkness. “An aspirant can turn one’s attention exclusively from the inner worlds to the outer worlds, if they so choose, leaving the unknown to the shadows. This is an example of the exercise of free will in creation and a frontline in the Eternal War.”

At this point, the cube and I had traveled so far into the world of the formless that I could no longer see my body, the cube themselves, or the light bubbles anymore. There was nothing but the void, my presence, and the presence of the one who floated beside me.

“This feels quite dangerous,” I said as Fear whispered a greeting in my heart. “Am I able to pass into the world of the formless without losing myself to the shadows?”

“Do not be afraid,” said the cube, their voice coming from the complete darkness. “You carry within you an eternal flame that can pass into the worlds without form and back again. Nothing can extinguish your light without your consent so do not give the shadows that power.” Suddenly, a lighted doorway appeared from the formlessness of the reality where we walked.

“Here we are, Heidi, and not a moment too soon,” the cube said, their form visible in the miniscule amount of light from the new gate. “Pass within for the Mother is there. She waits for you.”