Gate: Ace of Wands

I entered the vision gate and found myself standing on a beach in the moonlight.  The sand glowed with a white, unearthly light that came from the ground as much as the sky.  The sea with its foamy waves was as dark as the void and concealed all within its depths.  I stood on the edge of the sand where the waves met the land, listening for a time to the soothing susurration.

Then, I felt compelled to move beneath the water for someone was there, waiting for me to return home again. As I followed the summoning feeling into the sea, it receded before me, leaving all manner of treasures in its wake.

The first thing I found was a beautiful sea shell with a miniaturized version of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus inside it, rendered perfectly.  I returned the treasure to the sea bed and, as I continued forward, I discovered a diamond the size of my fist. When I looked inside this diamond, I could see myself inside of it, gazing at an infinite amount of my own reflections in its walls. I carefully set the gem down again and moved onward.

Then, an ancient treasure chest, partially buried beneath the sands, was revealed by the retreating sea.  When I opened its shell-encrusted lid, a tao symbol floated out of the chest from on top of a pile of arcane symbols which all moved under their own power like living beings.  As I went to close the treasure chest’s lid, the tao rejoined the symbols in the chest and the whole thing sank beneath the sands once more.

I was enjoying the search as I continued to push forward through the shining sands and the dark water swept itself away before me.  Suddenly, spirits in the shape of human figures began to emerge from the retreating water and they tumbled towards me in a rushing crowd.  These beings had no discernable features, they were made simply of light and the shadowed water from which they came.

“Welcome, Heidi, to the shores of your subconscious mind,” murmured the spirits. “We, the Light Congress, have come to greet you and to explore the treasures that you have unearthed.”

I held up my hand in greeting as the crowd swept over and through me, bringing a renewed feeling of life to the staleness left in the retreat of the sea. “Thank you for walking this path with me as both guardians and guides,” I said. “I could not have made it this far without your help, all of you. Let’s see what else lies beneath the waves.”

The Light Congress scattered and cries of delight began to come from all around as they raced over the sands, unearthing further objects left behind by the sea.  Half a dozen spirits were working together and located an enormous anchor jutting from the sea floor.  On the side of the anchor in block letters, the word ‘Hope’ was etched in its metal. The Light Congress followed the chain leading from the top of the anchor to a scuttled pirate ship.

The spirits laughed and sang sea chanties as they unearthed and righted the ship, restoring it to its former glory.  “Remember sailing with the pirates, Heidi?” one called.

“We remember you,” another cried with a jaunty salute.

“Put your backs into it, friends, we sail for the nearest island!” the sailors yelled in unison and gave a spirited cheer.

“As if I could ever forget any of you,” I said and smiled at the memory. “I never dreamed I would sail with the pirates nor how much I’d love the adventure of it.”

“Friends, come over here!” someone yelled. “I found the Castle of Skye!”  An ambitious project began on the beach as the Light Congress unearthed the beautiful turrets and walls of the castle of Love from the glowing sand.

“How funny,” I said as I helped shift some of the concealing earth from the castle gates. “I thought we found Skye up in the clouds but here it is beneath the sea. How did that happen?”

I left the group excavating the castle in order to press on towards the distant dark waters. As others of the Light Congress joined me, one found a simple crown on the beach.  He brushed it off and handed it to me with an ornate flourish. “I presume this is yours,” he said. “Where do we go now, Heidi?” The crowd, which had been animatedly chatting and working, paused and turned towards me.

“Deeper in, my friends,” I said.  “With so much help, perhaps we will find something together that none of us have ever seen before. This could be the start of a brand new adventure.”  A flurry of excitement followed my words and, after a quick vote, it was determined that the Light Congress and I would continue onwards together toward the great unknown.

An enormous clam was the next treasure left behind by the dark waters and a friend brought me the pearl from its depths. I gazed into its mirrored surface and saw Badger and Snake swirling within its pearlescent surface and fighting as usual.  “Come out of there!” I said to their reflections. “We need all the help that we can get!”

“I’m here, Heidi,” Badger said as he burst out of the pearl. “I belong with you, not trapped and scruffling this lizard.”

“What’s the task today?” Snake said gamely. “You’ll need my help, I expect.” They assumed their human forms and traveled before me, digging through the sand with the other figures of light and clearing any insurmountable obstacles from my path.