esson 20: Prydwen

 climb from the unsteady, wave-tossed ship to the nearest cliff. I think to myself that I have gone from the broad and easy path to the narrow and steep path. Although I'm not afraid of the dangers (ship sinking, sea monster, falling from cliff), I'm aware that the climb will not be an easy one. I struggle upwards on small crevasses in the rock, barely finding purchase for my fingers. I regret that I've started letting my fingernails grow, as they hinder my efforts, and hurt as they break. However, I'm glad I started a fitness program at the beginning of this year, because I have enough stamina to get to the top without too much physical suffering. 

   I pull myself over the top, and lay there panting and recovering only briefly. Then I rise and cover the short distance to the first tower. The round gray stone doesn't look very hospitable, yet intriguing nonetheless. There is a small arch-shaped door, above which is carved 'Tower of the Sea.' Odd title--what does it mean? I knock and a voice says, "Enter!" I duck through the doorway into a low, dim room, where an old man sits at a wooden table. Before him are a lantern and a pewter mug. "What do you want here?" he asks. I try to answer, but cannot speak. I place my hand on my throat. "Ah, lost your voice, have you? The cold sea mist can have that effect on foreigners. Here, drink this." He hands me the mug, and I drink. It tastes like warm apple cider. "Now you will regain your true voice," he tells me. "Now speak!" 

   "I'm tired of kissing everybody's ass!" I exclaim. "It's *MY* life and it's time for me to use my energies for what *I* want to accomplish, before it's too late!" He gives a hearty laugh. "Too true, too true . . . " he says. "If you use your voice--your God-given gift of communication--in an honest manner, you will begin to achieve that. If you misuse it, you cannot progress. Don't hold back in speaking your heart. The spoken word has more power than you know. After all, God created All through the Word. Remember that!""I'll try," I say. "Don't try--DO! 'before it's too late'," he says, tossing my own words back at me.

   "Okay, I will. Thank you very much. Goodbye."
   "Goodbye. God be with you."

   I leave and descend the cliff back to the ship. The way down is even more difficult, using muscles I didn't know I had. I jump from the cliff to the deck of Prydwen, collapsing on my back on the deck. The captain approaches and asks, "Shall we get under way, m'lady?" "Yes, let's go across now." And we shove off . . .

he next cliff is not so steep, and a bit easier to climb. As I reach the top, the clouds part and sunbeams shine on this tower, turning it golden. There is light and laughter coming through the open door and windows. Above the doorway is carved 'Tower of Hospitality.' Great! I think, and approach the door.

   A woman inside sees me and meets me at the doorway. "Come in, come in," she says, "guests are always welcome here." She places a hand on my arm and leads me through the children who are playing around her skirts. I feel immediately comfortable with this woman, and note that her beauty is only just beginning to fade a bit into maturity. Then I realize that she's not all that beautiful, just seems so because of the light and warmth she emanates. She looks so familiar . . .

   "Where have I seen you before?" I ask.
   "Perhaps you've seen a picture of me," she replies. "I used to pose for an artist friend--Pamela Coleman Smith. 'Pixie' we called her, and she was so like one! She used me as a model for a Tarot card--the Queen of Wands. And my husband as well, for the King." 

   We've now crossed the room to the hearth, where a man sits in a high-backed chair, reading a story to a child on his lap. Naturally, I recognize him from the Tarot. The 'Queen' sits in her chair next to him and indicates some other, very comfy-looking, chairs for me to choose from for myself. I opt to sit on the floor in front of the fire, where a boy builds a castle out of 'Lincoln logs.'

   "You have such a large family," I say. "Are they all your children?"
   "Yes, we have seven children--six boys and one girl." The girl sits in a small chair, wearing a pretty white dress with pink flowers. She is reading quietly to herself. She looks up and meets my eyes. "You probably think it's hard to be the only girl in a tower full of boys, but it's really fun," she says. 

   I'm a bit amazed that, at her apparently young age (about 5 or 6), she can not only read, but also tune into our conversation at the same time. She continues:
   "For one thing, I have lots of playmates. And I can play sports and go fishing and learn how to look out for myself, and do everything that boys can do. And when I'm not looking out for myself, I have six brothers to look out for me! And when they give me trouble, I can just yell, 'MOM!' and that takes care of that.
   "And on the other side, my mom likes to buy me pretty dresses, and I like to wear them, and I get more new clothes than anybody. And my mom brushes my hair for me every day. And I got my own room now, so I can be by myself when I want. And I can do everything that girls can do. "It's kind of funny, because sometimes they call me 'Tom Boy,' and sometimes they call me 'Princess'! My mom says I'm good, 'cause I can always 'entertain myself.' She doesn't even know all the places I go in my head!
   "My name's Anastasia. What's yours?"
   "I'm Moonchild."
   "Hey Moonchild, do you want to go play at the creek?"
   "Sure!"

   We walk down, barefoot, and stick our feet in the creek. As the minnows come and nibble my toes, I decide to put off returning to Prydwen . . . 

   The room is sparsely furnished, with a few straight-backed wooden chairs. To the right, there is a table about 6 feet long, with a chair on the opposite long side. The 'troll' returns and sits in this chair, motioning me to approach the table, on which he has placed a strongbox. As I stand opposite him, he pulls out a small sheet of paper and a pen, handing them over to me and motioning that I should sign it. I shrug and ask him why with my eyes and eyebrows. (If he's not going to talk, I feel I shouldn't either.)¹ Then he pulls out what looks like a bundle of Swiss Franc bills (i.e., different colors). He waves the stack and points to the paper, still smiling. I sign with a crescent moon and star and hand it back to him, and he gives me the stack.

   The bills have text on them, and the first one I see says: "Dad wasn't always wrong." Another says: "What's good for you isn't always good." Another one reads: "It's the Tree of Knowledge of Good AND Evil, not Good FROM Evil."² One says: "Ransom sacrifice."

   Here's one with a picture: Earth below, Man and Woman--drawn based on the Hebrew letters for YHVH--standing side-by-side, and YHVH wrapped in shining light above. A cross-shaped tree sends its roots into the Earth, spreads its 'head' up to heaven, and wraps the humans in its arms/branches. YHVH's light falls like rain and soaks everything.

   I put my hand over my heart and bow from the waist, thanking the man. He escorts me to the door, and on the way, motions me to put the stack deep in my pocket. I give him a thumbs up and nod "yes, I will."

climb down to the ship and we cross the channel. I ascend the other side. This plateau is not as barren as the last. A little ways off, there is a forest. As I approach the tower, I see that the door is open. On a post next to the door is a wooden sign carved with fancy letters: Tower of the Trees.

   Inside is a woodworking shop, with workers, apprentices and masters. I see a young man on a bench, working on chiseling a star into a circle of wood. One such disk lies on the floor next to him, apparently discarded (the star is badly misshapen). Six more disks hang on a post next to him. The stars are more well-executed on the higher ones.³

   An older man approaches me. He resembles a cross between Obi Wan Kenobe and Sean Connery. "Hello" he says, "can I help you? Are you looking for something particular? We have a special discount on pentacles today!" He laughs heartily and pats the youth on the shoulder.
   "Well," I reply, "I'm looking for the table of my destiny."
   "Ah, yes, come with me please."

   He leads me through a door into a large storeroom or warehouse. It's full of furniture and other quite large items. "Oh no," I think, "he's not going to give me dining table or something, I hope. How will I ever get it back to Prydwen?" We come to an area with shelves and he takes up a round piece about the size of a plate, handing it to me. It's a blond wood, inlaid with a multitude of stars of different sizes and colors. Carved swirly lines entwine, cross and curl through the spaces between. I gasp and hold it to my chest.

   "Yes, beautiful piece, isn't it?" he says. "It was crafted by the Master. It's quite valuable. Do you think you can afford it?. . . Let's have a look at it in the light." He leads the way out.
   "Can I afford it?" I wonder, and my hand reaches in my pocket, touching the stack of 'bills' there.

   When we get to the entrance, I grab one and pull it out. It says: "Every man and every woman is a Star." I hand it to him, looking at the 'table' in the daylight. A sunbeam catches it, and I see the stars sparkle and dance. The man takes the bill, and responds: "Ah, this is a wonderful insight. Thank you for giving it to me." "Thank YOU," I reply and depart. As I walk away, I look on the back of the table. There is a crescent moon cradling a star and '1963' under it. Nice touch. I tuck it in my shirt and head back down the cliff to the ship. After stashing it on board, I head up the other side.

approach the Tower of the Four Corners. It's the only square tower I've seen so far, and it is also the tallest. The interior is totally empty and unoccupied. There is only a staircase, so I climb. Up and up, but still nothing here. Now I come to a place where the stairway splits off in two directions, each with a one-way door. Each door has a window, so I try to look before deciding.

   Through one door, I see a long hallway with an apparently large room on the other end. The hallway is hung with brightly colored scarves and there are gypsies dancing along towards the far end. There must be an open roof or skylight, because the distant room appears to be filled with sunlight, as well as trees and tents. The people seem to be enjoying themselves and even though they are from different races, backgrounds, etc., they are like one big happy family.

   I look through the other door and see my man opening his arms to me. I automatically step through . . . and suddenly, I'm back on the deck of Prydwen.

rossing the channel again, and climbing the slope on the other side (they seem to be getting less steep as I go), I come upon something out of a fairy tale. In fact, it looks *very* similar to the "swan's neck" tower of Neuschwanstein.⁴ My senses are overwhelmed by the imaginative beauty here. It is like Disney, but not fake!

   I enter and see a huge carousel with myriad strange creatures and wonderful music. Enchanted children ride round and round, laughing and playing. A dark-haired woman is here, looking like the favorite teacher overseeing the playground. She wears a colorful flowing dress and has small white and yellow flowers in her hair. As I approach her, the recognition hits me. "Maria! Is that really you?"
   "Yes! Hello! So glad you've come to visit!"
   "Maria, you taught me so many things, and helped my creativity and imagination to blossom and grow. I'm so happy to see you, to be able to thank you, and also to again benefit from your influence. What have you been doing all these years?"
   "I've been helping other children to think and dream for themselves. And I have other helpers too. Here's someone you may remember . . . "

   She reaches out her hand and stops the carousel's turning. Now I realize that the creatures on which the children are riding are not inanimate objects. Suddenly a polar bear stands up . . . and up . . . and up . . . . He's big! He steps over and sits in front of me and gently pats me on the head with his paw. Yes, I remember. We frolic a bit--rolling and running around.

   We walk back to Maria and I say, "Now I know why Mushy Bear means so much to me. I remember how this one used to watch out for me, and keep me company when I was lonely. His spirit resides in the stuffed animal, doesn't it?"
   "Yes," she replies. "You've never been alone. We'll always be here for you." Hugs. [More conversation and departure snipped.]⁵

inally to the last tower. The cliff was practically like a staircase. No problem getting up here. This is a very unusual tower--"Tower of Glass" redundantly etched beside the door. In front, facing toward the tower, is a knight on a dark horse. He holds some sort of instrument in his left hand--like a trumpet or something. I see absolutely nothing in this tower but grass. "Pardon me," I say as I approach the knight, "but I'm looking for the key of initiation. Can you help me please?"

   He barely notices me as he stares at the tower. "You'll find it down there on the beach." He points to the bottom of the cliff, where I see a small beach. "Thank you." No reply. Off I go.

   Suddenly, a clear high note rings through the air.⁶ I look up in time to see the tower explode and shatter, as glass falls everywhere like rain. It lands on the beach in fine granules, like sparkly silver sand. And lying there in the middle of it all is a golden key. I go down and retrieve it as Prywden sails over to meet me.

board the ship and as the crew prepares to get underway, I see a small box with a moon on the lid. I open it and discover a delicate and beautiful gold chain. As I remove it from the box, I see the charm hanging on it. It's a hawk in flight, and on the reverse are the words "For the joy of it." I sense who it's from, and silently send her a message of thanks.⁷

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   I did a seven-card spread before doing the meditations on the seven towers. After I finished, I picked a major and minor for each tower. If you click here, the descriptions will appear in the bottom frame (for comparison with meditations). If you click here, they will open in a new window. If you click here, the page will come in this window.