The Nature of the Forest

The Serpent in the Forest, large and black, lazy and slow. His companion was an older white haired man with twinkly blue eyes, holding in his hands a deck of cards. Shuffling the deck while standing next to the serpent he casually commented  ‘I wonder how the deck will fall today, Sam’?

And in his minds eye he saw himself having built an upright castle with the deck, and it eventually collapsing onto the table. Let me lay the cards out and see what the future predicts, for is there not a divine mathematics to this universe? I read the numbers as if I were reading a storybook, seeing the steps unfold with numerical precision. ‘What shall we do, Sam, with the predictability of this day? ‘Reading the outcome makes me laugh. And you, you have become lazy with acceptance’. What if we should build a house of cards which can withstand the highest wind, firm in its convictions with a dream of creation. That the rain, thunder and lightning flow over it without affect, untouched by the wind, steady and true. What if we build a house of cards like that, Sam? On this gloriously beautiful clear day, with its bright blue skies and deep stillness? Here on the table before me under this simple roof in the forest. The serpent listened attentively with a sly lift to the lip and a distant calculating glint in his eye, for his comfortable, lazy life was always foremost in his thoughts. His self serving approach to existence was One with the beat of his heart. This master, holding the deck of cards between his hands, was an amusing and powerful man who enjoyed the creative flair with which he controlled the deck, building and rebuilding houses, and always with curious wonder at how they fell. 

The master wondered, ‘How does one build a house of cards that can withstand the elements of nature? That can also stand firmly in a breeze? It’s simple, he thought, I need to understand the nature of the elements that I can use them to my advantage, that this house can become untouchable. Wonderful, he congratulated himself, as One within the magical kingdom of the nature spirits and a house of my own that is untouchable. He laid down the first card and placed it in the centre of the table facing upwards, it was the King of Hearts. He felt into his own heart for the strength and power of the King, unstoppable and ruling over his kingdom with majestic flow and creativity. Yes, this was the foundation of his house. He placed a second upright card on the Eastern side of the King, facing inwards, it was the Ace of Spades confirming that to build a new beginning in alignment with the dawning of a new day, he would need a spade to build a firm foundation. He loved the shape of the card, a heart with a handle, a heart that knows how to work. 

On the west side of the King, the side of the setting sun at the completion of the day, he took a third card from the top of the deck, the Ace of Hearts and placed it also facing inwards. ‘Yes’, he thought ‘a heart that knows of suffering and whose primary focus is to prevent these conditions. To the North, the queen of spades, a hard working queen with a handle on her own heart, whose focus is forwards digging a hole and burying anything in its way. And in the South the two of hearts, with the two of spades on top of it. For a balanced heart, a heart that understands the trials of the past predict our choices for the future and affect the work we are willing to do, guiding the way. A heart that has been pummelled and bruised, beaten into submission so that balance can be sought at all costs. 

‘Yes, this is going well ’, he thought, and continued to build.  It should be simple if I can connect these numbers to the nature of the forest. Align each number to that which resonates with it for greatest effect. The two of Spades will be the Eagle, its wings providing vision and balance to be able to see what needs to be done next. The Ace of Hearts will be the serpent slithering along the forest floor, lazily seeking edibles, its primary focus being to feed itself. The rabbit will be the four of clubs with its three leaves, giving balance in numbers. 

The Master gazed upon the house of cards with satisfaction, this was going well. Oh, the infinite possibilities and outcomes of different combinations….,  he stayed focused with his intention. As One with nature, an indestructible building. 

Bowing his head to his heart he closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Where in my heart is the roof, that which will protect the interior of the building. He imagined ceramic tiles over a building under a blue sky, it could have been a villa in the countryside in Tuscany. 

Then he knew it, the nine of clubs, the three leaves perfectly balanced and the number of completion covering the structure convincingly. Yes, all was well and in order and this seemed a solid form. 

He sought in his heart the nature spirit that would fit with the nine and saw the crocodile, the reptilian part of the brain that absorbs all that it experiences. What better protection for his plan than the unconscious pattern of awareness of all that is around it. Completion of an indestructible plan that he would creatively implement for himself and his lazy slithering companion, that they could continue their simple and fortuitous lifestyle with individual satisfaction. 

Now let us begin with the crocodile, the perceived roof of the house, that which appears to protect us from the rain the sun the wind and the storms, that which we fear may damage our interiors. For nature can be quite outspoken when rebalancing herself. When there is too much rain, the sun needs to come out and dry it up and when there is too much sun, the rain needs to supply water to the crusty earth. Nature, she is a sensitive and expressive Being. And she simply loves to finish with a splash of colour bent across the sky, in the still aftermath of a storm. 

The crocodile lived well between the land and the waters absorbing the feelings of all that was around it and storing it in the memory, what one might call the reptilian brain. And this was useful, for it could be referred to at any time and served as protection from the weather, just like the roof of the house. It learned the cause of changing weather conditions and eventually was able to make predictions. Always remembering that a rainbow would complete the story.  And far in the back of its mind, it knew when to escape to a cave alongside the river, where the currents of overwhelm could sweep past it, while itself remained unaffected within the peaceful dark interior. Slowly, it receded into the stillness of the cave and submerged itself under the waters, reading nature and predicting an outcome, coming out for a sunny day to dry out and warm its scales and then once again escaping to the cave in unpleasant conditions. 

The design of this house with its protective roof would not easily crumble, but consideration needed to be given to a potentially destructible wind.

The Eagle soared over the landscape, the trees below a dense green jungle, he sought a tall tree with no leaves that he might be close to the jungle with unhindered vision.  He glided onto a branch, settled himself and listened attentively to the cacophony of sounds below, what seemed to be the noise of life without distinction. All the creatures in the forest needed to speak, for why else would they have a voice? He settled into silence letting the reverberation of sound echo through him. There was a pattern in the noisy chorus, a single voice within the many. The soul of the forest had a song, and it was an expression of great joy at simply Being, in expression of itself. 

Yes, all was well in this world and so he pressed down upon his wings and lifted himself powerfully into the air. He ascended higher and higher until he felt the wind currents carrying him within the patterns of perfection. He was soaring within an expanse of ostensible emptiness. In this moment, nothing but endless blue space. 

Closing his eyes, he felt the wind beneath his wings and came into awareness of the patterns of creation he was smoothly gliding along. The blue sky held the invisible designs of creation within its currents, of all that is and ever has been. 

He opened his eyes and saw a mountain, a firm place on which to pause where the density beneath him would be unmovable in the most forceful of winds. Taking a breath he became aware of his beating heart, himself so powerful and light with the gift of higher vision and an intrinsic knowing of the unseen patterns of perfection. He felt the rhythm of his heart and within lay the knowledge of a great wind coming, he must seek shelter. He swooped down to the river and sought a cave. The same cave as the crocodile, would provide shelter from the storm.

The King looked down on the table at the House of cards, where was the sun? In his minds eye he saw the Tarot card of the Sun and felt warmed by its presence. The Blue background surrounding the picture of a sun, so still and radiant. But this picture was very quickly replaced by that of a man in robes traveling alone down a dusty road and being blown by a powerful wind. The King could feel his struggle, grappling to stay upright and focused on a direction, the strength of the wind repeatedly sweeping him off course, and the cold slowly creeping in. The wind was creating chaos and he was struggling to focus. Why was he on this path and where was he going, he thought, pulling his robes closer for warmth. He tried to feel into his heart to remember, seeking a glimpse of light, a glow of warmth that could guide him forwards. Clutching at his robes he connected his mind to his heart and imagined his destination, one step in front of the other was all that he could manage but all that he needed. The sun was setting behind him, the darkness creeping stealthily closer, the only light a glimmer of hope deep within the cave of his heart. How could he possible stay on course in the dark with this crazy wind? he wondered.

As is the nature of the earthplane, once the sun had set the wind began to still, and there was slight reprieve from the insanity. He took a deep breath and sensed the stars above, shining their light onto him, guiding him and soon he realised that it was almost easier to find direction in the dark with such clear patterning surrounding him. He felt into the reflection of the stars on his body, and it was as if he were walking on a map, the pathway before him as clear as the mirroring of a full moons reflection on the ocean. 

The King of Hearts, the empowerment of Love reflected in the universe around him on this dark night of his soul, …such a clear map, such a clear night. And in the silence only the sounds of his footsteps.

Guidelines for the Archetypes…

The deck of cards represents the infinite numbers of options, of choices one can make, each with it’s own experiences and teachings. Within the order there can be chaos, yet all is always in perfection. The house of cards is any given structure that we create for a chosen experience.

The serpent is the kundalini energy or life force.

The wind would refer to the mental body, air and rain would refer to the emotional body, water.

The crocodile holds the patterns within the reptilian part of the brain.

The rainbow is the balanced chakras all in alignment becoming a circular stream of white light.

The eagle holds higher vision and also the gift of landing within the patterning of the tree of life and connecting air to earth, the physical body. Higher vision changes ones perspective and is connected to the wisdom of the mountains. The mountains hold the patterns of all time and space, wherein exists our wisdom and memories. This wisdom is often held deep within the unconscious, as yet unremembered.

The mighty wind holds reference to disruption in the mental body, which is a condition on the earth plane today. Mental addiction, media manipulation, interference of the brainwaves with chemicals, programs, etc.

Yet, within the darkness, within the deep unconscious, exists the patterns of the stars, the original design of our creation. And when we seek within our own darkness we are guided forward, one step at a time.