The Fool comes forth with boundless energy from a mysterious mountain that represents the unified whole we sometimes call God or the One Universe.

The Fool goes on to experience many facets of life, finds his purpose and knows himself. In the end, the 9 of Swords, the Fool now a wise old soul, rides off to the shores of Eternity and ads himself as a brick, a spire, a tower, a wall, a ladder, in the body of the Shekinah, Hathor, The Great Mother, The Sorrowful Mother, the Book and Body of the High Priestess, the living and manifest presence of God on Earth. The mountain has gone from a singularity to a collection of diversity and individuals. Eternity.

There it is!

I had all kinds of things to say but now….I feel weird, maybe in shock or denial or something. We had talked about, for a long time, having a big party or something when it was done, but now we are too broke even for Mcdonalds, lol. And, I just don’t feel like it. Last night I didn’t want to think about it, just go to bed.

Here’s a funny thing that happened. The kids just started their 3 week vacation and Rex got to check out a few books to read at the school library. One of the books was a Magic Treehouse book called Tigers at Twilight. He picked it out because he knows I love tigers and thought I would like reading it with him.

I promised I would read a few chapters last night but just felt so drained after finishing that painting I made a deal with him that I would instead read the whole book in the morning after breakfast.

Of course he dragged me out of bed and bugged me for breakfast first thing this morning so we could get to the book right away)

This book started with the poem Tyger! Tyger! by William Blake, my favorite! And then I saw in the table of contents a very tarot-ish set of chapters! The kids in this book even had a small white fluffy dog. Chapter 9 was called ‘The Hermit’ Of course.

In this series of books a brother and sister go in a magic treehouse which magically takes them to locations found in books. This one was the Indian jungle where they came across a tiger caught in a steel jawed trap. They saved the tiger who then tried to kill them.

They met a blind wise man, the Hermit, and asked him why the tiger did that? He explained to them that when they saved the tiger they didn’t just save his graceful beauty but also his dangerous ferocity. One could not live without the other. He gave the kids a lotus which had its petals in the air and roots in the mud as a symbol of this.

He also told them that he used to hear the separate sounds of all of the animals in the jungle but now, they all became one as the one voice of the forest.

I know it’s just a children’s book with some not unheard of symbolism and philosophy but I just found it very moving to read today, of all things, after completing my last card, it seemed to go along so perfectly with the summation of this deck. It will make even more sense when I discuss what is in this card more later.

I think it’s great that it wasn’t something from a great old philosopher or celebrated artist or writer that presented itself this morning, but a children’s book by someone I love, and……………..man, I hadn’t even thought of this until now, symbolically the Knight of Disks, because Rex is who I used as a model for the Knight of Disks and he was riding a white tiger. The Knight is someone who goes out, ventures and quests to get something you need, Disks here, means that this deck is fully manifested, it is a lotus that has risen through the dark mud, through the water and into the air and is now part of the one voice of the many. Well, it’s really moving to me.

Rex just walked up to me and said I should name this painting ‘The Majestic Sword

Another thing that happened last night. I was working on the painting over in the office and came over for some coffee or something and Sophie came up to me and said that she had made a Christmas tree out of green blocks and when she showed Michael he said, what? Is it an Aztec pyramid? She was saying Duh! how could he not tell the difference? Just moments before I had been looking at my own painting marvelling at the oddness of the proximity of pine trees and step pyramids.

As I write this I realize there are about 3 more ‘another things’ that have happened the last week or so, just strange little coincidences, and one odd ghostly like encounter. I don’t have time to type it out now though, it is lunchtime and the little natives are hungry and the house is in need of cleaning.

I am sure, though, I have been hearing the one voice of the forest though, I am part of it and all of you are part of it, and it is all parts of the body of the Shekinah or Hathor or any of the names you might have for the Great Mother archetype and god.

I’ll try to get back with more info later. I need to do a more official write up for this card. This isn’t the end yet, its just the completion of a giant step. I still need to do a card back, touch up and/or repaint several cards, write the book and get it published.

Thank you, friends, for being there all this time. (feeling choked up now)