Finding Gawain – Act Five (final part)

Finding Gawain – Act Five (final part)

Deep within the Hart, the white hands reach for him…

And, in the space between the single drop of blood leaving his skin and hitting the dry earth beneath the headsman’s block, the Shining One pulls his unresisting being out of time and changes him.

Meeting no resistance and working within the field of total trust, she reaches up to the stars and brings down the chalice of what he can be. Pulling the energy pattern that is the essence of Gawain from the kneeling block, she performs on his still active mind, the Unmaking that he has dreaded; ever since the dream of the cornering of the Stag in the Castille Diablo.

But this is no surgery of the flesh; this is a descent of intelligent fire that cleanses. Everything that he is, everything that he has desired or even loved, everything that he has hated is held up to the flame and burned to its true value…

When the Unmaking is finished, she begins the Remaking. Connecting the fire-forged and inverted vessel below to its heavenly twin, above, she vivifies the two with a lightning bolt for which she is only the witness; for she, mighty though she is, is still the pair of steady white hands that hold him, trembling, as the alchemy of the spirit works its magic.

And then, finally, she and he are one, as a hand in the river still belongs to the fisherman above, and there is a measure of heaven on earth for those with eyes to see and ears to hear…

The single drop of blood, drawn by the Lady of the Hunt with an exact cut into mortal Guardian Gawain’s offered neck, hits the ground, returning the life of everything he had built from the earth back into the soil.

The Bright Hart pushes himself from the block and stands on unsteady feet, seeing, through the suddenly parted crowd, the smiling face of Lady Verdant. The Lord and Lady of the Hunt step away, drawn by the fires of the night to a further purpose, their work of the Hart complete.

Lord Verdant comes from the shadows to take the Bright Hart into his arms and hugs him, with the words, “Welcome Brother…” Lord Verdant places gaily coloured ribbons around his neck and a garland of white flowers in his hair. The Bright Hart is led away to rest and to watch the fires of Foxes in the night, still wrapped in the white cloak of the forest.

They leave him then, to look into the flames, and to decide what he will do next…

During the long night he gazes at the stars, and dreams with them while his body rests.

In the morning, the cloak is gone and The Lord of the Dance, dressed in the Foliate Mask, brings them all into the Chamber of the Table Round, holding aloft the Wondrous Head and turning, as the Sun turns, to show all present the glories of the human potential.

Foliate Gawain enters the temple, and is greeted by all with joy. Even he is confused about his great adventure, but the details are soon forgotten in the warmth of reunion. The Veiled Lady appears, soon to be his bride, and tells him that he must choose whether she will be beautiful by day or by night. With grace, he bows and says that she, alone, has the power and the right to make that choice.

The evil spell that hid her beauty is broken. She will be beautiful, always… The couple smile in joy as the Lady of the Veils removes them, becoming the Bright One.

There will be dancing; dancing as there has never been before… But first, there is a wedding to conduct.

The Lord of the Dance invites the Lady of the Veils, once Ragnell the Hag, and now the Bright One, to take the offered hand of Foliate Gawain the Hunter and to join their lives in beauty by placing their joined hands above the Wondrous Head, whereupon the Lord of the Dance unites them in holy marriage, and Arthur and Guinevere crown them with flowers. The entire company of the Table Round and that of the Castille Diablo unite in their blessings for the couple, whose happiness is joint and bountiful.

Even Mordred and Morgause become part of the happy weave, though perhaps not as enthusiastically as others…

There is mead and bread, shared by all, given out by the newly married couple, and offered, first, to the Lord of the Dance. When all are served Foliate Gawain and the Bright One serve each other.

And then there is dancing, as the Lord of The Dance conducts the couples of Camelot in the mystic union represented by the six paths of the magical enneagram. Couple by couple:

Merlin and the Lady

Lord Bedivere and Lady Dindrane

Lord Uriens and Lady Morgan

Lord Pellinore and Lady Yglais

Lord Gareth and Lady Liones

Lord Lancelot and Lady Elaine

Lord Gawain and the Bright One

Then Lord and Lady Grene, Lord Mordred and Morgause, and King Arthur and Queen Guinevere take up their positions on the triangular centre of the dancing space and are led by the Lord of the Dance in a pattern of threes.

The Lady of the Lake and Merlin come forward to join with the Lord of the Dance in reciting the essence of the spirits of the Hind Card, the Red Dragon and the White Dragon, The Hind’s essence is given here, those of the Red and White dragon, we leave for the retelling of others…

—

A silent given grace you seek to find

Within the moonlight forests of the mind

Where mossy doubt obscures the silver stream

And clarity comes only in a dream

Where thou and I and we are of one mind

Blessed by the lucent magic of the Hind

—

There is dancing, which fills the temple and then spills out onto the earth and spreads across the world.

END

——-

We hope you have enjoyed this subjective journey. It is only one of many from that wonderful Leaf and Flame weekend in April 2016. We hope many others will tell their own stories…

Partial image of Hind in the author’s montage, above, is taken from the Druid Oracle, which was a central element of the Leaf and Flame workshop.

Previous: Act One, Act Two, Act Three (i), Act Three (ii), Act Three (iii), Act Four.

The journey of Gawain is a personal interpretation of one of the parts in Leaf and Flame, the Silent Eye’s annual workshop held in April 2016 and created by Stuart France and Sue Vincent.

The Silent Eye uses a combination of magical ritual and psycho-drama to illustrate its teachings on the journey to the Soul.

For more details click here.

Details of next year’s workshop (April 2017), The Feathered Seer, can now be found on our website events page. Everyone is welcome, all you need to bring is your self…