Sep 18 2008
Protected: Death becomes Initiation
yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death… Psalm 23.
Of all the cards in the tarot deck I have to admit, this is my favorite card and it’s not because of the iconic death imagery, the raw energy and power you might be able to sense lying beneath the surface, or the old energy fear that is wrapped around the archetype. Rather, this is my favorite card because this archetype is basically about awakening. This archetype is about awakening to your divinity and reconnecting with The Fabric of Consciousness. The archetype is basically about remembering who you are and since that’s basically what I’m here to help with, if any tarot card/archetype could represent my work in this lifetime, this card would definitely be it.
I suppose that is why I am so irritated by the fact that the someone has plastered the idea of death all over the awakening archetype.
I mean, what’s that about?
Death and dying while a Rosicrucian pale horse rider goes passing by.
A hierophant in supplication, looking like he’s praying, possibly ready to sacrifice the young and the weak standing beside him.
A far away gate and, on the other side, full consciousness (i.e., awakening).
But how do we get there?
And what is the cost?
And what must we sacrifice?
And is that fear you are feeling now?
Well if so, don’t worry. While the idea of death is appropriate in this card, it’s not like the old book says. Although it is true that the physical unit may resist awakening, and it is true that this will eventually lead to the physical death of the body, the pale horse rider doesn’t bring that message. The pale horse rider simply helps “clear the way” so that your physical unit and your higher consciousness can connect.
That’s all.
It’s a little bit of energetic clearing, a little bit of right thinking, and the admonition to make things right.
And once you do that, awakening is mostly automatic.
So, why is this card named initiation if it is about awakening? Well, it is because in the early stages, as the body is healed and as consciousness begins to enter, you may experience your awakening process in the form of (more or less) dramatic “shocks” or initiations. These initiations may be experienced as dramatic realizations or epiphanies or as literal physical shocks. It can be quite dramatic. Initially, these may occur in dreams, but you may also experience this in the waking world as well. When these initiations do occur, have no fear. Welcome these initiations and recognize them for what they are, the initial steps out of the valley of the shadows, or as I like to say the first steps out of the darkness of “normal.” Embrace these as evidence that you have begun your return to spiritual health. Make a note of them and move on. Do not dwell on them because you won’t experience them forever. These sorts of things only occur at the beginning of the healing process. As you progress, realizations, awakening, and epiphanies will transform into gentle exchanges of information between The Fabric and your physical unit.
It is important to note here that the dramatic initiations of the type associated with awakening from damaged normal consciousness are not the rule, they are the exception and they only occur in a physical unit that has been harmed by The System. A healthy physical unit trained properly from birth would never experience any kind of dramatic initiation. Rather, in a properly socialized physical unit, awakening would occur as the natural expansion of consciousness into the body and would progress gradually through childhood, adolescence, and finally adulthood.
In any case, when you see this card, simply remind yourself of what you are working towards. You are climbing out of the somnambulistic ”death” of normal consciousness and working towards the full activation and awakening of the physical unit.