In the Beginning was the Word ~ side two ~ The Court of the Crimson King

The Court of the Crimson King
including The Return of the Fire Witch and The Dance of the Puppets

"Desire draws the Moon and Sun to hold
Each other; hid in darksome depths, the bold
Embrace of sibling spirits joined in love
Unites the world below with sky above.
Unasked, the Dart of Passion strikes; be bold!

- verse accompanying the Love tarot card

- chapter 11 index -
pg. 1 - Moonchild | pg. 2 - The Dream The Illusion
pg. 3 - The Court of the Crimson King | pg. 4 - The Purple Piper
pg. 5 - Three Lullabies | pg. 6 - Orpheus
pg. 7 - The Keeper of the City Keys | pg. 8 - The Pilgrim's Door
pg. 9 - The Gardener | pg. 10 - The Yellow Jester
pg. 11 - The Dance of the Puppets | pg. 12 - Dionysus
pg. 13 - The Fool | pg. 14 - Logos
pg. 15 - The Magician | pg. 16 - Finis

- page index -
Leo

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"...in the Islamic religion...Djibril or Gabriel appeared to the prophet Mahammad to reveal the Koran, and...is said to have saffron hair, which is a red-orange color, reminiscent of the red hair of Edom (Esau) in the Jacob myth. Both might refer to the red clay that Adam was formed from out of the earth and the psychological fact that passive thinking (intuition), comes first in the human psyche. Thus, the primary color of red shows up in association with Adam and Gabriel (thinking)"
"As the Archangel who brought the Word of God by the revelation of the Koran, the Islamic holy book, the power and glory of thought (the thinking function) cannot be underestimated, and in its primal and earthly (red) form, all conscious thought was first intuitive thought."

- The Genesis Model by Gerry Anne Lenhart

While passing through the underworld, Orpheus turned to the Willow ("Dreaming in the shadow of the willow") to receive the virtue of eloquence. He acquired his lyre from Apollo.

"One of the references to the sun and Apollo happens to be the oldest mention in ancient literature of the descent that Orpheus made to the underworld. It explains how Orpheus came to be so devoted to Apollo. Tradition made him a priest and prophet of Apollo, sometimes even made him his son. But this account says it was only after he went down to the world of the dead and 'because he saw the things to be seen there just as they are' that he understood why the sun is the greatest of the gods-and is identical to Apollo."

"The rusted chains of prison moons
are shattered by the sun"

"The account goes on to say how he used to wake up at night and climb a mountain so he could catch a glimpse of his god at dawn."

"Waiting for the sun on the mountain"

"Playing hide and seek
with the ghosts of dawn"

"There was also a famous Orphic poem, written by a Pythagorean in southern Italy. Hardly any traces of it have been allowed to survive. It presented Orpheus making his journey to the underworld in another state of consciousness, in a kind of dream. And the poem described him as making one major discovery that he brought back to the world of the living. This was the fact that Apollo shares his powers with Night.
We know less about the poem than about the response it evoked from religious authorities centuries later. Orpheus was mocked for his imaginary wisdom, attacked for spreading his 'false notions' through the world. And there was a famous writer called Plutarch-a good man, a good Platonist-who put the official position clearly on record. 'Apollo and Night have nothing in common.'

And for most people they didn't any more. Experience of another world holds little value once you start to place all your trust in the apparent powers of reason."

- In the Dark Places of Wisdom by Peter Kingsley

"Luna gives birth to Sol, the daylight of the psyche, the conscious rational mind, who goes his way alone, unlike Luna who has the other planets and fixed stars for her companions. The conscious Sun cannot see himself by his own light, but he can be seen clearly from the perspective of the Moon and her companions: Mercury, Saturn, Venus, and the rest of the planets and zodiac. They know what must be done, for the very law ordained by Zeus, and ministered by his daughters the Horae (Hours, Seasons), is that the Paternal Logos, the ego-consciousness, should yield regularly to the Maternal Eros, that dark should alternate with light to achieve a proper balance. The Sun sinks into her waters, the mighty river Ocean at the rim of the world, and is reborn out of it. (Jung, A 13, MC 179, 357; Nichols 116-7)"

- The Pythagorean Tarot by John Opsopaus

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The astrological sign of Moonchild was Cancer. The next sign is Leo.

Leo Sun Sign

Masculine/Fixed/Fire.

Quality: Fixed-Leo is enthusiastic, powerful, expansive and creative, generous and extravagant, dogmatic and fixed in opinion.

Ruling planet: The sun-Center of our solar system, a star that burns with intense force and supplies us with light, heat and energy. In astrology, the sun is the most powerful planetary influence, bestowing vitality and authority.

Symbol: The Lion-Regal, brave, dominating, sometimes indolent. Possessing nobility and pride.

Birthstone: Ruby-protects against physical injury and insures faithfulness. It also brings its wearer serenity of mind.

Color: Gold and orange-the magnetic colors of the Sun.

Danger: Leo people tend to be bombastic and challenging.

Most likeable Trait: Exuberance.

Your loyalty is beyond question. You are only devoted to yourself.

All Leo's possess a kingdom. The kingdom may be big or small, it may be your home, a lover, a piece of creative work or your whole career. But whatever it is you are unquestioningly ruler of this kingdom. Self assurance surrounds Leo people like a ghost image on a TV set. You don't have to look for a role to play in life. You've found it. You are the monarch of all you survey.

When you enter a room you secretly hope everyone will stand up and sing a few stanzas of the Hallelujah Chorus!"

Leo's Motto: I WILL

- Leo

The coats of arms of the Swabian lineage of the Hohenstaufen

Swabia was the ancestral homeland of the Hohenstaufen family and, until Federick Barbarossa, the Hohenstaufen arms consisted of a shield of gold with three black lions in the center.