10: Pathfinding… next steps

I have finished fleshing out nearly 100 characters for the book I am writing and it is now time for the next steps. How do I determine the interactions between these characters? Are there common threads that would pull these individuals together? Geography? Occupation? Occasion? Genealogy? Circumstance?

There are times in our lives when we are thrust into situations where we inevitably connect with someone. This can be through celebration or tragedy, a purpose, an interest, a person or just as a matter of serendipitous consequence. How do you interact with others in your life? Is your connection due to something in particular or just out of serendipitous consequence? Is your connection through someone else? How has your story evolved over time and how have the people in your story evolved over time? What brings people together?

To write a book about relationships is not an undertaking for the fainthearted. To be credible, it must be done with great care and consideration. So, to write a book that brings nearly 100 people together is a daunting task. I have my characters, each have their own lives, their own families, their own quirks and these characters have to mesh with the others in a realistic and plausible manner. Perhaps the card I have drawn today is quite fitting.

Today, I have drawn the Hermit IX. I am using the Thoth Tarot illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris.

This is quite the card! It is full of hidden details. The hermit himself is depicted as an ancient ibis (look at his head). The only other body part on the card is his hand which is holding a lamp that, at its centre, houses the Sun. He is surrounded by heavy-headed wheat ripe to harvest and these heavy-heads shafts suggest sperm. You can see the orphic egg wrapped by the serpent and you can also see the sperm (a Homunculus) with the fetus appearing in its head coiled up in a fetal position. The three-headed dog Cerberus also makes an appearance here and he is associated with Mercury/Hermes who tamed him to rescue Persephone from Hades. Cerberus guarded the gates of Hades.

The Hermit is about practical planning, searching within and reconnecting to Source. He is a solitary and withdrawn figure who ponders life’s mysteries and searches for inner understanding of deeper truths. This is a time to be introspective and think about how to proceed, to plan next steps and be truly considered in thought and decision. It is about looking for inspired spirit and seeing clearly how to proceed. It is about looking forward to what is on the horizon, much as the Hermit is looking at the orphic egg. I take heart as this card suggests that the savage beast of confusion has been tamed and, though still on my heels, I choose to stay clear and level-headed as I progress.

With that my good friends, I bid you a productive and clear day. Until tomorrow… Love, light and blessings!