Iron John Chapter 14 When our whole head of hair turns to Gold.

The first part of the audio file is about the mystical marriage. 0:0 to 23:46

Audio about the 3 days at the pons starts at 23:46 min.

Three days at the pond just some of the images.

What happens on the third day at the Pond? When our whole head of hair turns to Gold.

1. Seeing ourselves reflected in the Pond of Soul as we really are.
2. Our whole time at the pond as a Vision Quest. A quest for vision, our vision.
3. The pond as the three stations of the Axis Mundi or the world tree.
4. Our whole head of hair turns to Gold.

The Narrative The third day: “On the third day, the boy sat by the well and did not stir his finger, however much it hurt him. But the time was long to him, and he looked at the reflection of his face on the surface of the water. And as he still bent down more and more while he was doing so, and trying to look straight into the eyes, his long hair fell down from his shoulders into the water. He raised himself up quickly, but the whole of the hair of his head was already golden and shone like the sun. You can Imagine how terrified the poor boy was! He took his pocket-handkerchief and tied it around his head, in order that the man might not see it. When he came, he already knew everything, and said, “Take the handkerchief off.” Then the golden hair streamed forth, and let the boy excuse himself as he might, it was of no use.”

 The expulsion from paradise (again) 

“Thou hast not stood the trial, But as thou hast not a bad heart, and as I mean well by thee, there is one thing I will grant thee; if thou fallest into any difficulty, come to the forest and cry, “Iron John,” and then I will come and help thee. My power is great, greater than thou thinkest, and I have gold and silver in abundance.”

The end of the third-day narrative.: “On the third day, the boy sat by the well and did not stir his finger, however much it hurt him. But the time was long to him, and he looked at the reflection of his face on the surface of the water. And as he still bent down more and more while he was doing so, and trying to look straight into the eyes, his long hair fell down from his shoulders into the water.”

Pond work is solo work. What does that mean? Solo work means conscious initiation. By the third day, we are working consciously with the Pond, not just being swept along by events. Solo work also means that we must take the final steps by ourselves. As Frodo had to do in the “Lord of the Rings”. Just as Frodo and his shadow Golem took the final steps; ultimately his shadow carries the ring into the depths of Mount Doom and the Dark Lord Sauron, loses his hold over the world. The power of the tyranny by hatred comes crashing down and the true King returns to heal the land.

Notice the narrative says, “our finger still hurts”, meaning that we still carry some shadow, and so some inner Gold, through to the third day. “the boy sat by the well and did not stir his finger, however much it hurt him”. We must resolve his shadow however through learning about poverty. The Wildman sends us on the next part of our journey, which will be driven forward by the Girl who loves Gold the – deep Feminine.

“You Know a lot about gold now, you must leave me and learn about poverty.”

Seeing our vision, our genius, our gifts, our mission reflected back to us in the Golden Pond.

What does it mean to look into the water and see your own reflection? To see yourself as you really potentially. When we look into a mirror what do we see? We see ourselves through the eyes and expectations of other people. We don’t see ourselves at all.

When our whole head of hair turns to Gold.  “You can Imagine how terrified the poor boy was! He took his pocket-handkerchief and tied it around his head, in order that the man might not see it. When he came, he already knew everything, and said, “Take the handkerchief off.” Then the golden hair streamed forth, and let the boy excuse himself as he might, it was of no use.”

When our gaze is directed in a visionary way at the Pond, we see ourselves in potential. All that we could become, all that is possible. Like the seed packet from the nursery shows what the seeds could be, maybe but not what they will be. Some of what was in our shadow is now gold and releases its secrets to us. With that comes a tremendous release of energy; the energy that was used to suppress the secrets in the first place. At the point that the content of our shadow is reincorporated into the Ego, our whole head of hair turns to gold, a halo of gold. An off world mystical marriage.

Hiding our Golden Hair or “Don’t show your Gold too soon”. “He took his pocket-handkerchief and tied it around his head, in order that the man might not see It.” This is such an important detail there is a whole story devoted to it, called the “Devil’s Sooty Brother”. When the Wildman says “Don’t let anything defile the pond” he was also saying, Guard your gold, don’t show it too soon, and be aware that there are false Innkeepers who will steal your gold. Keep it hidden until the time is right. Most importantly, don’t let anything enter the Pond that will defile it. Warrior work.

Carpet work. Anybody who has experienced carpet work in M.K.P. or done any of the other psychodrama or therapy processes will attest to the release of energy when bits of shadow are reintegrated into ourselves. When we create something with our hands and it works, that creating can bring immense satisfaction and pleasure. Joseph Campbell would say “Follow your bliss.”

Now the Wildman strides in, his work is almost done. He confirms that the process is complete and tells us the next step. “You Know a lot about your gold now you must leave me and learn about poverty”.

If this pond is in the other world, what is he talking about now? Somehow there is a trial of poverty – not poverty of wealth in our world, but a spiritual and Soul poverty. Somewhere out in the universe, there is a galactic travel agent. When you go in there are all sorts of places to go to for different experiences.

Survival school for the Soul Somewhere on the rack of pamphlets is a travel brochure for the planet Earth mystery school survival camp for the soul. “A Goldilocks planet, third rock from the sun X123654987 Y789456123 Galactic coordinates. Beautiful watery environment, various climates, rich in diverse cultures. Lessons possible, but not limited to, a full sensory physical body experience, the limitations of time. Love, passion, betrayal, disappointment, Nobility, cruelty, hatred, prejudice, hope, and charity. Test your faith. Free will is given absolutely so what you make of the experience is totally up to you.”

Incarnating guidance and life planning are recommended. Ticket valid until the lesson is learned. Please don’t exit the ride until it has stopped. Pass-outs are available on request. There is a long waiting list so apply early. What to take with you? A sense of humour would be invaluable, all other necessities will be provided on-site. Please note no souvenirs can be taken with you when you leave, only the experience gained.

Learning about poverty, a paucity of Soul.

Why does he have to learn about poverty? The school of hard knocks? Because this is the process by which the container is created to hold and contain the gold seen at the pond in our world. It’s dangerous to stay at the pond too long, Ashrams are populated by people who stayed too long at the golden pond. The narrative says, “the boy sat by the well and did not stir his finger, however much it hurt him”. As a king’s son, we didn’t know much about poverty, which was in shadow. Certainly, a visit to earth can give us an experience of that poverty and balance out the Gold we carry.

Bread & Wine Friedrich Holderlin.

       Oh, Friends we arrived too late. The divine energies are still alive, but isolated above us, in the archetypical world.

      They keep on going there, and apparently, don’t bother if humans live or not………and that is a heavenly mercy.

      Sometimes a human’s clay is not strong enough to take the divine water. Human beings can carry the divine only sometimes.

      What is living now? Night dreams of them. But craziness helps, so does sleep. Grief and night toughen us.

      Until people capable of sacrifice once more rock in the iron cradle, desire people, like the ancients, strong enough for that water.

      in thunderstorms it will arrive. I have the feeling often meanwhile it is better to sleep, since……….the guest comes so seldom.

      we waste our lives waiting, and I haven’t the faintest idea how to act or talk…in the lean years who needs poets??

      But poets as you say are like the holy disciple of the wild one. The one who used to stroll over the fields and through the enormous forest through the whole divine night.

 I think or intuit that there are such things as inverted guardians. The vessel has to be ready and prepared before something can come into the light. Like in Alchemy the vessel must be strong enough for the Opus otherwise the transformation cannot take place or the vessel shatters.

The Hollow Bone. It seems we must be hollowed out inside like a didgeridoo or a flute, a strong Ego boundary on the outside in service to the music on the inside.   It is only by this process that the gold seen at the Pond can be brought into this world.  Like an electrical engineer or a nuclear engineer, the issue of containment and insulation is paramount. We have learnt to guard the gold and not let it be defiled. Bringing it into this world in safe amounts.

And a woman spoke, saying, Tell us of Pain. From The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

     And he said:

     “Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.

     Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun,

     so must you know pain.

     And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life your pain would not

      seem less wondrous than your joy.

     And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons

     that pass over your fields.

     And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.

     Much of your pain is self-chosen.

     It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.

     Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquillity:

     For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen,

     And the cup he brings, though it burns your lips, has been fashioned of the clay which the Potter

     has moistened with His own sacred tears”.

From The Prophet (Knopf, 1923). This poem is in the public domain.

The third day at the Pond as a Vision-Quest. There has been for millennium a process for this trial called “The Vision Quest.” Indigenous cultures around the world have practiced this. As set out in “The book of the Vision Quest” by Steven Foster and Meredith Little, personal transformation in the wilderness. As we have said before we all bring gifts into this world when we are born. We rely on the elders to help us bring forth these gifts and give us space and the opportunity to express them. Through the process of Vision-Quest these gifts can be made conscious and the initiate made aware of the mission carried from the other world.

Why have I chosen this process for the task of the third day? The narrative states that when you reach a state of Kingship your whole head of hair turns to gold. That hair becomes our crowning glory; as much as any earthly crown bestowed by the community. As much as we try to hide it later in the story, it keeps getting us into trouble. The right trouble, by wanting to show itself.  

The other reason is that the vision quest makes us conscious of the gifts we brought into this life. Such a vision can keep us fulfilled for a whole lifetime here. Sometimes we need to look at the ending of the story to understand what the story is trying to tell us. And so on to the last phase of the Vision Quest. Reincorporation.

Reincorporation of the hero into this world: Requires that he or she demonstrates the power and effectiveness of the vision.

“A returning Questor is not able to use the power of the vision until he has performed the vision on Earth for the people to see”.   Black Elk

At the return threshold, the transcendent power must be left behind. (At the end of the story Jack and the Beanstalk story) Jack’s mother hands Jack the axe. Jack cuts down the beanstalk, the pathway to the other world. The Giant falls with the beanstalk and is crushed by his own weight and the connection to the other world is severed.

The gift that is given is an active moral force applied among human beings of divine flesh and blood.

The miraculous is manifested not by divine intervention but by humans taking one step at a time.  If the hero must return to the world of death, then the gift is given in love, a love that transcends death. To experience joy and sorrow in this world.

Joy and Sorrow Chapter VIII Kahlil Gibran.

       Then a woman said, “Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.”

       And he answered:

       Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.

       And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.

       And how else can it be?

      The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.

       Is not the cup that hold your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?

      And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?

       When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.

       When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

        Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.”

        But I say unto you, they are inseparable.

       Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

      Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.

     Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.

    When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall. 

Of course, for us already at the Pond, some of the steps are already done. When the Wildman bids us to watch the pond on the third day the instruction is the same. “Don’t let anything defile the pond” In this case stay focused on the task ahead. The story narrative jumps ahead to the sunrise on the fourth day of the Quest, where a vision is granted as the sun rises in the East after the night vigil of the Death Lodge.

So, it is with the human being who has to fill the role of Kingship and stand between the two poles of the axis. The Feminine of below and the Masculine of above with mankind between the conductor of the Divine energies into this world. The role of Kingship.

The Road less Travelled

The Narrative.  “Thou hast not stood the trial, and canst stay here no longer. Go forth into the world, there thou wilt learn what poverty is”.

The Road Not Taken Robert Frost.

       Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

       And sorry I could not travel both

      And be one traveller, long I stood

      And looked down one as far as I could

      To where it bent in the undergrowth;

     Then took the other, as just as fair,

     And having perhaps the better claim,

     Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

      Though as for that the passing there

      Had worn them really about the same,

      And both that morning equally lay

      In leaves no step had trodden black.

      Oh, I kept the first for another day!

      Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

      I doubted if I should ever come back.

      I shall be telling this with a sigh

      Somewhere ages and ages hence:

      Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

      I took the one less travelled by,

     And that has made all the difference.

 

The vision Quest process:

There are two reasons why I have included this in this chapter and at the end of the first book of Iron John.

1. As opposed to the Iron John story a Vision-Quest is a conscious initiation.
2. The Vision of ourselves and our lives at the Pond.
3. The issue of reincorporation is so well laid out in the Vision-Quest that it tells us why we need to now travel the Road less Travelled.

Vision Quest a conscious initiation process. The Vision quest while following the hero’s journey process, is different because the Vision quest is a conscious initiation. Whereas the Heroic journey begins as an unconscious journey.

In this world the vision quest looks something like this. I have done two vision quest myself so I can share my experiences. In this world this is what it looks like.

The call.

Preparation.

Setting intention

Medicine walk, medicine bag.

Separation/severance

The threshold.

The mountain threshold

Alone time.

Night Vigil in the death lodge.

Sunrise Vision

Return

Story telling

Reincorporation

Finding your way into this world again with a new relationship.

Bringing forth your gold for your community. 

The call We must choose consciously to go on a Vision Quest. Having heard the call, the die is cast. When we become aware that our Golden Ball is gone and that we are living in despair and anxiety, the promise of the status quo is empty. As we cry for what we want, the Firebird of the mind swoops in and brings us to a place where we can see the next step. We hear or read of such a thing in Johannesburg in the year 2020. Maybe reading this is that moment for you.

In the Iron John story, the Wildman is the mentor we meet on the threshold to the other world. Indeed, he carried us to the other world on his shoulders, gave us the opportunity to learn and to test ourselves. The conscious decision time was when we decided to steal the key from under the Mother’s pillow and open the lock, releasing the Wildman. That was an act of will, our will. We bleed for this and turned our backs on our mother and father and the status quo. No mean feat.

Preparation. Usually, the quest is held in some remote wilderness or mountainous area, over ten or eleven days. So, there is quite a lot to organise from family, leave, travel, finances and diet.

Setting intention. As this is a conscious process, we need to be clear about what we want to achieve from the process, as well as understanding the process. What it will call out of us and what it will offer us. The clearer the intention the stronger the vision will be. There will be guidance from the facilitators to help in setting a clear intention.

Medicine walk, medicine bag. As part of the preparation and setting intensions, we are asked to go out into nature to somewhere undisturbed by other people and wait for nature to speak to us; to offer us something towards our intention. To collect such items as we might find and place them in a sacred bag which we have prepared with intention. This will be our medicine bag for the quest.

Separation/severance is where we leave our ordinary life behind and join with our fellow questers, at the appointed place for the threshold experience.

The threshold. This is the doorway between this world and the next. As learn how to be on the mountain, we move from this world toward the next. We cut ourselves off as completely as possible from our old life and immerse ourselves in the new reality. A whole new preparation is begun and undertaken, ending with our arrival at the mountain.

At the Mountain After choosing the spot that called to us and confirming where we will be. There is another threshold. As Questors we step into a circle of invisibility. Once we have left that circle, we will not be acknowledged by anybody on the quest unless we blow our emergency whistle. Every questor has a whistle to signal if help is required thereby breaking the invisibility agreement.

Alone time. Totally alone now, we embark on the work we have prepared for in our intention and preparation, we unpack our medicine bag, create a stone circle and begin our work. Stick, rattle, bell, and drum work each instrument in each of the directions. Lover, Warrior, Magician, King. We call out and have conversations with ancestors, with deceased relations, and current ones. We speak and cry out our grief, pain, and disappointment and invite in our joy, happiness, and expectations.

Night Vigil, The death lodge. During the night vigil, we lay out all the things we want to die to – in readiness for something new. We drum, rattle, bell, and stick our way through the night. Sing, pray, and cry out for a vision.

Sunrise Vision. As the false dawn breaks, there is a stillness, an expectation, the whole of nature is now talking to us. Birds, insects, small animals, even big animals may come to witness our Vision. As the sun breaks over the horizon, we will understand what our vision is.

The Return. Upon returning to base camp a breakfast is prepared for us and is awaiting, us we step back out of the circle of invisibility, we are welcomed as returning warriors of the Soul seen and acknowledged by our fellow questors.

Story telling Every questor has a full opportunity to tell their whole story: their experiences, their anguish, and pain, joy and sorrow. And finally – their Vision. The facilitators repeat back to the questor what was heard. The quester hears the story and knows it has been witnessed, understood,

and honoured.

Reincorporation. This is by necessity a slow process; to come back into this physical world and find our new relationship to it. Those we left behind at the severance however did not go on this journey with us and will want to see us a sort of improved version of how we left. That may not be the case. This may require some time to achieve, days, months, even years.

Reincorporation Requires that he or she demonstrate the power and effectiveness of the vision.

“A returning Questor is not able to use the power of the vision until he has performed the vision on Earth for the people to see”.   Black Elk

Until we can show those around us the outworking of the Vision, the blessing of the vision will not come into being.

Robert Bly laid out in his Iron John book out some of what happens at the pond for the boy.

Story: Why we need to hide our gold until our boundaries are strong enough to hold our Gold and defend it against outside tyrannical forces:  The Devil’s Sooty Brother.

Previous Chapter  12 When a single hair turns to Gold.

 

Next:  Book 2 Of The Iron John Story (not yet written.)