And now with the return of the (15) Devil it is as if the two unruly forces, the Fool and the (15) Devil have been wrestling like Jacob and the “man” that he encounters by the brook Jabbok. Interestingly, the “man” whom Jacob wrestles has been identified by some sources as a river demon who was said to live in the brook of Jabbok, whose name actually means “wrestle” and also “empty out.” This essay goes into the topic in some detail. Such beings cannot endure the daylight; they are clearly dangerous, and yet, if mastered they can give us powerful blessings.
The Second Week After Easter
This week has unfolded in a symmetry that adds depth and perspective to what was on offer to us on Sunday in the arcana the (16) Tower.
For my part, I discovered on Friday what it was that had become rigid and was about to be torn apart from the outside. For the last fifteen years or so I have taught at a Christian women’s college in Hiroshima as a part time teacher. New legislation recently brought in by the Japanese government to improve the rights of part-time workers among others has led august institutions such as the college where I teach to introduce fixed employment terms to ensure that those rights can never be claimed by the part time employees. This has understandably caused consternation among the foreign staff, but for my part, I see it as an opportunity to “break out of the tower,” perhaps with the cheerful insouciance of the Fool and move on to new things in due course. This will, of course, require the prudence and energetic application of thought of the Ace of Swords and the King of Swords and the cheerful facing of fears suggested by the double appearance of the Fool and the Devil.