MAPS: Chapter XII
Ghost Animals | Theia’s Return | Prince of Swords(?) on Tour
You may have gotten the feeling that a subtext of The Ash Girl is animal conservation, particularly in Africa. Thankfully, Africa has increased its vigilance in recent years, establishing reserves both national and private (like the one I visited, Makalali in South Africa) and wildlife photographers and rangers (like Chad Cocking—who ‘shot’ the young hyena and baby zebra above) publish portraits of these gorgeous creatures in their full splendor in ways that hopefully move the humans to put in some effort to save them from extinction. Only 2 North African White Rhinos remain, kept in captivity in Kenya.
Here are the most recent statistics on endangered creatures and how to donate or adopt by the WWF. I am hoping Artemis’ protective forces for the animals of the wild returns to our earth before these beauties are nothing but ghosts.
Princess Asmeret brought the source of all light back to the world. When the child was born, a girl with tea-and-cream skin, pale blue eyes, and wavy, ash blonde hair, Asmeret named her Theia after the Titaness who gave birth to the sun, moon, and dawn.
You may recall the Greek myth Tree offered early in the book about the first generation of Greek Gods (Zeus et. al.) calling a council and murdering their parent’s, the Titans (Hestia abstained). This bit of treason started the world clock (the death of Chronos) and was accompanied by the act of creating humans to quell the boredom of a perfect peaceful planet.
In full circle (mythic) storytelling, Asmeret (descendant of Zeus via Artemis) gives birth to a daughter who ‘returns the source of light to the world’, naming her for Titaness Theia. As this new myth makes itself you might want to also keep in mind that this council of Gods took place at a table immortalized in the stars—now known as the constellation Ara.
Theia inspired images. For more images that inspire or are inspired by The Ash Girl visit my Pinterest boards.
THE FOUR THOTH TAROT PRINCES
ASMARA has been a bit of a mystery to me … when I first wrote into his story from his own point of view my journal notes begin “I have waited so long to tell my own part, where do I even start?” Honestly, he hasn’t been given his due space in these pages, even now. So I continue to listen and watch—figure him out.
I felt declarative once and decided he must be the Prince of Swords in this story. And some of it fits . . . he is a man of ideas, inventions, and inspired creations—but he is beholden to none of them. “He builds things, then tears them down.”
But he is this too . . .
Like the Prince of Disks, he nourishes the body from the land: “Where crops had near crumbled to dust, he helped the people to design and build pumps . . .” He heals wounds with his hands: “Where women had torn open during hard births, he laid hands on their ruined flesh and knew what to do.” He is also descended from Artemis and Orion, The Great Hunters, so we know he has much earthiness in him.
He is also a gravitational force of sexual, sensual energy, drawing the feminine to him as the Prince of Cups—and while he is too absorbed in his own journey for reciprocal, committed love, he gifts his lovers with new life in their daughters who, we can assume, are born into their own roles in the prophecy of re-uniting the worlds.
I looked into the eyes of the Prince of Wands. “What’s your part of this story,” I asked. It comes to me then that Asmara must be as much a manifestation of Apollo, God of the Sun, as Asmeret is of Artemis, Goddess of the Moon. A Son of the Sun. Apollo was known as the source of music and poetry, healing and plagues, prophecy and knowledge, order and beauty, archery and agriculture . . . and while Asmara tries out all of these parts on in his travels, he is still lost.
He hadn’t become all of those traveling some ones; Asmara had no idea who or what he was.
Given what happens next, Asmara containing all of these aspects is the only way it could be.
View the CHAPTER XII Character MAP
Place yourself on the READER MAP . . .
where in the world is the Ash Girl on its quest?
WHAT’S NEXT?
For your personal quest, book club, or gathering of friends, QUEST(ions) are offered here.
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