Plate 1 – The Call to Awakening

Here it begins.

We, as our smaller egoic self, are awoken from our unconsciousness by something outside of it — the unconscious, the higher self, or divine providence.

Though it is the great work before us, it happens not once but many times. A fractal piece of the opus within the opus.

This call can be tumultuous, like facing something we've avoided in ourselves or in a relationship.
It can be grounded, like learning a skill that grows our career.
It can be mundane, like cooking a meal.
Or miraculous, like birth itself.

The light shines into darkness, and our eyes are called to open. The trumpets of the angels sound their call.

Progress is never guaranteed. We awake or remain asleep. We open our eyes or keep them closed. We hear the trumpets or let them fade into background noise.

The Ladder to Understanding

In the plate, two angels stand on a wooden ladder reaching into the sky. That ladder is not for them alone. It is ours to climb towards greater understanding and an expanded sense of self. Each rung hints at steps shown in later plates.

Around the edge, a leafy wreath frames the scene. Its circle reminds us that the work follows nature's rhythms. What we find in the ascent is not created from nothing — the pattern is already there, expressing itself in the context we live in.

The Stars of Destiny

Above, ten bright stars hang in the night sky. They symbolise destiny and fate, unseen forces drawing us forward, part of a chain of cause and effect since the beginning of time. As we climb toward them, we struggle to assert egoic choice and give meaning to the chaos of existence.

If we choose to awaken and meet the trumpet call, we must place each foot on the ladder with awareness, lest we fall too soon.

All this unfolds against the backdrop of the societal norms and matrix of language represented by the distant city. It is far enough not to dictate the process, but present enough to be acknowledged as we climb alone.

What This Stage Asks of Us

Many later plates require skill and careful application. This stage asks for something more raw:

• Courage to open our eyes and ears to the truth that calls.
• Faith that the journey is worth taking.
• Energy to gather for the work ahead.

How do you see the trumpet call manifesting in your life?