The Lady of the Lake:

Description from the book:
On the middle of an island in the middle of a lake sits the Lady of the Lake on a throne of reeds. She holds a sword and a book, while at her feet is a basket. Beside her is a crane.

My description:
First of all, the card is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen! The colors are primarily blues and greys with wheat/beige. She sits central in the card facing the reader. In the far distant background is a large mound/hill which peaks in the center. It is dark grey at the top going through monochromatic greys/blues to white at the base which becomes the horizon line of the lake. The sky is deep cerulean blue with a light source off to the left of the reader which is only indicated by a 'whiteness'.The sky is crisscrossed with bare grey/blue branches of the two trees, one to either side of the throne she sits upon, their roots in the water. The water of the lake is dk blue/grey at the horizon and becomes white in the foreground as it encircles mounds/tufts of wheat coloured grass dotting the lake. The crane is to the right of the Lady just behind the tree. It faces her. There are cat-tails or bulrushes to either side in the immediate foreground but not in front of her. The reed throne she sits upon is high backed and round at the top but solid with a braided edging. She has blue/black hair parted in the middle and plaited thick with ribbon to either side hanging down to her breasts. She wears a white tunic with a neck edge of what looks like embroidered gold trim. Her robe is of a beautiful blue reflecting the sky and is embroidered on the outside with an open vine design in silver/white. The border is a more ornate embroidery of a wheat/gold color over the blue. Her left hand rests in her lap holding an open book which is large enough to cover her lap. Her right elbow rests upon the arm of the throne while in her hand is a sword which she holds just under the hilt on the blade itself while the tip is not touching the earth at all, just suspended. To her right floating in the water is an oval reed basket, empty and plain. In the background in flight are two cranes (over her left shoulder). The whole card gives a feeling of serenity yet the power behind her is also felt. The wisdom she has to offer is infinite, if you seek her out and listen.

Background from the book:
Throughout the Arthurian legends, Otherworldly women guide and instruct Arthur and his court. During the Middle Ages, these many aspects of the Goddess splintered into numerous maidens, wronged ladies and widows. If we return to the earlier texts we find that rather than a bevy of damsels who need knightly assistance to gain their rights, certain powerful women of great stature appear at crucial times to aid and assist the knights. The Lady of the Lake stems from a very circuitous lineage of such women, chief of whom is Morgen or Morgan, described as the daughter of Rex Avallonis or the king of Avalon, as the sister of Arthur, or as queen of a ninefold sisterhood in her own right. It is she who tends Arthur's wounds after the Battle of Camlan and in whose charge he remains, in Otherworldly time, until he is called again. But the role of healer is not the only one which the Lady of the Lake fulfils. She is also fosterer and initiator into knowledge. Traditionally among the Celtic races, women warriors trained boys in the arts of combat. In all the earlier stories about the Grail winner or champion of the Hallows, the boy is fostered in the Otherworld. Fosterage was a custom prevalent among the Celts, stabilizing the tribe and establishing bonds of love and mutual obligation. The unknown boyhood of Arthur, which the later texts say was spent in the care of Sir Ector of the Forest Sauvage, may indeed have been with the Lady of the Lake in one of her guises in the lost stories of the oral tradition. It is from her that he gains his sword, Excalibur, and to her island that he is later borne to be healed of his wounds. Medieval French tradition tells of Lancelot's upbringing with the Lady of the Lake. She raises him in accordance to the code of the Otherworld, as well as in courtesy and combat. She both names and arms him in accordance with the principles of Celtic story wherein the hero has to earn his name by his deeds. Elements of the Lady of the Lake as fosterer are also apparent in the story of Taliesin. (Later!)

Archetypal Meaning from the book:
The Lady of the Lake is the primal initiator into Otherworldly knowledge. She is foster-mother, mistress of wisdom and inspirer. She empowers the seeker after truth, and acts as the conscious of the initiate.She may appear in many forms to admonish, guide and instruct. She is the guardian of inner wisdom.

Divinitory Meaning from the book:
Esoteric knowledge; enlightenment; inspiration; wisdom; the ability to impart instruction; counsel; psychic healing; learning.

My Notes:
The Lady of the Lake always appears in my readings when I need to prepare for further spiritual enlightenment or to discipline me when I have neglected to keep up with my studies. She guides me gently but with a firm hold on my shoulders to turn me in the right direction, but leaves me to initiate the quest to the next level.

Shaelin-Margras
margras@mciworld.com