Ace of Batons

We begin by placing this image in the context of the entirety of the Suit of Batons, focusing the mantra HE WILLS on the region of the solar plexus. The reader is then encouraged to move the first part of the Inner Radiance Sequence, beginning with the mantra “In purest outpoured light radiates the Godhead of the world”, and then working through the chakras from root to crown in relation to the seven Healing Miracles and the seven I AM statements.

We then bring the Ace of Batons into relation with the 6th Letter of the Divine Alphabet: Vau; the Sixth Arcanum: The Lover; and the quality of “Love of Neighbor” or “Chastity.” This finds its radiation in the Tree of Life between the sephira on the left side of the head (Warmth) and the heart (Glory). Those who know the Grail Knight’s Practice can then perform the 6th part: the sanctification of nourishment; levels of communion as eating the fruit of the Tree of Life; “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread.”

The Apocalypse readings for the Ace of Batons come from Chapter 19:1-8:

Thereafter, it was as if I heard a loud noise of a large crowd in heaven saying, “Alleluia, the salvation and the glory and the power be to our God! For his judgements are true and just, because he has judged the great whore who defiled the earth with her whoring, and exacted justice for the blood of his slaves at her hand.” And a second time they said, “Alleluia, and her smoke rises up unto the ages of the ages!” And the twenty-four elders and the four animals fell down and made obeisance to the God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen, alleluia!” And a voice came forth from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all his slaves, [and] those who revere him, the small and the great!” And it was as if I heard a noise of a large crowd and a sound of many waters and a sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Alleluia, because our Lord God the Almighty has reigned! Let us rejoice and exult, and we shall give him the glory, for th marriage of the suckling lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready!” And it was granted her that she be clad in bright, clean, fine linen—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the holy ones.

In our work with the Major Arcana, we experienced the journey from the Magician to the World as a journey from conception, to birth, to death, and finally to the Saturn sphere. With the Minor Arcana, we have been imagining them as the journey back into incarnation: the Numbered Coins as the realm of Midnight Hour; the Court Coins as the Saturn sphere; the Numbered Swords as the Jupiter sphere; the Court Swords as the Mars sphere; the Numbered Cups as the Sun sphere; and the Court Cups as the Venus sphere. We have been considering this journey of the soul into incarnation in relation to the musical pieces selected for the Sophia Grail Circle of the same name. With the Ace of Batons, we enter into the Mercury sphere on the path of incarnation. The music selected by Robert Powell to express this experience of the Mercury sphere is Beethoven’s Piano concerto no.5 in Eb major, op.73. 3rd movement Rondo, Allegro ma non troppo: