This jewel from Alcyone's At the Feet of the Master is as applicable today as it was in 1910 when it was written. In the Northern Hemisphere the autumn is setting in and nature reflects what its human inhabitants should be doing at this time of year: turning one’s energies inward. It is also at this time of the year that the glorious feast of St. Michael and All Angels is celebrated. The Michaelic aspects in the above passage are easily identified. St. Michael with his sword is a symbol of courage, but a different kind of courage than one would associate with that of a soldier, for example. Many of the icons, paintings and statues of St. Michael show him standing quite serenely, sword pointing towards the earth, perhaps symbolically pointing towards the fact that it is during our earthly existence that we are to overcome the side of the shadow. Ah, the shadow. How easy it seems to place the shadow outside us and attribute its existence to others, circumstance or coincidence.

The shadow is often seen as negative or evil. Perhaps it is useful to ask how one would recognise the light if it weren't for the darkness. Taking it a step further, if one side of us is facing the Sun, the other side of necessity is in the shadow, or if you prefer, the very fact that we stand in the light of the Sun implies that we cast a shadow behind us. It is where we direct our attention that is important. It is for us to direct our attention increasingly to the Sun (i.e. the spiritual Sun) and less to the shadow, which symbolically is the darkness that we drag behind us. However, one is only able to keep one's attention fixed on the Sun, when one fully understands that nothing in the shadow can possibly harm one. This knowledge comes from experience: By understanding and facing the shadow that is of necessity within each one of us. The wife of Lot looked behind her and turned into a pillar of salt, whereas Lot continued to the plains and subsequently to the mount, the place of initiation. His wife stayed behind, as she was not yet ready for initiation.

The sword is also a powerful symbol. It cuts two ways, perhaps suggesting duality in manifested life on the physical plane. Cutting also has to do with discrimination; the separation of that which is light from that which is darkness. It is interesting to note that the word decide really means to cut off: A decision is the result of choosing one and cutting off all other possibilities. In order to come to a decision, we need to understand, as far as lies in our capabilities, all aspects surrounding the issue. As we are not yet perfect, it follows that any decision we make is based on incomplete knowledge and may sometimes turn out, when the consequences of our actions based on this decision manifest, seemingly, to be the wrong decision. The word seemingly is used, as if one now realises the flaws in one's knowledge at the time when the decision was made, one will have gained more insight. The law of cause and effect remains immutable, however, and the causes we have set in motion by the seemingly incorrect decision will someday need to be absolved in experiencing the effects.

St. Michael (or if you prefer, his physical reflection in the personage of St. George) does not, in my opinion, use his sword to kill the dragon. He conquers him, brings him to heed, but does not kill him. The symbology behind this is apt, as conquering means subduing, putting the entity to subservient service, whereas killing would imply either suppressing or banishing the dragon without necessarily having come to terms with it. St. Michael is serene in that he hasn't struggled in fighting the dragon, but with his courage has come to understand the dragon and overcome it. The legend also says that the dragon has many heads and each time a warrior cuts a head off, a new one appears in its place. Also in the Egyptian legends the neophyte, whilst walking down the corridor towards the great hall, is time and again besieged by some monster whom he must name, not kill: Naming the monster implies knowledge of it. The neophyte has already experienced this monster and is therefore no longer affected by its power. It is thereby conquered, allowing the neophyte to continue his journey.