I have come to the place of truth. This place could easily kill me, like it did the men whose heads top the palisade. So here I am, so close to it, within touching distance of my test. The horror is total, and it seems that there is no turning back. I feel paralysed.

What paralyses you with fear?

Some things scare us so much that we would rather run away. But our greatest fears are the ones we carry around in our heads. The terror of anticipation and worry is often much greater than the reality. And unless we do something about it, we can never run away from the fear that is in our heads. The only thing we can do is bring ourselves to the present moment and clean the rusty sword of our mind. In the present moment, there is nothing to fear.

How can you bring your mind to the here and now?

We can transform our worry by stepping into the fire of fear. There we will realise that our dream of bringing fertility to the wasteland can only be achieved through dedication to the healing fertility of the land. We must still your mind to the present moment and use our inner authority to stretch our boundaries. Then we will find our home in the end.

What true dedication will bring you to the present moment?

Sorrow and anxiety are cruel adversaries that haunt us wherever we go. They can kill our appetite for life. But it is possible to pass beyond fear and find our home.

Sword Nine, like all nines, is associated with the Crone Moon.