Door Number 9: The Ace of Pentacles

I think this might be my favorite door yet. I completed it last week but am just getting around to posting it on this #9 day (5/19/2010), which also happens to be the 12-year anniversary of my life changing brain injury.

A few things about this door: it does not have a lock. I like this. The Ace of Pentacles is all about Manifestation, so I love the fact that the door doesn’t need to be unlocked; it doesn’t even have a lock to begin with!

Secondly, this began as a clear, glass-paned door. My supply of solid doors dried up, but again, I like this particular door for the Ace of Pentacles, because it brings an element of transparency to manifestation. The bottom quote reads, “Remember my friend, you must go down the road to know, it is as above as so below.” Reflection, transparency, manifestation: I like it!

One other note on the pentacle itself. Rather than paint a plain old coin or a simple star, I went digging around for pentacles. And what did I find?? Something cool for the 9th door in a series of 9 sets of 9 (yes, I’m up to 81 as a destination number). I found more pentacles from Solomon’s Keys. The Ace of Pentacles features the 5th Pentacle of Mercury, a magical talisman designed “to open all doors.” I found this appropriate for portal work. Plus, I just like all the Hebrew.

The door has Runes, Sanskrit and Hebrew in large gold letters down the sides. The Runes spell out, “Behold, I have given. Receive.” The Sanskrit says, “Jai guru deva om” from the Beatles’ “Across the Universe” song. Roughly translated, it means, “I give thanks to the heavenly teacher.”

The Hebrew spells out “Shekinah.” For those of you who don’t know, Shekinah is kind of a mysterious, feminine aspect of God, often associated with the Holy Spirit. I’ve been getting a lot of intuitive insights into Pentecost lately, which is when the Holy Spirit descended onto the disciples and allowed them to perform miracles … and I like the resonance of Pentacle and Pentecost. Plus, the idea of “ordinary” people performing miracles seems directly in line with the meaning of the Ace of Pentacles.

The address “42” comes from, among other things, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” which lists 42 as the answer to “the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.” I have that phrase written in Runes down the back of the door, along with Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo on the bottom back. This kundalini yoga mantra translates to “I honor the guru within” or “I bow to that creative wisdom that lives within myself.”

This door shows a portal within a portal, as well as a garden, representative of THE Garden … a return to an Eden-like life of beauty, love, creativity and absolute abundace. Wishing that for each of you!!

Ace of Pentacles Portal by Laura Bruno

Detail Ace of Pentacles by Laura Bruno

Down the Road to the Ace of Pentacles by Laura Bruno

Rose and Pentacle on the Ace of Pentacles by Laura Bruno

Fifth Pentacle of Mercury on the Ace of Pentacles by Laura Bruno

I am awaiting the manifestation of more doors, more room and/or that magical Victorian house that keeps haunting my dreams and offering doors I can paint and actually walk through. The attic still has more doors for me to paint, but they are truly funky ones, and this set of 9 feels complete. We … shall see! My birthday’s on Saturday, and I am VERY open to surprises. 🙂