Your Sword in the Stone

by Allan Hardman

After the death of Uther Pendragon, king of the Britons, there was great strife throughout the land, because there was no clear successor to the throne. So Merlin sent word that all of the barons and knights of the land must gather in one place to hold a tournament and there decide who might take the crown and rule the kingdom.

But when the noblemen gathered for the tournament, they found that Merlin had not come. Instead, they saw a huge stone with a naked sword of the brightest steel plunged deep into it. And in the blade of the sword were inscribed in letters of gold, “Whoever pulls this sword from the stone is the rightful king of Britain.”

Many believed they had rightful claim to the throne and attempted to pull the sword from the stone. One by one, they failed. Among those who came to the tournaments was Sir Ector, with his young son, Sir Kay, who had just been granted knighthood and was preparing to compete in the jousts.

When Sir Kay discovered that he had forgotten to bring his sword from their lodgings, he asked his younger brother, Arthur, to go back for it. Unable to find the sword, the young Arthur returned in despair. As he returned to the tournament grounds he saw a strange thing: a sword thrust into a stone. Knowing nothing of Merlin and the challenge, he effortlessly pulled the sword from the stone and took it to his brother.

On seeing Arthur with the sword, Sir Ector, who had been a loyal leigeman to King Pendragon, fell upon his knee and swore his loyalty to the new king of the Britons.

Sir Ector then told Arthur that he was not his real father. Arthur was in truth the son a a high-born noble. As a baby his life had been endangered, and so Merlin the Magician had delivered him to Ector to be raised as his son. Now, the oracle of the Sword in the Stone had spoken, and the boy named Arthur was the chosen one: the true King of the Britons.

You, like Arthur, are of noble birth, and your life was in danger. Your true identity was hidden while you were raised by others. In your domestication, you fell asleep to the truth of your noble birth and personal power.

The sword is your Word, your power of creation. Perhaps believing you were looking for the sword for someone else, you have come here to this place of the Spiritual Warrior, to discover your own power of creation. And now your challenge: The stone is the “Mitote,” the Dream of the Planet. It is a dream based in fear and judgement and lack — it is the dream in which your Word is held. Are you ready to claim your right to be the true king of your inner kingdom? Are you ready to use your word to create gratitude, love, loyalty, and justice, both within and without?

The sword is your Word, the stone is your Mitote. Perhaps this is your moment. Seize it!