The Choice

[Ankh]

I was watching Planet Earth last night, and Nile crocodiles entered the scene. The crocs will sneak up to where a herd of other animals are drinking, snatch one, and bring it into the water to drown before the herd even has a chance to react. It was a violent display of the dangers of stepping into the river. When a crocodile clamps down on a creature, it will not let go. It just keeps pulling the creature until it is underwater, where the creature will drown.

I have previously tended toward an interpretation of this symbol through Egyptian mythology (as Jade mentions above), but now I'm not so sure. It seems to me that the Egyptians thought of the crocodile in the water as the mortal danger hidden from sight. I have to think they they would classify bodies of water into two groups: those with crocodiles and those without. The rivers without crocodiles were safe, but less abundant with fish; whereas the ones with crocodiles were unsafe but abundant. Given that crocodiles were probably the only water creature that would prey on the Egyptians themselves (no sharks in the river), it seems to me that this symbol represents danger more than it does either fear or protection. I don't think crocs are known to protect anything in general; rather, they are known to feed on the unsuspecting. Additionally, the fear of crocodiles is what prevents people from entering the river in the first place. If you have entered, then you are already facing the fear. So fear is probably involved (if you know the river has crocs), but danger still seems to be at the center of the symbol.

The crocodile is the monster in the house---a monster which appears over and over in our fictional narratives. Some examples from film: Jaws, Tremors, Jurassic Park, Alien, Event Horizon, Sunshine, Kujo, It, etc. In each of these fictional narratives, the characters find themselves in an enclosed space where a voracious monster threatens their lives. I think this is what the crocodile represents.

If the croc does protect or guard, then I was thinking that it protects or guards the *purity* of the Path. For instance, if a person finds salvation in say Jesus, and wakes up, and then starts to serve. Perhaps this person later on chooses to proselytize others in order for them too to "find Jesus". This is not a pure service to others. So, you started to walk the Path, but wasn't pure enough in your heart and in that case the croc took you away from that path and drowned you in deep waters or "ate your heart" at the Harvest, or whatever the analogy one may use... I'm just thinking out loud here.

But another thing that I was thinking of is that if the croc represents fear or danger, then what sorts of danger does it represent? Or fear of what specifically? Of course, the Fool is about to walk an unknown path so it is given to be a bit uncomfy or even afraid in that situation, but I was wondering if there was something specific to fear or feel as a danger since the croc is taking such a central part in this Archetype? And one thought that appeared to me is that perhaps the croc as representative for fear and danger tries to "embody" here the Law of Responsibility? The Law of Responsibility states that once you ask for something and then learn it, you can't go about your day as you did before that. You need to put into practice in each moment what you have learned. So, I was wondering if the croc in this Archetype represents just that. If you don't put in practice what you learn when walking this path, the croc will attack. There is no more innocence. Column of third density has fallen and the croc sits on it. And the Fool balances on what looks like a fine scale. Only by walking in a strait and narrow way will not tip that scale over on one or the other side...