Gateways through the Penumbra (The Afterward)

The Afterward

In Gateways through the Penumbra there are three major female figures representing the three fates that spin the "wheel of fortune."

In the novel, the seer is the focal point, because he has had a hand in setting each woman on her path, thereby sealing her to her destiny. He represents the "ten" of the wheel of fortune card which is mated to the "twenty-one" of the world card found in the major arcana of a tarot deck. This combination introduces an "11" relationship in between the "normal" world and the worlds found using the gateways through the penumbra.

There are also hints of the crone, the mother, and the maid found in the triad of Acelia, Six, and Harla.

In cartomancy, Acelia represents the Ace of diamonds; Six, the Six of diamonds; and Harla is the Ten of hearts. Diamonds deal with the themes of love and acceptance and money and success. Both Acelia and Six have similarities, but they have made different choices in their lives bringing them to travel through the penumbra and into situations where they must choose what is most important in their life.

Other characters in the Gateways world also follow the beliefs of cartomancy. These beliefs inform their underlying nature. Jack, the Jack of diamonds; Darth, the Deuce of clubs; Zid, the Five of spades and Lore, the man in a wheelchair, who is the Four of spades form the main cast of supporting characters.

There are some secondary characters who also serve in the Light Brigade, Nith, the Nine of clubs and his wife, Sevla, who is also a club card, the Seven. They are friends with another couple Tey and Aye who are the Three and Eight of Hearts. As such, these four characters form two pairs.

Characters loosely follow suit in their core nature; diamonds are smart and self-sufficient, clubs are fighters, spades are tricky and quick thinking and hearts are loving, emotional and innocent. The characters are not necessarily all good or all bad according to red or black suits, but as humans they are all a bit of both, capable of making decisions to direct their own destiny within the bounds of fate.

The novel opening coincides with the first play in a hand of cards and moves in a circular fashion around a central point, in this case, the “wheel of fortune.” Six is briefly paired with each of the main characters before coming into her own power and drawing the entire group together to work as one in order to “win” the hand. In card play, the figure of Acelia, representing the Ace of diamonds, is briefly discarded and then picked back up again.

The method of introducing the characters within their card nature as the novel unfolds causes the combinations of their inner natures to add up to 6 or 11, ending in 11:11 which leads to the related story, 11:11.

11:11 explains the nature and history of the gateways through the penumbra.