The Left Angle Cross of Uncertainty (Version 2)

Full breakdown

This naturally leads to the second variation of Uncertainty, where the quality we saw through gate 8 shows up more clearly through gate 14 instead. Gate 8 brings a constant uncertainty about contribution; gate 14 changes the theme entirely. One of 14's messages is: 'listen, I can give you security, so you don't have to deal with how unreliable the world is.' It's deeply sexual, a come-on in its own right: 'I can give you everything you need — shelter, protection, food,' or 'I can find you a job, whatever you need.'

In this cross, gate 14 takes advantage of the fact that uncertainty is everywhere, profiting from it by contributing resources to guarantee others' security — and if those resources aren't there, this turns into deep uncertainty of their own: 'will I be able to build the relationship I need?' If you carry this cross, this is essentially the only route into partnership — not good, not bad, not even unattractive; it's simply what you represent.

For most of human history, and still across much of the world, marriage requires demonstrating material means and the capacity to provide them going forward — there's rarely another path, because this is one of the basic deals: 'fine, I'll give you twenty sheep,' or 'you can have this parcel of land.' At bottom, closeness is achieved by providing security.

Most marriages and relationships run into trouble over exactly this — material problems. Look around at ordinary life and you'll see most couples wrestling with precisely this issue, everyone drawn into trying to secure the resources they need. People like this show up and say, 'don't fight it. Stay with me, and I'll give you shelter' — and of course that's exactly their job: providing direction and security for everyone else.