The Hand

*The Hand* was the written manifesto of the Cradle, written by Freya. As she travelled the world in 1993 encountering organisations based on her family's Cradle, she decided to collate her advice into a document that she could distribute to groups she came across, and by autumn 1993, it was a 200-page document. It contained her words of wisdom, practical guidance, rules, recipes, and anything else she thought might be helpful in running a Cradle commune.

Prior to naming the manifesto, Freya had visited a group called La Palma in 1994, which was a family that shared a faith derivitive of Catholicism. Considering that "la palma" is "the palm" in Spanish and *The Hand* becomes a kind of 'holy text' to the Cradle, this is likely the inspiration for the name. Another likely source is the 1865 poem 'The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (is the Hand That Rules the World)' by William Ross Wallace. The poem espouses the importance of mothers in shaping the future through how they raise their children.

In summer 1996 the first edition of *The Hand*, containing at least five books, was finished and named. Freya asked Sigrid to pass on any additions she thought should be made, and intended to publish an updated version every year as the organisation grew and learned. She asked that Sigrid use *The Hand* in Cradle "sermons" and used the stories (first and second-hand accounts) as parables in the Bible are used "to guide us all in our daily lives outside of Society." The first of these stories to be told to the Hedmark Cradle was 'The Hibernation Tale' from Book 5, Section 18.

When the Hedmark Cradle became unhappy with Freya's activities and the involvement of Jure in 1997, she advised that they pay closer attention to the lesson guides she sent to guide them through *The Hand*. In 1999, Freya read aloud a parable about a girl, a bird, and a damselfly from Book 9, Section 2 of *The Hand*. She used this story to try and convince the Hedmark Cradle to let themselves be martyred by the IID.

Some snippets of *The Hand* are heard during the season. The Within the Wires Twitter account also tweeted a selection of quotes from *The Hand* between Oct 1 2019 and Jan 6 2020:

* "The Mountain King is fair of face, vile of voice." – The Hand, Book 2, Sect 1
* "A tree does not live for you. It lives for everything." - The Hand, Book 2, Sect 1
* "The cold can be harsh, but it is important to remember that it will not last forever." - The Hand, Book 2, Sect 18
* "We are never able to see ourselves clearly. We are never able to see each other clearly." - The Hand, Book 4, Sect 8
* "Sometimes a noise in the dark is just an owl. A shadow is just a tree. But always it is best to wait till sunrise." - The Hand, Book 4, Sect 12
* "Faithlessness does not manifest as heresy, but as idleness." – The Hand, Book 5, Sect 19
* "Love is the currency of neighbors and family. Money is the currency of oppression." - The Hand, Book 6, Sect 1
* "In tumult there is always comfort." - The Hand, Book 6, Sect 7
* "It is not possible to become our fullest selves alone. We must be united to be whole." The Hand, Book 7, Sect 12
* "We are more than just what we have acheived so far. We are a constellation of possibilities." - The Hand, Book 8, Sect 2
* "You cannot always control how long you must walk. But you can control the direction you are facing." - The Hand, Book 8, Sect 6
* "Sometimes the only way to tell if the ground before you is solid, is to walk on it." - The Hand, Book 11, Sect 9
* "There is no true silence. Look to what is trying to be heard." - The Hand, Book 23, Sect 2

## References

1. ↑ Season 4, Cassette #2: Autumn 1993
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Season 4, Cassette #6: Summer 1996
3. ↑ Season 4, Cassette #3: Summer 1994
4. ↑ The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (poem) - Wikipedia
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Season 4, Cassette #8: Winter 1997-98
6. ↑ Season 4, Cassette #10: Autumn 1999
7. ↑ Within the Wires on Twitter: ""The Mountain King[..." - The Hand, Book 2, Sect 1"]
8. ↑ Within the Wires on Twitter: ""A tree does not live[..." - The Hand, Book 2, Sect 1"]
9. ↑ Within the Wires on Twitter: ""The cold can be harsh[..." - The Hand, Book 2, Sect 18"]
10. ↑ Within the Wires on Twitter: ""We are never able to see[..." - The Hand, Book 4, Sect 8"]
11. ↑ Within the Wires on Twitter: ""Sometimes a noise in the dark[..." - The Hand, Book 4, Sect 12"]
12. ↑ Within the Wires on Twitter: ""Faithlessness does not manifest[..." – The Hand, Book 5, Sect 19"]
13. ↑ Within the Wires on Twitter: ""Love is the currency[..." - The Hand, Book 6, Sect 1"]
14. ↑ Within the Wires on Twitter: ""It is not possible to become[..." The Hand, Book 7, Sect 12"]
15. ↑ Within the Wires on Twitter: ""We are more than just[..." - The Hand, Book 8, Sect 2"]
16. ↑ Within the Wires on Twitter: ""You cannot always control[..." - The Hand, Book 8, Sect 6"]
17. ↑ Within the Wires on Twitter: ""Sometimes the only way[..." - The Hand, Book 11, Sect 9"]
18. ↑ Within the Wires on Twitter: ""There is no true silence[..." - The Hand, Book 23, Sect 2"]