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Mystical Tarot Realms
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The Chariot: Cancer, Path 18
1trnq
00:00 / 06:56
Mr. Mellifluous and the Allies of Cancer
"Look, Mr. M! Two sphinxes are pulling a chariot!"
"This path has two different meanings, depending on whether the charioteer is a warrior moving down toward the Emanation of 'Power,' or a knight on a quest for the holy grail, heading up towards the Emanation of 'Understanding.' The knight wears armor as if going into battle and appears to be moving away from the enclosure of a fort or a city, but the path contains several oddities. First of all, the animals pulling the chariot are, as you mentioned, sphinxes, which represent the combined elements of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. One is white, one black, suggesting the polarity of the two pillars of the Tree of Life. And the sphinxes are resting, not pulling the chariot. The knight is standing in a cube of gray stone, which represents physical manifestation. Also, the reins are invisible. The emphasis is again on balance: the knight’s shoulder guards are moons with masks of human faces, one smiling, one grimacing. In the knight’s crown is an eight-pointed star, which represents the conscious awareness of the higher self as we saw it represented in the path called 'The Star.'”
“Why is the star in the knight’s crown, Mr. M?"
“That star suggests an awareness of the divine spark, and depending which way the knight is moving on the path, he or she is either carrying that knowledge into manifestation or awakening that knowledge by moving toward greater spiritual enlightenment in what the Qabalists call the 'Neshamah.'
“On the path of ‘The Chariot,’ you are at the end of a cycle related to the higher self and are about to begin a new cycle related to the essence of the self, the divine core. The 18th path is the key to understanding one of the most basic divisions of the Tree of Life. In one way of looking at the Tree of Life, the tenth Emanation, known as 'The Kingdom,' represents the physical plane, and the three lower Emanations above The Kingdom--Victory, Splendor, the Foundation--represent the 'Magical Triangle.' The three Emanations above 'The Magical Triangle,' 'Mercy,' 'Power,' and 'Beauty,' known as the 'Ethical Triangle,' represent the Individuality, which contains the essence of the soul's experiences within multiple incarnations.
“In the first cycle, you purify and dedicate yourself to the Great Work, attaining a heightened awareness of the higher self. In the second cycle, you pass through the veil, experiencing the kind of rebirth necessary to actually live from the perspective of the higher self. In the third cycle, you experience reintegration of the psyche and achieve harmony and balance. In the last cycle, you move through the highest veil, known as the Abyss, to the core of your being, the divine spark around which the individual soul has evolved, a state that transcends brain consciousness. In fact, you experience the supernal triad of 'The Crown,' 'Wisdom,' and 'Understanding' primarily through a special kind of knowledge known as intuition since those Emanations remain beyond the planes of form.”
“That sounds difficult and scary, Mr. M.”
“It is perhaps one of the most daunting challenges of all. When you reach this point, you are moving along the edge of a frontier that very few have explored.
"Another way of looking at the Tree of Life also exists. Roughly, in this way of looking at the Tree if Life, the divine Self is divided into three supernal Emanations, the conscious self into five Emanations, and the physical self into two Emanations. Starting at the bottom of the Tree, you have the physical body, the aspect of the individual known in Hebrew as the ‘Guph,’ the shell that contains the self. The second part, known as ‘Nephesh,’ corresponds to the etheric body, the subtle matrix of energy that is the foundation of the physical body. As you rise on the Tree, you find the different aspects of the conscious self known as the 'Ruach,' associated with 'Splendor,' 'Victory,' 'Beauty,' 'Power,' and 'Mercy.' Beyond that is 'Knowledge,' or 'Daath,' which is not technically an Emanation but a bridge to the divine core. Then you find the three Emanations that correspond to the divine core: 'Understanding,' known also as 'Neshamah' and corresponding to the intuitions of the spirit; 'Wisdom,' also known as 'Chia' and corresponding to the Divine Will; and the 'Crown,' also known as 'Yechidah,' which is the spiritual essence of the individual unified with ultimate Reality.”
“So does this path connect the conscious self with the essence of the Self, Mr. M?”
“Yes, and the 18th path on one level helps you to understand form, especially in its relation to force, as you move to 'Understanding,' which on the Tree of Life is the state of being that establishes the basis for the manifestation of form. Again, the Hebrew letter, the astrological sign, and the God name bear this out. First of all, the Hebrew letter 'Cheth,' which means ‘fence,’ or ‘enclosure,’ is associated with the path of The Chariot. When ownership of animals was a primary source of wealth, the fence was extremely important in establishing the boundaries of what a person considered valuable in terms of belongings, suggesting the boundaries of the self. Also, of course, an enclosure is associated with a type of form. Cancer, the astrological sign, also relates to form in the sense of a shell encasing the body of a crab, the way that the armor encases the knight, or the way the body encloses the soul. The God name for this path is 'EL,' formed by the Hebrew letters Aleph and Lamed, and is associated, like the sign of Cancer, with the element of Water. Aleph, as you know, means ‘ox,’ and is associated with the great strength and potency of the life force, whereas Lamed means ‘ox-goad,’ and suggests the ability to channel that great power for particular uses.”
“Is the God name more associated with force than form?”
“Remember that this path connects 'Understanding,' the Emanation of the root of form, with 'Power,' the Emanation of great discipline and limitation associated with Mars, on the Pillar of Severity, revealing how force is focused and channeled through form, force being like the combustion within an engine that causes a machine to move. Without the discipline of form, force would remain free-moving and uncontained, its potential unmanifested and unrealized.
“The 18th path is the connection of the 'Ruach' with the 'Neshamah' and as such channels the spiritual intuition into the conscious mind. Notice again, the association with Cancer, a Water sign, which suggests that each individual, like our friend the knight, is like a crab in a shell in a vast ocean of manifestation, the forms, in another sense, like waves that incessantly rise and fall and rise again. 'Understanding,' is associated with the great celestial Goddess and is also associated with the ocean and the moon with its forever changing phases. Our friend the knight is not really moving, but is attentive to the spiritual dimension and the voice of intuition while maintaining spiritual balance in an ever-changing world.”
“Can you always trust your intuition, Mr. M?”
“That depends. If a person has not attained the consciousness of 'Beauty,' intuition consists mainly of vague images and whisperings. Occasionally, you’ll think of a friend and that person will call you or write you a letter. But once you’ve opened up the higher awareness, you also eventually open up a channel with the 'Neshamah,' which gives you strong, reliable intuitions.
“The knight might be moving down the path to the Emanation of 'Power,' going to war, which suggests on one level that the conscious self within manifestation might contain conflicts that need to be harmonized for the highest good. Or the knight might be heading up to 'Understanding' on a quest for the holy grail, the cup holding extremely high spiritual energies. Either way, the knight on this path is feeling the influence of the divine core and is letting a star shine bright through the facets of manifestation within his or her sphere of influence.”
Two of Cups: Venus in Cancer, Zodiac in Chokmah (Wisdom)
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"Mr. M, why is the head of a lion floating above those two people?"
"We see a man and a woman, both holding a golden cup. They face each other while they reach over to touch each other tenderly. The magnetism they feel draws them together, and the energy they generate rises above them, symbolized by the red lion’s winged head above golden, intertwined serpents. The snakes reveal an occult, or 'hidden,' philosophy of love. The bodies of the snakes join and move apart at different levels of being, the physical at the bottom, up into the astral, the mental, and the spiritual levels. Your allies are, in other words, 'mated,' in tune with each other at each of these levels. Moreover, your allies, who are in the second Emanation on the Tree of Life, also reveal the energy of polarity in equilibrium and expansion, which is characteristic of the life-force in its unobstructed, natural state. The most primal expansion in terms of the Tree of Life was the first cosmic act of creation within manifestation, with the Crown, the Source, emanating Wisdom, the second sphere, or state of being, establishing equilibrium and then expanding again to give rise to the third Emanation, the state known as Understanding. This process occurs naturally also within the individual at different levels of his or her being. The intertwined serpents suggest the caduceus, the ancient symbol of optimal health that reveals the open and balanced channels, both masculine and feminine, of the life-force in the aura. The red lion reveals the fiery expansion of the kundalini, which is the life-force thrilling through every level of the psyche--physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual--when nothing is obstructing it. But the kundalini is not pure expansiveness--it is expansion that occurs in its optimal state in balanced equilibrium, as suggested by the entwined serpents. The powerful energy of the kundalini, to be more than just blinding fireworks, needs to be firmly grounded in order to provide stability for love to flourish, which is suggested by the home in the background."
"I like them very much, Mr. M. They remind me of my parents."
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Three of Cups: Mercury in Cancer, Saturn in Binah (Understanding)
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"What lovely dancers, Mr. M!"
"Our friends who dance before us are like the Three Graces, Goddesses of harmony, splendor and abundance who preside over banquets, dances, and other pleasurable events, bringing joy and goodwill to both Gods and mortals alike. They dance and sing with Apollo, and like the Muses they inspire artists to create stunning works of art. In this dance, you feel the influence of both Cancer and Mercury. For appreciation of the arts--or beauty in general--the subtle senses must be open while the emotions, as well as the sympathetic imagination, are engaged. The influence of Cancer stimulates the subtle senses and the imagination, manifesting as an active and abundant internal life that includes a love of the arts. When the subtle senses are open, a person is more psychic, more open to an abundance of spiritual influences as well. The influence of Mercury, the messenger of the Gods, is necessarily linked to harmony and abundance, a state which cannot manifest without a conscious pursuit of beauty, the inspirations for which are often communicated from the depths of the psyche. As your allies lift their golden cups, you can feel the emotional, mental, and spiritual inebriation of the inspired life."
"I can feel that, Mr. M! I want to dance with them!"
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Four of Cups: Moon in Cancer, Jupiter in Chesed (Mercy)
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"That man is very quiet, Mr. M," Claire whispers.
"Our friend sits at the foot of a tree in a posture of meditation, recalling the Buddha who sat under a Bodhi tree until he attained enlightenment. Your ally is having a vision: an ethereal hand extending from a cloud offers him a golden cup. His eyes appear to be open, but he is in deep concentration, perceiving the cups before him with the psychic third eye. As many who meditate know, visions of archetypes and symbols sometimes appear as real as anything in conscious, waking vision. Your ally is under the influence of Cancer, which stimulates psychic powers as well as powers of sympathetic imagination. The Moon, associated with psychism and the subconscious mind, is also a powerful influence. Even though your ally may give the impression of being down-to-earth, common, even simple, in this state influenced by the Moon and Cancer, he can experience great insights that reveal the magnificence, harmony and abundance of the spirit, characteristic of Jupiter, even possibly, like the Buddha, inspiring generations with his wisdom."
"I think I'd like to sit under a tree right now, Mr. M. Would you mind?"
Mr. M chuckled. "Not at all."
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All stories, illustrations, and music Copyright © 2023 by Jim Robbins.
Two of Cups: Venus in Cancer, Zodiac in Wisdom
2rise
00:00 / 04:03
LORD AND LADY OF LOVE
As Nathan was riding through the Tarot Realm, he observed a man and woman tenderly touching each other. Suddenly Nathan had a vision of a lion's head with wings rising above them from the point where their fingers were touching. When he looked closer, he noticed that the lion's head enveloped the top of a golden caduceus, which, like the wooden wand, symbolizes the element of Fire. In his vision, Nathan could sense the expansiveness of their love while at the same time their house in the distance suggested the stability of their love. He knew then without a doubt that Venus was a major influence. Since they were both holding a golden cup, Nathan suspected that another influence in their relationship was one of the three zodiac signs associated with the element of Water, Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces, but he wasn't entirely certain, so he went to the beach in search of the King or Queen of Cups.
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The Queen of Cups
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Nathan rode his horse along the beach and eventually found the Queen of Cups. Nathan dismounted from his horse and bowed. "I serve thee always, your Majesty, but if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a question."
The Queen responded, "Yes, my friend, what is your query?"
Nathan carefully described his vision. Then he said, "Your Majesty, I am sure that Venus is influencing them, but I just couldn't figure out which zodiac sign associated with the element of Water was also influencing them. Do you have any knowledge or advice that you can share, your Highness?"
"I think so, my devoted knight, but you will have to decide if I am right."
"Yes, your Highness, I will make a decision based on your great knowledge."
"First of all, do you know what the kundalini is?"
"I have heard the word, but I'm not entirely sure, your Highness. Does it have something to do with the life force?"
"Yes. The caduceus wand symbolizes the powerful kundalini force after it has risen from the root chakra and circulates throughout the individual energy field, greatly expanding a person's being on all levels: physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. In other words, after a person raises the kundalini, a person can often operate on different levels at the same time, experiencing great physical power and potency and deep feelings and clear insights as well as visions that reveal spiritual principle. Think of the knight in the Tarot card known as 'The Chariot.' That knight is on a quest to experience all the energies of the holy Emanations of the Tree of Life, the experience of which, like the kundalini force, can greatly expand consciousness on all levels of being."
"So the energy of the zodiac sign of Cancer is influencing the lovers. Is that right, your Highness?"
"Yes, I believe so. Together the lovers are experiencing a great expansiveness of the life force. Love, like the kundalini, can create that kind of expansiveness, especially if the lovers are open to the energies of the holy Emanations of the Tree of Life."
"Yes, your Highness, but they also seemed to experience stability."
"Yes, through expansiveness they can experience great intensity at all levels of their being, but truly committed lovers also tend to ground each other so that together they can maintain stability throughout all the exigencies of life."
Nathan pondered for a moment. "So they continue to grow and expand consciousness while maintaining stability so that their relationship continues to survive. I know that Venus is the Goddess of Love who represents the mythological principle of 'The Marriage of Heaven and Earth.' Is the experience of expansion and stability an aspect of that mythological principle, your Highness?"
"Yes, very insightful. Expansion and stability are both essential aspects of love in this realm and both eventually reveal the profound meaning of 'The Marriage of Heaven and Earth.'"
"I am deeply grateful to you for sharing your great understanding, your Majesty."
"You are very welcome, my devoted knight."
Nathan bowed, "I serve thee always, my Queen."
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The Empress: Venus
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Nathan found a Tarot card very similar to what he had witnessed in his vision: the Two of Cups. The decan association in the card is Venus in Cancer, and the Tree of Life correspondence is the Zodiac in Wisdom, the Second Emanation on the Tree of Life, which made sense because all of the energies of the Tree of Life exist in the zodiac, and all of the zodiac exists in the Source of Creation. So Nathan like the knight in The Chariot through the expansiveness of love for Universal Consciousness was striving to experience all the energies of the Tree of Life.
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The Chariot: Cancer
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Nathan rode to a secluded part of the forest where he could perform a ritual with the Two of Cups.
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The Passive and Active Invoking Pentagrams
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Because Nathan was creating a living image based on the Two of Cups with the Tarot Pentagram Spread, he placed all the foundation cards down on his makeshift altar with the tops facing west on his altar. Since Water is a passive element, Nathan used the Passive Invoking Spirit Pentagram while laying down the cards, starting in the lower left corner of the pentagram, moving to the upper right corner and continuing from there. After he placed all of the cards, he tapped each card in the direction of the Passive Invoking Spirit Pentagram, making sure to tap the one in the lower left corner to complete the pentagram.
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Foundation Cards with the Two of Cups
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Then he placed The Two of Cups in the middle of the pentagram, saying, "The Two of Cups, Venus in Cancer, the Zodiac in Wisdom." Then he tapped the card.
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Modifiers for the Two of Cups: The Chariot and The Empress
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Next, he placed The Chariot on the Ace of Cups in the upper right hand corner of the pentagram as a modifier. The card representing the zodiac sign goes first, he remembered. As he placed The Chariot on the Ace of Cups, he stated while tapping the card, "The Chariot, Cancer, the Once and Future Monarch." As he tapped the card, he recognized that the Once and Future Monarch keeps returning over and over on the spiritual dimension with the knowledge of the Tree of Life.
Then he placed The Empress in the upper right hand corner on the other modifier, The Chariot. As he placed The Empress, he stated while tapping the card, "The Empress, Venus, the Marriage of Heaven and Earth." As he tapped the card, he remembered that a true understanding of the Marriage of Heaven and Earth exists after the expansiveness of consciousness that occurs through the the experience of the subtle energies of the Tree of Life.
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Invoking Pentagram for the Element of Water
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Then Nathan drew the Passive Invoking Pentagram and the spirit wheel in the air in brilliant white above the Two of Cups on the altar, charging the pentagram and the symbol in the usual way with the Sign of the Enterer.
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Invoking Pentagram for the Element of Water
(Click on the Star Above to Review LBRP and the SIRP.)
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Then, he drew an Invoking Pentagram for Water directly over the Passive Invoking Spirit Pentagram, charging the pentagram and the symbol of the eagle, associated with Scorpio, in the usual way. At that point, he imagined the symbol of the eagle's head turning into the lovers with the caduceus and winged lion's head rising above them. Next, he imagined the figure moving a few feet west of his altar and coming alive as a full-length figure. As he visualized the living image, he imagined undines flowing from the Archangel Gabriel and filling the living image while at the same time the bright points of Water flowed from his aura and filled the living image as well.
Then he stated, "I name you Lord and Lady of Love."
Then he said, "Lord and Lady of Love, help me to expand my consciousness through love so that I know all the subtle energies of the Tree of Life and experience the Marriage of Heaven and Earth!" Then he humbly stated, "Perform this task and return to the element of Water, doing no harm. So mote it be!"
Before he finished the ritual, Nathan imagined for a few minutes the living image expanding his consciousness through the experience of the subtle forces of the Tree of Life.
Nathan felt an expansion of consciousness through love for Universal Consciousness sometimes during his great challenges afterwards, and he knew that his new allies were guiding him.
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All stories, illustrations, and music Copyright © 2023 by Jim Robbins.
The Lovers: Gemini
3bigcon
00:00 / 05:24
Mr. Mellifluous and the Allies of Gemini
"'The Fall,' in Genesis, is the original trauma of humanity and symbolically reveals the lack of connection between the soul and the incarnated personality, but now, the Archangel Raphael opens his arms, welcoming Adam and Eve back to paradise; the serpent who brought self-awareness does not offer the fruit anymore. The serpent, instead, is symbolizing rebirth, the rebirth of the conscious awareness of the higher self, and it also symbolizes the kundalini, the serpent force coiled at the base of the spine that moves up through the primary chakras and causes the energy centers to blossom with the creative life-force. The tree with fall colors no longer symbolizes The Fall, but the cycles of birth and death and regeneration. Twelve leaves, symbolizing the energies of the zodiac, flame near Adam, and the tree, so close to Adam, suggests that he, as the archetypal human being, is manifesting the energies of the zodiac. Even so, as the archetypal masculine being, Adam is gazing at the archetypal feminine being, Eve, who is looking at the Archangel for spiritual guidance, and there is a connection at all levels of being."
"'The Lovers' connects the sixth Emanation of Beauty with the third Emanation of Understanding, which is a path between the soul, or conscious self of the enlightened individual, and the Emanation of spiritual intuition, known as the Neshama. We see Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden with the Archangel Raphael, 'Healer of God,' above them. The sun, source of all life, shines above Raphael. The image essentially reveals the healing of the psyche, in the sense that all aspects of the individual are now integrated--a return to Eden, so to speak."
"But I don't see just one person--I see a man and a woman, an Archangel, and the sun."
"This might make more sense if you remember the basic divisions of the psyche. The incarnated personality balances polarities, containing both masculine and feminine characteristics. Adam and Eve, in other words, represent the lower incarnated personality. The Archangel represents the evolutionary personality or Individuality, which embraces both male and female characteristics and contains the essence of all incarnations, in what is more commonly called 'the soul.' The sun above Raphael's head is the divine core, which is a spark from the light of the Source. At this stage of 'innocence,' the individual is now integrated at all levels, from the highest spiritual vibration to the densest bones within the body."
"But I thought that the Crown contains the highest spiritual vibration, Mr. M. Doesn't this path connect with the third Emanation?"
"Yes, but remember, Understanding, receiving the direct influxes of both Wisdom and the Crown, combines the energies of all three Supernal Emanations, and therefore all three collectively are known as Neshama, or Spirit. The Crown is our spiritual essence that connects with the dimensions of Universal Consciousness; Wisdom is the spiritual will that enables us to attain greater heights; and the third Emanation is the spiritual Understanding that combines all three, so all three supernal Emanations together form a unit that is also sometimes referred to as the divine core.
"The astrological sign is Gemini, two mythological brothers, one mortal, and one immortal. Part of the 'innocence' of the fully integrated individual is the recognition that part of the self is mortal and part of the self is immortal, but nothing is lost within Universal Consciousness. You will shed your lower personality like the snake sheds its skin, but the memory of it, as well as the spiritual essence of the individual, remain, so there is nothing to mourn.'
"Does that mean that death loses its sting, Mr. M?"
"Yes, it does, but that doesn't mean you should just become lazy and complacent and not care about anything. The Hebrew letter is 'zayin,' which means 'sword.' The sword, of course, is a symbol for the element of Air and is associated with the intellect. In other words, you need to use your head to balance the whole self and cut away anything that interferes with the alignment of the divine spark and the soul and the incarnated personality.
"The God-name is Jehovah, Yod, Heh, Vav, Heh, the Tetragrammaton, which refers to all the levels of being--spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical--all aligned so that the personal energy field is in harmony with the Universal Energy Field."
Eight of Swords: Jupiter in Gemini, Mercury in Hod (Splendor)
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"Look, Mr. M, that lady is still trapped by those swords!"
"She seems more imprisoned by fear than anything else. Her bonds are so loose that they seem about to fall off, and the swords, though long and sharp, do not actually imprison her. Behind her looms a castle on a cliff, but no one is guarding her. We are in the realm of Gemini, and in this realm we will see more of the mortal than the immortal aspects of life. The mortal side unfortunately is often trapped by fear, but she is not only trapped by fear but also by limiting beliefs. The eighth sphere on the Tree of Life is the Emanation of Splendor, associated with Mercury, a God who 'shortens force' through thought, and thought-forms can establish splendor in the human psyche, but they can also create 'mind-forged manacles' that bind us with unproductive and limiting thoughts and behavior. However, the influence of Jupiter can be felt as well. Jupiter is the God of expansive, orderly, upbuilding force. The restrictions of the intellect in the material realm can blind a person to the creative expansiveness of the spirit, but for our friend, the bonds could be loosening and the blindfold could fall off at any moment. Whatever 'authority' put her in that position is off in the distance on a cliff, and the influence of Jupiter might soon liberate her so that, aware of the infinitude and magnificence and harmony within, she manages to free herself and live an abundant spiritual life."
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Nine of Swords: Mars in Gemini, Moon in Yesod (The Foundation)
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"That person is still very sad, Mr. M."
"Yes, she is still in darkness. Again, we are seeing the mortal aspects of Gemini, the sorrow and despair and cruelty. We have witnessed the immortal aspects of Gemini on the path of The Lovers, but here nine swords hang horizontally over the bed, three of which, as our friend bends forward, seem to pierce the four chakras related to the spiritual dimension of the self: the crown, the third eye, the throat, and the heart. At first glance, our friend seems to be suffering from the effects of cruelty, which is a vice of Mars, or she might be suffering from grief, which is a common result of the constant change associated with the Moon. However, the influences of Mars and Gemini can also be felt on a deeper level. Our friend is experiencing a blockage of the life-force between the higher and lower chakras, the energy centers in the aura. Stress and trauma from dysfunction and cruelty can close or block the chakras. Our friend is covering her eyes, blinding herself to the spiritual dimension, hence the blackness in the background. All levels of being are connected, and this is no different in the chakra system of the aura. The power of Mars on the physical level is in part linked to a balance of the higher chakras with the lower chakras, the life-force flowing harmoniously throughout the whole system, both upward and downward. When a blockage exists between the spiritual and physical levels, the life-force on the lower levels, which includes romantic passion, also associated with the Moon, is adversely affected, and weakness and mental and emotional suffering can result. It's no accident that for our friend the spiritual dimension is blacked out and the lower half of the body is covered. However, there is always hope. On the blanket are red roses, red symbolically associated with both Mars and romantic love. Also on the blanket are astrological signs, a reminder that the psyche always has the potential to balance the life-forces and regain the health of the body and heart and mind."
"I really hope that she feels better soon, Mr. M."
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Ten of Swords: Sun in Gemini, Four Elements in Malkuth (The Kingdom)
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"We're seeing the mortal aspects of Gemini, aren't we, Mr. M?"
"Yes, indeed, not just death but hatred and anger and cruelty. The swords are positioned vertically to suggest that our friend's ruin was orchestrated carefully and carried out by more than one person. Notice though that the water is calm, the black storm clouds lifting, and there is no blood on the ground. The sky is yellow, suggesting either dusk or dawn. Either way, the Sun, associated with the higher self in Beauty, the sixth Emanation on the Tree of Life, is peeking through. The moment of ruin is paralyzing, like death, which suggests, on a symbolic level, the inability to move on, but even though everything is lost, a moment of calm illumination has arrived. Our friend here has been targeted by a group, but no matter how horrible, death, as revealed by the path of the same name, is transformation, which can occur not only on the physical level, but on the emotional, mental, and spiritual levels as well, and what eventually follows is regeneration. Both the Sun and Gemini have an influence on this level in the tenth Emanation. The Sun suggests the spirit, the Source, which might peek through for a moment. Remember that the Gemini myth concerns the twin brothers Castor and Pollux, one mortal, the other immortal. When the mortal one died, Zeus formed a constellation so that mortal and immortal could be joined together, which I interpret to mean that the essence of the mortal self remains within the immortal self."
"That's how I want to interpret it too. Thanks, Mr. M, you made me feel better."
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All stories, illustrations, and music Copyright © 2023 by Jim Robbins.
Three of Cups: Mercury in Cancer, Saturn in Understanding
4hsmall
00:00 / 05:10
LADIES OF ABUNDANCE
As Nathan was riding his horse through town, he stopped to watch three women dancing gracefully with each other during a harvest festival. Every third measure, each dancer lifted up a golden cup as if to toast each other or their town or some God or Goddess. Nathan had never witnessed anything like it before. He looked on, mesmerized, unable to identify the subtle forces inspiring their grace and splendor. As he listened to the music, he closed his eyes. Since the dance was so enchanting, he decided that Venus was influencing the dancers. Nathan wasn't an artist, but he suddenly sensed distinct structures underlying the dance as the three women wove together so gracefully. Nathan decided to seek out the King or Queen of Cups for answers, so he rode to the seashore.
The Queen of Cups
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Nathan rode his horse along the ocean and eventually found the Queen of Cups teaching a faery child. Nathan dismounted from his horse and bowed. "I serve thee always, your Majesty. I don't wish to interrupt, but I'd like to ask you a question whenever you are available."
The Queen responded, "Please, go ahead, my friend, this child needs a break anyway. What is your query?"
Nathan carefully described the three dancers at the harvest festival. Then he said, "Your Majesty, I at first was sure that Venus was subtly influencing them, but then I sensed structure governing both the music and the dance. In other words, I realized that the emotions evoked in me by the dance stemmed from the underlying artistic form, an enchanting structure created by an inspired artist. I became confused and couldn't put my finger on the subtle influence. Do you have any knowledge or advice that you can share, your Highness?"
"I believe so, my devoted knight. What you witnessed is, in our realm, known as 'The Dance of the Three Graces.'"
"Thank you, your Highness, I don't think I have ever witnessed such grace and beauty before."
"Venus does indirectly influence the dancers, my dear knight, but in a way that you might not expect. I will talk about that in a moment, but first, I would like to say that most people here know much about the realm that you came from. I sense that you wish to return home at some point in the near future, perhaps to share what you have learned here in the Tarot Realm?"
"I have considered it, your Highness. I sometimes feel a strong desire to return home."
"That is understandable. I also think I know why you are having trouble identifying the subtle forces influencing the dancers. Throughout most of the history of your realm, people have valued property and money far more than the arts. Most of the people in your realm don't trouble themselves with trying to understand the structures underlying the splendor that the arts so often provide--they are far more concerned about money and status. In other words, the few people who rule your realm are not concerned about creating a world of beauty and grace for everyone, for that would force them to share their wealth, and the people who rule behind the scenes are keenly aware that their tremendous power stems from their wealth and status. The plutocrats and oligarchs and kleptocrats who control the politicians behind the scenes tend to adhere to the vile maxim, 'All for me and nothing for anyone else.' Creativity is discouraged in your realm unless the wealthy can profit from it because the wealthy want slaves to serve them, not artists who imagine creating a better world. Beauty and grace touch the soul, and through the arts we begin to sense the divinity within creation. The arts inspire us and swing us across the gulf into the higher spiritual realms so that we experience profound visions and intuitions and build an inner temple of spiritual principle. The awakening of the mind to the knowledge that all energy is divine threatens the wealthy because they want to continue expoiting the divine energies and the people of the world for their own profit.
"I feel that I should remind you about the history of your realm since you are now sometimes experiencing the desire to return to it. Many people emigrated to your realm from another realm across the sea. They began to move westward, killing the native peoples and stealing their land and cutting down the forests, replacing the natural world that once existed with cities and farms. In the southern part of your realm, it became common practice to kidnap people from other realms and sell them as slaves. Eventually in the south only about a thousand wealthy families owned most of the land while in the north, the rich exploited wage-slaves in their factories. During this period of genocide and slavery, the wealthy rulers oversaw the killing of millions of native peoples and the merciless exploitation of countless men, women, and children. The vast majority of people experienced either chattel slavery or wage slavery, and the rich got richer by influencing the politicians with the money that their slaves kept earning for them. Despite the conflicts between the north and the south, the rich have since come to control the whole political and economic system, with only a handful of people controlling most of the wealth while the rest of the people remain in a constant state of emergency, a perpetual struggle for survival.
"You know that most of the people in the Tarot Realm have great reverence for the web of life, and we are sensitive to the subtle vibrations that touch our souls because that enables us to feel and know our connection with Universal Consciousness, but in your realm, the wealthy people who rule behind the scenes don't care about the community of life or about subtle forces--they care only about accumulating more wealth, no matter how many people die or suffer through unnecessary illness and hardship. They don't care about the species they are killing off in the process of destroying ecosystems. Instead, the rich cause divisiveness so that the poor fight each other instead of rising up against inequality and injustice."
"Yes, your Highness, I had almost forgotten."
"My brave knight, I ask you to consider the history of your realm carefully before you return to it. You will no doubt sacrifice much if you ever do, now that you have internalized the positive values of the Tarot Realm."
"Yes, your Highness, I will weigh the sacrifices and the risks involved before I return home, that is, if I ever do."
"Good, now let us turn our attention to the importance of form and structure in the arts. Which pillar on the Tree of Life is associated with the severity of of form?"
Nathan thought for a moment. "The Pillar of Severity, associated with Saturn, Mars, and Mercury."
"Yes, very good. Which God is associated with primordial form, which God with the establishment of laws and ethics, and which God with the splendor of ideas?"
"Saturn is associated with the creation of primordial form, Mars with the rigor associated with ethics, and Mercury with the discipline to create structures of thought that manifest order and harmony and splendor."
"Yes, the intellect, associated with Mercury, limits the free-flowing subtle forces and emotions associated with Venus so that the human mind can manifest beauty and splendor as concrete form in our physical realm. Mercury is directly linked with Venus on the Tree of Life. Indeed, the state of being associated with Mercury emanated from the sphere of Venus in the course of cosmic evolution."
Nathan pondered for a moment. "So without the limitations of the intellect the forces of Venus would remain free-flowing and people would not be able to manifest them as structures in the physical realm?"
"Yes, Mercury is a God of communication and provides structures that enable people to express the full range of emotions, from joy to despair, and to explore the full range of thought from the personal dimensions of experience to the dimensions of Universal Consciousness. Mercury limits the forces of Venus so that we can manifest splendor and beauty in The Kingdom. Do you remember how many dancers with golden cups there were, by any chance?"
"Three, your Majesty. So it's no coincidence that the third Emanation on the Tree of Life is associated with Saturn. The holy man in the castle taught me that Mercury is Saturn on a lower arc. I see now. That's how the human mind can manifest creative structures that touch the soul and elevate the community."
"Yes, indeed. Remember that in the realm that you once called home, the wealthy who rule behind the scenes do not want the masses to know about 'The Marriage of Heaven on Earth," associated with Venus, or 'The Creation of the World,' associated with Mercury, because any emphasis on opening the heart and mind or on divine inspiration might cause the people to rise up against them since so many people suffer poverty and debt and illness and hunger. One last question, my friend. Where do we find 'The Once and Future Monarch,' who is on a quest to experience all of the subtle forces of the Tree of Life?"
"The Once and Future Monarch is associated with the zodiac sign Cancer. Ahh, I see, your Majesty. The knowledge and experience of the subtle forces of the paths of the Tree of Life can inspire us to create powerful works for the highest good, such as 'The dance of the Three Graces,' works that benefit the whole community, not just the rich and powerful."
"Yes, my friend. Works of joy and triumph as well as sadness and despair can raise the spiritual frequency of humanity so that we feel compassion and love for the community of all life."
"I am very grateful to you for sharing your deep understanding, your Majesty."
"You are very welcome, my devoted knight."
Nathan bowed, "I serve thee always, my Queen."
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The Magician: Mercury
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Nathan found a Tarot card very similar to what he had witnessed in his vision: the Three of Cups. The decan association in the card is Mercury in Cancer, and the Tree of Life correspondence is Saturn in Understanding, the third Emanation on the Tree of Life.
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The Chariot: Cancer
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Nathan rode to a secluded part of the forest where he could perform a ritual with the Three of Cups.
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The Passive and Active Invoking Pentagrams
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Because Nathan was creating a living image based on the Three of Cups with the Tarot Pentagram Spread, he placed all the foundation cards down on his makeshift altar with the tops facing west on his altar. Since Water is a passive element, Nathan used the Passive Invoking Spirit Pentagram while laying down the cards, starting in the lower left corner of the pentagram, moving to the upper right corner and continuing from there. After he placed all of the foundation cards, he tapped each card in the direction of the Passive Invoking Spirit Pentagram, making sure to tap the one in the lower left corner to complete the pentagram.
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Foundation Cards with the Three of Cups
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Then he placed The Three of Cups in the middle of the pentagram, saying, "The Three of Cups, Mercury in Cancer, Saturn in Understanding." Then he tapped the card.
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Modifiers for the Three of Cups: The Chariot, The Magician, and The World
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Next, he placed The Chariot on the Ace of Cups in the upper right hand corner of the pentagram as a modifier. The card representing the zodiac sign goes first, he remembered. As he placed The Chariot on the Ace of Cups, he stated while tapping the card, "The Chariot, Cancer, the Once and Future Monarch." As he tapped the card, he remembered that the Once and Future Monarch keeps returning over and over from the spiritual realm to the physical realm with the knowledge of the subtle forces of the Tree of Life.
Then he placed The Magician in the upper right hand corner on the first modifier, The Chariot. As he placed The Magician, he stated while tapping the card, "The Magician, Mercury, 'The Creation of the World.'" Finally, as he placed The World on The Magician, he stated while tapping the card, "The World, Saturn, 'The Descent into the Underworld,' and he realized that powerful ideas and images from deep in the mind often surface during the creative process.
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​​Spirit Pentagram
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Then Nathan drew the Passive Invoking Pentagram and the spirit wheel in the air in brilliant white above the Two of Cups on the altar, charging the pentagram and the symbol in the usual way with the Sign of the Enterer.
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Invoking Pentagram for the Element of Water
(Click on the Star Above to Review the LBRP and the SIRP.)
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Then, he drew an Invoking Pentagram for Water directly over the Passive Invoking Spirit Pentagram, charging the pentagram and the symbol of the eagle, associated with Scorpio, in the usual way. At that point, he imagined the symbol of the eagle's head turning into a living image of the dancers performing "The Dance of the Three Graces." Next, he imagined the dancers weaving gracefully together. As he visualized the living image, he imagined undines flowing from the Archangel Gabriel and filling the living image while at the same time bright points of Water flowed from his aura and filled the living image as well.
Then he stated, "I name you Ladies of Abundance."
Then he said, "Ladies of Abundance, help me to create a world of beauty and abundance through the structures of form and communication for the highest possible good of the realm." Then he humbly stated, "Perform this task and return to the element of Water, doing no harm. So mote it be!"
Before he finished the ritual, Nathan imagined for a few minutes the living image expanding his consciousness through the experience of the subtle forces of the Tree of Life so that he could build an inner temple of spiritual principle and create his own world of splendor and beauty and abundance.
Nathan sometimes had powerful creative ideas during his journey through the Tarot Realm, and he knew that his new allies were guiding him.
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Journey through "ID Land" with Virgil and the Fool.​
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All stories, illustrations, and music Copyright © 2023 by Jim Robbins.
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