All Text, Music, and Illustrations, including Paintings, Photographs, and 3D models, Copyright © 2022 by Jim Robbins.
Eight of Cups: Saturn in Pisces,
Mercury in Splendor (Eighth Emanation)
LORD OF ABANDONED SUCCESS
Eight of Cups: (AI Version)
Nathan stopped to rest on a beach near eight golden cups. Three of the golden cups were stacked on top of the other five, which left a gap--as if something was missing. Through that gap between the cups, Nathan could see an old friend climbing a steep hill. Nathan shouted and waved, but the ocean was drowning out his voice, and his friend didn't turn around--as though determined to leave everything behind. His friend was once a powerful and successful knight who had fought valiantly for the realm. Now, however, his friend, who wasn't wearing his suit of armor, seemed to be abandoning his success and moving on. Nathan was afraid that they might not ever encounter each other again, which saddened him because his friend had taught him how to be an effective knight. The eight golden cups suggested to Nathan that his friend had gained knowledge and strength as a knight on a deep spiritual level, but perhaps his friend felt that something was wrong with his life. Nathan experienced deeper and deeper melancholy as he watched his friend climb higher and higher up the hill.
The King of Cups (3D Version)
At sunrise, Nathan rode his horse along the beach and eventually found the King of Cups. Nathan dismounted from his horse and bowed. "Your Majesty, I have a question."
The King responded, "Yes, my friend, what is your question?"
"Your Majesty, last night I saw a great knight leaving on a journey. He is a friend of mine who taught me many things. I got the sense that he was abandoning his success as a knight because he felt something was missing in his life. Do you know why he was leaving, your Majesty?"
"Yes, my valiant knight, in our realm this is actually a time of joy and celebration, for your friend is now following a spiritual path, which will greatly benefit the realm."
"How so? If you don't mind me asking, your Highness."
"If you have a few minutes I will tell you, for you someday might find yourself in a similar situation. Remember the Father of the Gods, our beloved Saturn, who resides in the third Emanation on the Tree of Life known as Understanding. The Emanation of Understanding is the womb of creation above the planes of manifestation, where our beloved Heavenly Mother also resides. During the cosmic act of creation, Saturn knew that he needed to give beings in the planes of manifestation a way to survive in challenging and harsh conditions, so he gave them instincts. Was your friend using a wand as a walking stick, by any chance?"
"Yes, your Highness."
"Think of the wand as representing the range of energies associated with the instincts. At one end of the wand, the instincts can trigger terribly unbalanced behavior, especially if negative emotions are clouding a person's judgement. At the other end, the instincts can be used in a balanced, ideal way for the highest good if a person has a mind free of negativity."
"I am afraid that I don't quite understand, your Highness."
"For instance, think of the fourth Emanation, which is the first state of being to form in the planes of manifestation below the heavenly realms. The fourth Emanation is known as 'Mercy' and is associated with Jupiter. The most basic instinct bestowed by Saturn on the beings in the realms of manifestation is the self-preservation instinct. At one end of the spectrum, for example, people filled with negativity who stir the survival instinct can manifest the unbalanced vices of tyranny, bigotry, gluttony, and hypocrisy, all of which are types of selfishness that are often quite harmful to the community of all life. The survival instinct, in other words, can be the motivation for self-aggrandizement, for obtaining power and wealth at the expense of others, often through aggression. On the other hand, we can exercise discipline and understanding, both characteristics of Saturn, to manifest the basic instinctual force in a selfless, virtuous manner through obedience to the Divine Will for the highest possible good of all life, for all beings are divine and everything is connected. In that way, in other words, we are motivated by the self-preservation instinct to protect and preserve the community of life so that we and all other beings can survive in a sustainable, balanced manner."
"I think I am beginning to understand, your Highness."
"Let me provide you with another example. Think of the fifth Emanation known as 'Severity' or 'Strength,' which is associated with Mars. To continue the metaphor, at the negative end of the wand in the sphere of Mars is the instinct for combat, which can lead to cruelty and destructiveness. Using the instinct in a positive, ideal way, on the other hand, a person can manifest courage, discipline, strength, and the power of righteousness in the pursuit of justice.
"Completing the ethical triangle on the Tree of Life is the sixth Emanation known as 'Beauty.' The vice in the sixth Emanation is pride, another form of selfishness that can lead to tribalism, denial of the truth, as well as conflict with individuals and other groups. Pride exalts the self and people in some groups above all others. Some religious groups, for example, end up causing great harm to people and the realm as a whole because they are acting out of pride and self-exaltation, and these religious groups will sometimes even support a demagogue who promises to be their protector and savior--even though that person is obviously a criminal and a fraud and a cheat and a liar and a narcissist who acts from the basest of intentions and motivations. If, on the other hand, we use the forces of the instinct in the Emanation of Beauty in a positive manner--without negativity--we can know the meaning of selfless sacrifice and harmonizing love. We can experience the light of Universal Consciousness, for the Son in the Emanation of Beauty shows us the Father.
Mars and Venus in Relation to Each Other on the Tree of Life
"I'll provide just one more example. If you look carefully at the Tree of Life, you'll notice a slanted path descending from the sphere of Mars, which is the fifth Emanation, down to the sphere of Venus, which is the seventh Emanation. This has deep meaning, for in mythology Mars and Venus are lovers, and both manifest the life-force in its most potent state. One might believe that their passion for each other is due to the sexual instinct, but also notice that the slanted path passes through Beauty, the sixth Emanation associated with The Sun, which harmonizes and purifies the basic instinct so that they feel great passion for each other as well as high spiritual love.
"The world right now is in crying need of leaders who choose to act with virtue, not vice--in other words, leaders who act in an ideal, balanced manner instead of a negative, unbalanced manner. Any leader who stimulates the negative aspects of the instincts in his followers can cause terrible chaos and divisiveness and end up ruining a society. Each Emanation on the Tree of Life within the planes of manifestation has both a virtue and a vice, and all of the virtues and vices manifest in The Kingdom, the physical realm, so our leaders and their followers need to be aware of how the instincts are affecting them and how they can use the instincts as forces for a higher good.
"The reason that we are celebrating your friend's departure on his spiritual journey is that first he is going to cleanse himself with water, which he will do before he begins his journey. Then he will mentally cleanse all negativity from the energy centers in his psyche so that he is no longer motivated by his instincts to act in a selfish or destructive way. In our realm, we all internalize negativity, and as we grow older, the negativity tends to build up inside of us, but after his purification process, negativity will no longer influence how he acts, instinctively or otherwise. He is going to honor the forces of the Tree of Life through strong dedication and discipline, both of which together lead to harmony and understanding. In that way, using his instincts in an ideal, balanced manner, he can serve the community of all life for the highest possible good."
"Thank you. I understand now, your Majesty. I serve thee always."
The World: Saturn (AI Version)
Nathan found a Tarot card very similar to what he witnessed as he rested by the ocean: the Eight of Cups. The decan association of the card, he remembered, is Saturn in Pisces, and the Tree of Life correspondence is Mercury in Splendor, the Eighth Emanation. Nathan pondered for a moment. Strangely, he thought to himself, the High Priestess is associated with the astrological symbol of The Moon while the Tarot card entitled The Moon represents Pisces. The holy man in the castle once told Nathan that the ancients purposely created blinds in the Tarot so that the uninitiated would become confused and give up trying to understand the cards and therefore would not be able to use the forces represented by the Tree of Life in an unbalanced way.
The Moon: Pisces (3D Version)
Nathan examined The Moon, the card representing Pisces. A dog and a jackal are howling at the moon, and a large crawdad is emerging from the water--a scene that reveals primal instincts stimulated by the forces of the moon. Nathan remembered that the mythological principle associated with the card is "The Emergence from Water," which suggests that creatures with their basic instincts are emerging from the primordial waters--or suggests the emergence from water after purification. When Nathan looked closer, he noticed that the moon is in front of the sun. The moon provides a magnetic pull on the earth and except during the "dark of the moon" reflects the light of the sun in different phases. Since humans are part animal, the moon can stimulate the primal instincts within the human psyche, but even within the animal nature of human beings, Nathan realized, there is also a great pull in the soul toward the light of The Sun, the Source of all life on earth and the spiritual symbol of harmonizing love and sacrifice.
Nathan rode to a secluded part of the forest where he could perform a ritual with the Tarot card known as The World, associated with Saturn.
Active and Passive Invoking Pentagrams
Because Nathan was creating a living image based on the Eight 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 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 Pentagram, making sure to tap the one in the lower left corner to complete the pentagram.
Then he placed The World in the middle of the pentagram, saying, "The World, Saturn, Journey through the Underworld." As he tapped the card, he realized that the mythological principle of "Journey through the Underworld" could be referring to the purification of the instincts and the dark areas of the mind. The holy man in the castle, he remembered, had once mentioned a story of Anubis taking people deep into the underworld to cleanse them of all negativity.
Modifier for the Eight of Cups: The Moon
Then he placed The Moon on the Ace of Cups in the upper right hand corner of the pentagram as a modifier. As he placed The Moon on the Ace of Cups, he stated while tapping the card, "The Moon, Pisces, the Emergence from Water."
Then Nathan drew the Passive Invoking Spirit Pentagram and the spirit wheel in the air in brilliant white above The World on the altar, charging the pentagram and the symbol in the usual way with the Sign of the Enterer.
Invoking Pentagram for the Element of Water
After that, 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 becoming the living image of the main figure in The World. Then 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 of the Tarot card, 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 Saturn, Father of the Gods, who has provided all creatures in the world with instincts to enable them survive."
Then he said, "From the holy Emanation of Understanding, help me to purify myself so that I may manifest the the virtues, the ideal aspects of the instincts, for the highest possible good of myself and others."
Then he humbly stated, "Perform this task, then return to the divine Emanation of Understanding, doing no harm. So mote it be!"
Before he finished the ritual, Nathan imagined for a few minutes the living image of the figure in The World purifying him with water so that he could manifest the virtues associated with the instincts. Then he ended the Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram with the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram.
Nathan began to act with greater compassion and understanding during his great challenges afterwards, and he knew that his new ally was guiding him.
(Please note: All AI Versions are based on my 3D Blender renderings, paintings, or photographs)
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