All Text, Music, and Illustrations, including Paintings, Photographs, and 3D models, Copyright © 2022 by Jim Robbins.
LORD OF VALOR
Nathan was fighting off invaders on the beach when he saw a warrior on a hill about to take on six soldiers in chain mail and helmets. The soldiers were threatening the warrior, but he did not hesitate to fight them all at the same time. Nathan dashed over to aid the brave warrior, and in about twenty minutes of hand to hand combat, the six soldiers were vanquished. Not long after, the invaders were driven back to their boats. Nathan and all the other warriors knew that the invaders wanted to enslave the people and plunder the resources of the Tarot Realm, so all of the warriors were motivated to find the strength and courage to fight off a larger force.
As Nathan was recovering from his wounds, he thought about the subtle forces that were influencing his comrades during the battle. As a knight, Nathan was always prepared for conflict, but he had never wondered what subtle forces were giving him the courage to face extremely daunting challenges. Just then, the holy man in the castle came to visit him.
The holy man smiled as he approached Nathan, "Good to see you again, my friend. I am glad to see that you are recovering quickly from the recent conflict."
Nathan smiled. "Good to see you again as well. Thank you for coming to see me."
"My pleasure," the holy man replied.
"While you're here, can I ask you a question?" Nathan asked.
"Of course, my friend."
"During the battle, we were greatly outnumbered, but the men found the courage to fight them off and drive them away from our land. Some of our soldiers even took on five or six at one time. What gave them the courage to do that?"
"The instinct for combat is strong, but often something higher influences warriors during battle. You all knew that you were there to protect the people and the land. You were there to protect our freedoms and the plants and animals in our realm. Can you think of any subtle forces that might have been influencing you?"
"Well, I know that as warriors, we are guided by Mars, but there seemed to be something more. I remember now that during the battle we were all fighting like lions. Was Leo influencing us as well?"
"Ah, yes, the force of Mars can give you great courage and strength, but the force of Leo can give you something extremely powerful as well. Do you remember the mythological principle associated with Leo?"
Nathan thought hard for a moment. "I'm sorry, I don't remember. Perhaps I can't remember because of the blow to my head."
"No worries, my friend. I'll refresh your memory. The mythological principle of Leo is 'Meeting with the Other Self.'"
"Hmm, the other self. I am not sure what that means."
"Within us, we each have a higher self that connects us with Universal Consciousness, and this higher self sometimes shines through in times of trouble. Some call it the Holy Guardian Angel. In another realm, it is known as the 'daimon.' As you know, Atriel is your guardian angel, but we also have within our personal consciousness a kind of angel that inspires us to fight for what is right despite all the odds. Our higher self can give us great strength and courage and power even in the worst circumstances. I suspect, for instance, that many of you were meeting your higher self on the battlefield the other day."
"Yes, I can think of more than a few who certainly were. But another force seemed to be influencing us as well."
"You were there to protect the people and our natural environment, were you not?"
"Yes, we were."
"Do you remember the mythological principle of Venus?"
"'The Marriage of Heaven and Earth.' So, in our connection with Universal Consciousness we were inspired by the forces within nature?"
"It's quite possible that many of you gained strength and power from your desire to protect the natural world. You knew the invaders had come to plunder our resources. The higher self connects us to the natural world, for all of nature is a manifestation of the Source of Creation. The higher self reveals that everything is connected, and sometimes we see clearly that we need to fight for our brothers and sisters, which includes the plants and animals of this earth."
"I see now why so many were fighting like lions the other day." Nathan smiled and closed his eyes. "Thank you for visiting me."
"You are very welcome, my friend."
As Nathan was recovering, he pulled out the Seven of Wands from his Tarot deck. The man on the ridge in the card looked a lot like the brave warrior during the battle. As he gazed at the card, he remembered that the decan association of the Seven of Wands is Mars in Leo, and the Tree of Life correspondence is Venus in Victory, the seventh Emanation. He chose the Seven of Wands as the central card, and he included Strength, which represents Leo, and The Tower, which represents Mars, and The Empress, which represents Venus, as modifying cards.
Later, when Nathan fully recovered, he created an artificial elemental, also known as a living image, with the Tarot Pentagram Spread, using those cards.
First, since Fire is an active element, he used the Active Invoking Pentagram while laying down the foundation cards, starting in the lower right corner of the pentagram, moving to the upper left corner and continuing from there.
After he placed all of the cards, he tapped each card in the direction of the Active Invoking Pentagram, making sure to tap the one in the position of Fire in the lower right corner to complete the pentagram.
Then he placed the Seven of Wands in the middle of the pentagram, saying, "Seven of Wands, Lord of Valor, Mars in Leo, Venus in Victory," and tapped the card.
Then, since Leo is a Fire sign, and the Seven of Wands represents Mars in Leo, Nathan placed Strength as a modifier on the Ace of Wands. As he was tapping the card, he stated, "Strength, Leo, 'Meeting with the Other Self,'" After that, he placed The Tower over Strength and stated, "The Tower, Mars, 'The War at World's End." Then he placed The Empress on The Tower and stated, "The Empress, Venus, The Marriage of Heaven and Earth."
Then Nathan drew the Active Invoking Spirit Pentagram and the spirit wheel in brilliant white above the Seven of Wands on the altar, charging the pentagram and the symbol in the usual way with the Sign of the Enterer. Next, he drew an Invoking Pentagram for Fire directly over the Spirit Pentagram, charging the pentagram and the symbol of Leo in the usual way. At that point, he imagined the symbol of Leo becoming the living image of the Two of Wand, and the warrior came alive as a full-length figure. As Nathan visualized the living image, he imagined that salamanders filled the living image while at the same time tiny points of winged light flowed from his own aura and filled the living image as well.
After gazing at the cards for a moment, he stated, "Lord of Valor, I humbly ask thee to help me to live in my higher self so that I may help my brothers and sisters in the human realm and in the natural world."
Then he ended by saying, "So mote it be!" Before he finished the ritual, he imagined for a few minutes living in his higher self.
From that point on, Nathan often felt a sense of living in his higher self.
Continue the journey through the Tarot Realm with Claire and Nathan.
(Please Note: All AI generated images are based on paintings, 3D Blender renderings, or photographs by Jim Robbins.)
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