All Text, Music, and Illustrations, including Paintings, Photographs, and 3D models, Copyright © 2022 by Jim Robbins.
LORD OF MATERIAL WORKS
While Nathan was studying a Tarot card, the holy man in the castle knocked on his door.
After the holy man stepped into the room, he remarked, "I've heard that you are thinking about going back to the realm from which you came, but you are worried that your homeland has become so harsh and deranged that your attempts to work for a higher good there might end up being futile. On a deeper level, you are also worried that all action is vanity because of the ceaseless impermanence of this temporal world. Is this true?"
"Yes, I think so. News travels fast here...."
"I think perhaps that I can help. Come with me now to the cathedral."
Without saying a word, Nathan followed the holy man to the cathedral next to the castle.
After they entered the cathedral, the holy man whispered, "I think you might learn something here. First, look carefully at the symbols above the mason, the monk, and the architect. What do they tell you?"
Nathan quietly responded, "Well, the three pentacles suggest the top three Emanations of the Tree of Life, known as The Crown, Wisdom, and Understanding. Together, they represent the soul or spirit of creation, the Neshamah, a Hebrew word that is also translated as "breath." Below the three pentacles, the balanced cross within the circle, which signifies the four elements in harmony within eternity, suggests the fourth Emanation known as Mercy, the plane of manifestation associated with Jupiter. The five-petaled flower containing the balanced cross suggests the fifth Emanation known as Power, associated with Mars. Together they signify the top five Emanations of Creation, which represent high spiritual energies that manifest in this realm."
"You are learning. Notice that the fleur de lys is also a prominent symbol."
Nathan responded, "Why, yes, I see that now, but I'm not sure what the symbol means."
"Legend has it that as Adam and Eve were being expelled from Eden, Lilies sprang from the tears of Eve. Lilies are white, and white symbolically represents unity."
"So, after their expulsion, Adam and Eve no longer felt the unity of Universal Consciousness?"
"Correct, but the lilies in the legend reveal that the personal experience of the unity of Universal Consciousness is the way to return to paradise. Why do you think the triangles are also prominent symbols?"
"The upward pointing triangle is associated with Air and Fire, active elements of force. The downward pointing triangle is associated Water and Earth, passive elements of form. I never thought of this before, but a three-sided geometric figure would be associated with the third Emanation, which is also associated with Saturn, the Father of the Gods representing the primordial creation of basic form. The third Emanation is also associated with the Celestial Mother and the womb of manifestation. Both Saturn and Mars are associated with the harmony and order that can be manifested through structure and form. Thanks to you, I have learned that Mars is Saturn on a lower arc."
"All of these archetypal energies remain within Universal Consciousness. Even if someone destroyed the harmony and order of your realm, the archetypal energies remain as the basis for manifestation--the basis for a new form of creation. The mason and monk and architect are significant as well. They suggest how the archetypal energies manifest down the planes. The monk has experienced the spiritual realms that reveal the symbols of the archetypal energies, the architect has created the mental structures that manifest as this magnificent edifice, and the mason is now manifesting the mental structures in physical form."
"This is a magnificent process of creation."
"Even if some dictator destroys all sense of harmony and unity in your realm, you can reconnect with the underlying unity of Universal Consciousness and build a world of harmony and order again. It might take awhile, but the expenditure of energy is an aspect of sacrifice. The people working on this cathedral know that it will probably take hundreds of years to complete, but that is part of their sacrifice. If you return to your homeland, you might face daunting sacrifices, but you know the spirit realms and the archetypal energies and structures behind existence, and you know ways of manifesting harmony and order. Many others like you have faced daunting circumstances throughout history, in your realm and in the Tarot Realm, but many people have nevertheless continued to neutralize evil and maintain balance to reveal the magnificence, harmony, and abundance of the spiritual realms."
"Thank you. I see now how we can create continuity in our own lives instead of feeling like we are living in an absurd state of ceaseless impermanence. I will make a decision soon."
"It is not an easy decision to make. There are many in your realm who wish to tear down those who can see into the spirit realms and those with the ability to create magnificent and harmonious mental structures and those who can manifest harmonious structures in form. To avert attention away from their immorality and their crimes, they lie continuously and cause divisiveness so that different groups hate each other instead of focusing their hatred on them. Those rogues destroy any sense of continuity and unity and would negate all the cathedrals in the world. They would continue to pollute and plunder the great cathedral of nature for their own profit until nothing is left. In your homeland, these people have the power and wealth."
"Thank you, once again, for your insights. Whatever I decide, I will strive for the highest possible good." Nathan bowed and returned to his room to perform a ritual.
Nathan was greatly impressed by the cathedral. He searched through his Tarot deck and found the Three of Pentacles, which resembled what he had actually witnessed. The Three of Pentacles represents Mars in Capricorn and the Saturn in Understanding. Nathan decided to make the Three of Pentacles the central card in his Tarot pentagram ritual, and since he also wanted to experience the energies of Mars in Capricorn, as well as the energies of Saturn, he decided to use The Tower, The Devil, and The World as modifiers.
Capricorn, the holy man once said, represents life forces that we can experience in every plant and animal to develop a greater understanding of how Universal Consciousness manifests in the world. Like The Devil, Capricorn can at times terrify human beings because of the awesome life forces that are beyond human control. Some dimensions of Universal Consciousness, he said, are extremely difficult for humans to comprehend. Out of fear and ignorance, people sometimes personify the powers of life as evil. If we look with the eye of the soul, the third eye, we can develop a greater understanding of Universal Consciousness and begin to move beyond fear.
The mythological principle associated with Mars, the holy man said, is "The War at the World's End," in other words an apocalyptic occurrence that shakes up a society or the world, but Mars essentially embodies ethical spiritual principles and structures that maintain justice and harmony and order. Sometimes, the holy man said, Mars makes it seem like the world is ending in order to force people to examine their beliefs and act in a more ethical way--to create a sustainable and harmonious society, for instance.
In the Tarot card The World, the four elements, Air, Water, Fire, and Earth, are manifesting harmoniously within the sphere of influence of the individual. The elements manifest in the natural world, but people, Nathan realized, can manifest the subtle elements to create a magnificent cathedral as well as a harmonious community full of abundance.
Since the suit of Pentacles represents Earth, a passive element, Nathan used the Passive Invoking Spirit Pentagram while laying down the foundation cards, the Aces and Judgement, starting in the lower left corner of the pentagram, moving to the upper right corner and continuing from there.
Passive and Active Invoking Pentagrams
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. Then he placed the Two of Pentacles in the middle of the pentagram and tapped the card, saying, "Three of Pentacles, Lord of Material Works, Mars in Capricorn and Saturn in Understanding." Then he placed the modifiers, The Devil, The Tower, and The World, on the Ace of Pentacles in the lower left hand corner of the pentagram.
First, he placed The Devil on the Ace of Pentacles and stated while tapping the card, "The Devil, Capricorn, the 'Meeting with the Powers of Life.'" Then, he placed The Tower on the first modifier and stated, "The Tower, Mars, 'The War at the World's End.'"
As he placed The World on the second modifier, he said while tapping the card, "The World, Saturn, 'Descent into the Underworld,'" and he remembered that during meditation he descended deep into the void in order to ascend to high spiritual realms, such as the third Emanation on the Tree of Life associated with Saturn.
Then he drew the Passive Invoking Spirit Pentagram and the spirit wheel in the air in brilliant white above the Two of Pentacles on the altar, charging the pentagram and the spirit wheel in the usual way with the Sign of the Enterer.
After that, he drew an Invoking Pentagram for Earth directly over the Invoking Spirit Pentagram, charging the pentagram and the symbol of Taurus in the usual way. At that point, he imagined the symbol of the bull's head becoming the living image of the Three of Pentacles. Then he imagined gnomes flowing from the Archangel Auriel and filling the living image while at the same time the bright points of the Earth element flowed from his aura and filled the living image as well.
Then he said, "Lord of Material Works, help me to create a world of magnificence, abundance, and harmony through sacrifice."
Then he stated, "Perform this task until I have succeeded in mastering this ability, doing no harm. So mote it be!"
He imagined for a few minutes manifesting subtle archetypal energies of the Tree of Life to create mental structures that establish harmony, abundance, and magnificence within himself and the realm for the highest possible good. He, of course, performed the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram before he completed the ritual.
Afterwards, Nathan often felt the magnificence of spirit manifesting within himself and humanity and the community of all life.
Go on a different adventure with Claire and Nathan in the Tarot Realm.
(Please note: All AI generated images are based on paintings, 3D Blender renderings, or photographs by Jim Robbins.)
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