All Text, Music, and Illustrations, including Paintings, Photographs, and 3D models, Copyright © 2022 by Jim Robbins.
LORD OF STRIFE
Nathan was riding through town when he heard clattering and clashing sounds nearby and turned to find five boys fighting each other with long wooden wands. He paused for a moment and smiled. He remembered the days, which seemed so long ago, when he had fought other boys in his neighborhood. They had occasionally hurt each other, but never seriously. He suddenly longed for the time when skirmishes and battles resulted in greater strength and courage instead of bloodshed and death. For Nathan and for the other knights of the realm, all battles and skirmishes were a matter of life or death, victory or defeat. Sometimes as a boy, in the realm where he grew up, Nathan had pretended to be a knight during neighborhood scuffles, and he suspected that those skirmishes had prepared him for his future in the Tarot Realm, but as he nostalgically observed the rough-and-tumble fight, he was suddenly no longer sure that it was in his best interests to be a warrior on the physical level. He wondered if instead he could be a warrior on the spiritual level.
As Nathan rode back to the castle, he thought about the subtle forces that were influencing the five boys during the rumble. Many boys constantly jockeyed for power, trying to be top dog, but it seemed more than just an instinct for combat or dominance. The fights often ended up being fun to some degree, but they also built confidence and courage and strength. Sometimes a trivial fight could bring a deep inner power into consciousness that the boy didn't even know he had.
The holy man smiled as he approached Nathan, "Good to see you again, my friend."
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."
"While in town, I saw some boys fighting each other with long wooden staffs. The fight took me back to my childhood, but instead of seeming like just a free-for-all stimulated by mere instinct or hormones, the fight seemed to have a deeper spiritual purpose. I began to suspect that strong spiritual influences were at play."
The holy man smiled. "The instinct for combat is often quite strong, especially in teenage boys, but I think you're right. Can you think of any subtle forces that might have been influencing them?"
"Well, when I was a boy, I often pretended to be a knight commanded by the God of war, but there seemed to be something more than the subtle influence of Mars. Is it possible that Leo was influencing them as well?"
"Ah, yes, the force of Mars can give you great courage and strength, but the force of Leo can give you something just as powerful. Do you remember the mythological principle associated with Leo?"
Nathan thought hard for a moment. "Aw, I remember now. We have discussed this before. The mythological principle of Leo is 'Meeting with the Other Self.'"
"Do you remember what 'the Other Self' is?"
"If I am not mistaken, it means the higher self."
"On the Tree of Life, the higher self consists of six Emanations. In terms of personal consciousness, the three supernal Emanations at the top of the Tree represent the divine core of the individual. The Kingdom, or tenth Emanation, represents the the physical reality where the subtle spiritual forces manifest. Do you remember the six Emanations of the higher self?"
"They would have to include the ethical triangle represented by Jupiter, Mars, and The Sun, and the magical triangle represented by Venus, Mercury, and the Moon."
"Together, the six Emanations form the soul of the individual, the higher self, which is also known as the evolutionary Individuality, the unit of consciousness that survives after the body turns to dust. Eventually, after many incarnations in the physical realm, the soul experiences union with the Divine Source."
"So, in the physical realm, by learning to fight and then by fighting for a higher cause, a person can get in touch with his higher self? That isn't limited to physical fighting, is it?"
"You can become a spiritual warrior as well, but that takes even greater discipline. Which Gods are the great taskmasters?"
"Mars and Saturn are the great disciplinarians."
"Okay, let's tease this out a bit. Some believe that martial discipline is the most effective way to develop self-restraint and control in the physical realm. Mars is a God of justice and courage and strength and remains on the side of underdogs who fight for a righteous cause. The mythological principle of Mars is "The War at the World's End,' which sounds apocalyptic, but an apocalypse can be a prophetic disclosure or revelation, a great shift in understanding that enables the heart and mind to open to the energies of heaven, in other words, a shift that enables individual consciousness to experience the dimensions of Universal Consciousness. The experience of an apocalypse can be individual or collective, like the experience of any of the powerful subtle energies of the Tree of Life. What is the mythological principle of Saturn?"
"'The Descent into the Underworld,' which can be a cleansing and enlightening experience that burns away negativity and opens the heart and mind to Universal Consciousness."
"Yes, my friend. Through Saturn we are disciplined by form, which ultimately, in my opinion, is even more severe than martial discipline, but 'The Descent into the Underworld' can help us to release and burn away the negativity caused by conflicts and limitations. Throughout history, conditions have often seemed to indicate that the world was about to end, and if you return to your homeland, you might experience a heightened sense of fear in many people about the future of humanity and the planet, for good reason, but remember that a spiritual apocalypse is a shift in understanding that links the consciousness of the incarnated personality with the higher self, which in turn is linked to the divine core and Universal Consciousness. That understanding enables you to be a powerful spiritual warrior even if the world is ending. That is why I have have taught you rituals that can establish and maintain those links even in the harshest circumstances."
"Thank you, my friend, I will always remember."
Nathan pulled out the Five of Wands from his Tarot deck. As he gazed at the card, he remembered that the decan association of the Five of Wands is Saturn in Leo, and the Tree of Life correspondence is Mars in Power, the fifth Emanation. He chose the Five of Wands as the central card, and he included as modifying cards Strength, which represents Leo; The World, which represents Saturn; and The Tower, which represents Mars.
Then 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 Five of Wands in the middle of the pentagram, saying, "Five of Wands, Lord of Strife, Saturn in Leo, Mars in Power," and tapped the card.
Then, since Leo is a Fire sign, and the Five of Wands represents Saturn 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 World over Strength and stated, "The World, Saturn, 'The Descent into the Underworld." Then he placed The Tower on The World and stated, "The Tower, Mars, 'The War at World's End."
Then Nathan drew the Active Invoking Spirit Pentagram and the spirit wheel in brilliant white above the Five 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 Five of Wands, and the warriors came alive as full-length figures. 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 Strife, I humbly ask thee to help me to remain conscious of the links between my incarnated personality, my higher self, and my divine core, and help me maintain the discipline I need to function in my higher self even in the worst circumstances."
Then he ended by saying, "So mote it be!" Before he finished the ritual, he performed the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, and he imagined how he could help others by living in his higher self.
From that point on, Nathan often felt a sense of living from the perspective of his higher self.
Continue with Nathan through the Tarot Realm.
(All AI generated images are based on paintings, 3D Blender renderings, or photographs by Jim Robbins.)
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