All Text, Music, and Illustrations, including Paintings, Photographs, and 3D models, Copyright © 2022 by Jim Robbins. 

TEN OF PENTACLES

Decan: Mercury in 21 - 30 degrees of Virgo Tree of Life Association: The Four Elements in Malkuth Alternate Title: The Lord of Wealth

Mr. Mellifluous and the Lord of Wealth

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     You consider Mr. Mellifluous's question. "Do I really know myself?" you silently wonder for a moment. "Of course!" you blurt out. Mr. Mellifluous guffaws and dashes through the forest to the outskirts of town. You struggle to keep up with him as he rushes through the brush. 

     An old street magician in a fancy robe sits near the entrance to the city. Suddenly you notice ten golden coins floating near the old man.
      “Do you see the golden coins?” you exclaim. “I think I've seen that pattern before, but I can't recall what it is!”
      “That is the pattern,” mutters Mr. Mellifluous, “of the  Tree of Life. The golden disks are pentacles, each of which contains a star that symbolizes the harmony of the subtle elements of Earth, Air, Aether, Water, and Fire.”

The Page of Pentacles

      You step closer to the pentacles. Suddenly a young woman with a red headdress steps in front of you and gently caresses a golden coin. You are confused and a little angry.
      Mr. Mellifluous smiles, “Don't get upset, my friend. She is your first ally. Go with her now.” Suddenly you and the young woman are on a hillside near a mountain. She seems enthralled by the golden pentacle in her hands.

The Hermit:

Virgo

     When you first encountered the young woman, you noticed a mountain far off in the distance. Suddenly both of you are transported to the top of the mountain, where an old man who resembles the street magician is inching along with a lantern in one hand. His robe is now plain gray, and it is difficult to see the old man's face under the hood.

     “Let this lamp guide you, my friend,” the old man mumbles. “It contains the powerful energies of the elements and the planets and the zodiac in harmony with each other, all of which are represented symbolically by the Tree of Life. These energies will aid you in the process of awakening and regeneration.”

     You suddenly feel dizzy, so high on the mountain top. The young woman touches your arm, trying to steady you. Suddenly you are back at the edge of town.

The Magician: 

Mercury

      A magician stands next to a table with a wand, a cup, a sword, and a pentacle on top, performing a magical act. You glance at the young woman's headdress and notice that the magician's robe is red as well, as if it symbolizes passion--perhaps, in the magician's case, a passion for the creative act itself, as well as the sacrifice associated with creating and maintaining harmony. You also notice that a gray, horizontal figure eight floats above the magician's head, which impresses you with a profound sense of eternity.
      “You have powerful tools to help you in each act of creation,” the magician states. “They are the wand, the cup, the sword, and the pentacle, which represent the subtle elements that manifest spirit within the world.” The magician stands in deep concentration, one hand in the air and one pointing to the ground.

       Suddenly a strange creature riding on a bear interrupts, “Don't listen to that fool! Her tools and weapons are just for show. She wants to deceive you and delude you into believing that you have a magnificent spirit full of abundance and harmony. She is just trying to con you out of all your coins.”

      Hastily, Mr. Mellifluous guides you away from the magician. “That creature reveals the unbalanced energies of Mercury, personified in this realm as The Liars. These tricksters live to deceive. They love to falsify and fib and malign. They are phonies who cheat and perjure and con until no one can see the truth. Their goal is to twist and distort until they leave you totally in the dark, deluded and misled. We must continue on our path,” your guide mutters.

Toad in Flowers

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Vocals by Krysten Ortiz

     Meanwhile, far from the city, Claire gazes down and spirals toward the earth, where she discovers a toad squatting in the flowers. Whenever it croaks, a golden equal-armed cross floats out of its mouth.

     “Is the music in my heart alarming you?” Claire asks.

     “Not at all? Should it?” The toad answers.

     Claire watches the toad. “Why are those golden crosses floating out of your mouth?” she inquires politely.

     “Because I am making harmonious music with my heart,” it croaks as another golden cross floats out of its mouth. "Do they scare you? You can kiss me if that would make you feel better."

     The crosses float out of the toad's mouth in time with Claire's music, but they are both obviously making different songs.

     “I'm sure you make beautiful music too,” Claire laughs. "But I can't hear it." She flies off, hoping to find a friend who can sing along with her music. 

 All Text, Music, and Illustrations, including Paintings, Photographs, and 3D models, Copyright © 2022 by Jim Robbins. 

Mother of Sylphs

INVASION OF THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN

Vocals by the Awesome Krysten Ortiz

(Snoring by Moi)

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The moment Mother let those fairies in the garden,

I saw the skulking shadow of a troll.

Before I could say, "I beg your pardon,” 

It commanded me to pay a toll.

Troll

“I just want to sniff the handsome roses,”

I whimpered as I backed away in fright.

“I only want to chew your little toeseees!”

A gremlin lunged to take a teeny bite.

I screamed and scurried toward the door

blocked by mocking elves whom I abhor. 

A swarm of sylphs lifted from the hellebore,

finding hair and ears and nostrils to explore.

Gnome

Goblins beat on drums of water

while a gnome cut loose a raucous snore.

The troll jumped on the teeter-totter

and made a phoenix soar.

If Mom can’t make the beasties leave

She'll see a change that'll make her twitch:

If they won't all just behave,

I'm going to turn into a witch....

MR. MELLIFLUOUS'S MUSICAL ADVENTURES

Vocals by the Fabulous Krysten Ortiz

 

     While Mommy and Daddy were having a discussion in the kitchen, Claire turned into a fairy and chased her kitty into the back yard. Then she heard music drifting to her from some far-away land. Suddenly a swallowtail appeared in front of her and fluttered just out of her reach. It was so bright that Claire tried to grab it right out of the sky, but it flitted away. As Claire was chasing the swallowtail, she tripped over the kitty and plunged headlong to the ground.

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     After a moment, Claire slowly sat up and shook her head. The swallowtail was gone. She stumbled over to the fence and pushed as hard as she could. A board swung loose, and Claire squeezed through. She glimpsed the swallowtail in the meadow and dashed after it.

    Around the same time, unaware of the little girl galloping through the meadow, I was wandering through the nearby forest, and suddenly I came upon swallowtail butterflies flitting from tiger lilies to columbine to blue larkspur. Then, unable to believe my eyes, I suddenly became certain that a few of them were not butterflies but fairies with swallowtail wings. As someone who long ago dismissed fairies as the products of some fevered brain, I was startled and fascinated, so I dashed after them, but they fluttered away, and after awhile—I am not sure how long—I came upon a tiny man in a brown, cone-shaped hat.

     “Who, who, are you?” I stuttered.

     “I am Mr. Mellifluous,” the small man shouted. “And you, you must be an owl.”

     “No, my name is Peter,” I responded, shaking my head.

     “Are you shaking your head because you are not really Peter, or because you don't believe that I exist?”

     “I don't know,” I retorted in disbelief, frowning.

     “Obviously, you don't know much,” Mr. Mellifluous scolded, “and that's probably why you are trespassing on my land.”

     “Nobody told me that this land belongs to you, and I didn't notice any signs,” I objected.

     “Nobody obviously doesn't know anything either,” Mr. Mellifluous replied. “Nevertheless, you are here, and you must make a choice. I strongly recommend that you go back to where you came from. If you do not turn back, you will meet monsters and have adventures with magical creatures and fantastic people and godlike beings. Since you are a big human, I doubt that you would want that!"

     Suddenly, I noticed a little girl standing a few feet away, staring quietly at Mr. Mellifluous. Noticing that I had shifted my attention, the small man turned and saw the girl. "What is your name, child?" the little man squeaked at her.

     "Claire," she replied. "What is your name, kind sir?"

     "I am Mr. Mellifluous, child," he smiled. "It's refreshing nowadays to encounter a human with manners. That is so rare nowadays among humans. You certainly don't find that kind of civility manifesting in the big, clumsy ones much anymore." He gazed in my direction. 

     Turning back to Claire, he exclaimed, "I can see that you make music with your heart. Not many human folk can do that anymore!” 

     Mr. Mellifluous continued, "Since you make music with your heart, you shall join the fairy folk!"

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     Suddenly a fairy with blue wings waved a wand over her head. Claire lifted off the ground and discovered that she could fly!

     Then Claire turned into a tiger fairy and roared. She made scary music with her heart. The other fairies screeched and lashed at her with their claws. Mr. Mellifluous muttered, "Oh, dear." He put his hand over his mouth and shook his head. Claire and the other fairies rushed away with the wind.

     “Don't worry. She will be fine here for a while. She is just going to have some fun. You, on the other hand, are a different matter." He looked me straight in the eye. "Every creature in this realm has magical powers that can influence you without your knowledge. They might use their powers to unbalance you or trick you or break you into pieces or steal everything from you or seduce you into doing something evil. These powers might look like people or magical animals, but as a human you will not be able at first to see their true nature: They might be monsters who dwell in shadow or Gods who dwell in light and harmony and abundance. 

     “Even if you can quickly tell the difference, you will probably not know how to deal with them. I am warning you! Even though you may learn to manifest the god-like qualities of harmony, abundance, and magnificence, you will experience many difficult trials along the way. I will be your guide for awhile if you choose to continue, but you must turn back now if you can't answer this simple question in the affirmative: Do you know yourself?”