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Golden Balanced Cross

free24

00:00 / 03:41

THE FOOL ON A WILDERNESS JOURNEY

Golden Hexagram with Balanced Cross in the Center

The Fool was meditating one day when he had a vision of a golden equal-armed cross in a deep blue sky. The next day he had a vision of a golden hexagram that contained a balanced cross in its center. The Fool was surprised, but he knew that both symbols represent the four spiritual elements in harmony with each other, and that each element represents a triplicity of the zodiac as well as the ruling planets, in other words all of the energies of Universal Consciousness represented by the Tree of Life.

Wheel of Fortune

The next day, the Fool had a vision of what appeared to be a wheel of fortune, and it too contained a balanced cross, but the twelve spokes of the wheel seemed to emphasize the twelve zodiac signs. Having resided in the Tarot Realm for awhile, the Fool knew that The Wheel of Fortune in the Tarot represents the mythological principle of "Aspiration," in other words, a powerful desire to experience and know the profound dimensions and energies of Universal Consciousness. Suddenly, the Fool longed to return to the forest.

The Fool in the Moonlight

The Fool got dressed and grabbed his sword, just in case, and he wandered in the moonlight onto a path into the wilderness.

The Hermit

The Fool hadn't traveled on the path very far before he met an old man in a hooded robe.
"My friend, as you can see I have a lantern," the old man stated. "You can travel with me through the darkness if you wish." The Fool nodded, and the two of them together inched forward on the forest path.

The Idle Faery

Suddenly they came upon a faery. Her eyes were closed, and she appeared to be experiencing an enchanting dream. The Fool and the old man felt drawn to her, and they both plopped down on nearby rocks and closed their eyes. Soon they were both in a trance, experiencing lovely visions.

Vision

The Fool had a vision of golden plates and cups on a white tablecloth. One of the chalices resembled a golden crown with a balanced cross on top.

Moon Goddess in the Enchanted Forest

Suddenly a Goddess approached them in the moonlight. "I am called by many names, Luna, Diana, Selene, Holy Spirit. I am a Goddess of magic, and the Goddesses and Gods of magic are found in the Ninth Emanation on the Tree of Life known as The Foundation. If you are in a trance during ritual or meditation, you can have visions of archetypal symbols that represent spiritual forces. Then you might soon experience the magic of transformation and regeneration." The Goddess smiled at the Fool, then she continued, "For instance, if you were to have a vision of golden plates and cups and a crown on a brilliant white tablecloth, what do you think the vision might mean?"
The Fool had to think for a moment about the meaning of the vision. "I think it represents abundance and harmony and magnificence, perhaps the abundance, harmony, and magnificence of the spirit."
The Goddess nodded. "Sometimes during visions the symbolic forms dissolve into light, and you rise from The Foundation toward the Emanation of Beauty associated with both The Sun and the Son of the Trinity. Then you might experience a profound sense of oneness and eternity as you rise even higher toward the Crown of Creation. These spiritual experiences are deeply transformative. Your visions of symbols and Gods and Goddesses enable you to know the subtle forces that remain unseen and unknown by most people, but if you are on a spiritual path, remember that idleness is the vice associated with The Moon, so be careful not to become so enchanted that you become unable to function in the physical realm."

The Liars

Suddenly the sun rose above a mountain peak, and a man with a lion's head blowing a trumpet rode toward them on a ferocious beast. The creature took the trumpet out of his mouth and began spewing one lie after another. "Listen only to me!" he exclaimed. "I alone know the truth, and I alone can save you!" Then he blew his trumpet as loudly as he could. The Fool and the old man both plugged their ears, and the liars wandered away.

Mercury

The God Mercury was nearby. "Concrete ideas of the subtle forces and the images of the Gods and Goddesses in the Emanation of Splendor enable you to experience the dimensions of Universal Consciousness, but remember that every Emanation represented by a God or Goddess on the Tree of Life contains both a vice and a virtue. In other words, each Emanation associated with a planet contains both balanced and unbalanced energies associated with the God or Goddess of the Emanation. You no doubt have encountered the liars, which means you were experiencing the unbalanced energies of the eighth Emanation of Splendor. The ideal energy of Splendor is truth," Mercury stated. "You cannot continue any farther on the paths of the Tree of Life if you don't embrace truthfulness, just as you wouldn't have continued on the path to Splendor if you hadn't revealed your imaginative abilities and demonstrated spiritual independence in the Emanation of The Moon. You must demonstrate unselfishness in the Emanation of Victory and devotion to the great work in the Emanation of Beauty. You must show courage and a desire for justice in the Emanation of Power and reveal obedience to the Divine Will in the Emanation of Mercy. Finally, you must demonstrate the ability to silence your mind in the Emanation of Understanding so that you can experience the higher dimensions of Universal Consciousness.
"Thank you, great Mercury. We honor the truth," the old man replied as he bowed.

The Salacious One

As the Fool and the old man continued higher on the path, a strange creature with a lion's head and the hands of a human suddenly appeared. "You don't need to go any farther. For here, you can be lewd and crude and salacious all the time. You can be selfish and prurient and obscene whenever you feel like it. Here, you can finally enjoy yourself for a change."
The old man and the Fool looked at each other. Then they scampered away from the strange creature.

Venus

Soon they came upon the Goddess Venus. "Here you experience the Vision of Beauty Triumphant, for my prism breaks up the light of the One Consciousness into rainbow colors. Here you find the powerful subtle forces of the dimensions of Universal Consciousness personified as Goddesses or Gods. Here the subtle forces are poured into the soul, stimulating the corresponding energy within you. In this sacred reciprocity, human worship builds up potent images representing the abstract essences. When sacrifice is added to worship and the subtle forces are ensouled by concrete ideas and images in Splendor, which is the Emanation of Mercury, the image associated with the force is brought down the planes of manifestation and acquires a form in the dense ethers of The Foundation, the Emanation of the Moon, and the subtle force becomes a potent magical being capable of independent action in a different dimension. But the creation of this form of devotion must be an act of unselfishness for the highest possible good. Any harm or negativity intended during a ritual will rebound back upon the magician, which is why initiation into the Emanation of The Sun is essential before a worshipper contacts the powerful subtle force of a Goddess or a God. The worshiper must experience the Vision of Harmony and the Mysteries of the Crucifixion to understand the need for sacrifice and to establish the intention for the highest possible good before performing a magical act."
"Great Venus, we will work tirelessly and unselfishly to sustain your triumphant beauty in the world," the Fool replied as both he and the old man bowed before the Goddess.

The Disputer

The Fool and the old man continued climbing up the path. Just as they were slowing down due to fatigue, a troll arrayed in armor blocked their way. "You cannot pass this point without paying a price," the troll scowled. "I rule this land. I cause disputes and conflict and disagreement until people do what I say. Don't move, for I will stab you and pound you to dust if you take one more step. You must pay if you wish to move beyond this point."
The old man and the Fool looked at each other. "No way!" they exclaimed together.

Jesus with an Equal-Armed Cross

Suddenly Jesus appeared. "Pride is the vice, the unbalanced energy, of the sixth Emanation on the Tree of Life known as Beauty. Pride is the great obstacle that separates the soul from the Supernal Emanations of the heavenly Mother and Father and the Divine Source. We move beyond pride and selfishness through inspiration and exultation. Every moment of inspiration moves us closer to the Vision of Harmony and to an understanding of sacrifice for the highest possible good. We begin in the Emanation of the Moon by hearing wise voices with the inner ear and envisioning symbolic visions with the inner eye, and through inspiration we build an inner temple of archetypal symbols that represent spiritual principles. Eventually the emotional intensity of exultation and inspiration burns up the lower personality and the images of the lower astral plane, and exultation moves the soul into the white heat of the higher life, but without the temple of spiritual symbols built in the Emanation of the Moon through exultation and inspiration, the white flash of higher consciousness might leave us in darkness, hopelessly confused. As human beings, we need to experience the Holy Spirit in the Emanation of The Moon before we can look up at The Sun and experience the higher psychism of The Son of the Trinity. From the Emanation of The Sun, we can then rise higher in consciousness and experience the profound unity and harmony and abundance of the Source."
The Fool and the old man bowed and said at the same time, "Thank you, great Master."

The Burners

The Fool and the old man continued up the path. Suddenly a fiery creature on a burning horse rode up to them. Everything around the burning creature caught on fire.
The fiery creature spoke, "You can come with me now and burn everything down! The people in power are exhausting resources and treating people like slaves. They are destroying the world for short-term profits through their political influence. Let's burn everything down!"
The old man and the Fool looked at each other. "No thanks!" they exclaimed together.

Mars

Suddenly the God Mars appeared. "Moral integrity is a higher form of intelligence than the intelligence associated with the intellect. Moral intelligence strives for justice and harmony in society and the world. The intellect, on the other hand, often finds ways to harm society by creating toxins and weapons of mass destruction and by exploiting and exhausting people and resources. Consequently your realm is now in extreme danger in multiple ways. Moral intelligence, on the other hand, seeks balance and sustainability. Without the Vision of Harmony and the understanding of sacrifice, you cannot experience the Vision of Power associated with the fifth Emanation, which is part of the Ethical Triangle on the Tree of Life. Those who can truly handle power would not exploit and exhaust people or resources or allow the creation of toxins and weapons of mass destruction. They would strive in every way possible for a just and harmonious society that benefits everyone. The world is continually threatened now by people who use power only for their own benefit, but burning everything down and starting over would harm innumerable people and can never be a just and harmonious solution. Instead, the people who are causing harm need to be brought to justice, which requires great courage from people who have experienced the Vision of Harmony and understand the need for self-sacrifice. Real power requires spiritual strength, discipline, sympathy, and sacrifice."

The Breakers into Pieces

The Fool and the old man bowed and thanked the God Mars, then continued up the path. Suddenly a warrior riding a huge alligator crashed through the undergrowth. Another huge alligator lumbered along with them.
"We are the Breakers into Pieces!" the warrior shouted. "You can ride on my other alligator, and we can break everything to pieces. We can destroy everything in our path! Think of how much fun you might have!"
The old man and the Fool again looked at each other. "No thanks!" they shouted together.

Jupiter

Suddenly the God Jupiter appeared before the Fool and the old man, and the Breakers into Pieces vanished into the forest. "Tyranny, bigotry, gluttony, and hypocrisy are the vices of the fourth Emanation on the Tree of Life known as Mercy," Jupiter smiled. "Those influenced by the energy of the fourth Emanation can manifest the forces of destruction through horrific selfishness, instead of building up a community or a society in an orderly and harmonious way. Obedience to the Divine Will is the virtue of Mercy, and the spiritual experience is the Vision of Love. Those who experience the Vision of Love know the holiness of all energy and the divinity of all life, and they serve and honor the Divine Will by maintaining reverence for all life on earth. Through love they show mercy and compassion because they know the harmony, magnificence, and abundance of the spirit. The Obedience to the Divine Will and The Vision of Love give people the ability to imagine ways to develop a community in a sustainable way for the highest possible good of all. In other words, through the virtue and spiritual experience of Mercy, they can experience the powerful subtle forces of the Ethical Triangle in the dimensions of Universal Consciousness."
"Thank you, great Jupiter!" the Fool and the old man bowed in reverence before the King of the Gods.

The Hinderer

The old man and the Fool continued up the path. Suddenly a ferocious dragon appeared before them. "You cannot escape me. You must now do everything I say. If I tell you to find me gold and silver, you will do so immediately. If I tell you to forget your highest aspirations and your most glorious visions and values, you will do so. If I tell you to work in a stupid, dead-end job until the crack of doom instead of striving to experience higher consciousness, you will do so. You serve only me from this moment on."
The old man and the Fool again looked at each other. "No thanks!" they yelled at the dragon.

Saturn

Suddenly the God Saturn appeared before the Fool and the old man. "The vice of the third Emanation on the Tree of Life is avarice, a form of selfishness that stems from fear and leads to attempts to control and dominate others. The virtue is silence, the ability to release fear and negativity in order to silence the mind, for in that silence you can experience the dimensions of Universal Consciousness. The Emanation of Understanding limits spiritual force in primal form so that the physical plane can manifest in The Kingdom, and therefore it also ushers in suffering and death. Here, you experience the Vision of Sorrow, for all form dissolves and sorrow is inescapable, but without death and the dissolution of form, there would be no evolution or transformation, which is the basis of spiritual growth and development. Without transformation, stasis would rule the cosmos. The Many within the One would not evolve by experiencing all the threads within the magnificent tapestry of life. Through the Vision of Sorrow, you come to understand the glory and splendor of the subtle spiritual forces and all the physical manifestations within the Kingdom.
"Thank you, great Saturn!" the Fool and the old man bowed in reverence before the Father of the Gods.

Attaining the Heights

The path eventually led to the top of the mountain. The old man held up his lantern and the Fool finally noticed that a hexagram, the Star of David, which represents all of the subtle forces of the Tree of Life, had been illuminating their path all along.

All poems, stories, illustrations, and music Copyright © 2024 by Jim Robbins.

Archangel Raphael

sierra

00:00 / 06:48

THE FOOL AND THE ARCHANGELS

Archangel Michael

After the Fool returned to the El Dorado District, he discovered that his homeland was more tawdry and run-down than he was expecting. When the Fool performed his daily ritual, he, as usual, began by invoking the Archangel Raphael, and his beloved Archangel communicated with him: "Few people here will recognize who you are. You might be a great knight or artist or composer or engineer or priest, yet few people will support you unless you benefit them or the rich elite class in some way. Draw upon my profound healing power now from deep inside yourself. Awaken your heart and purify your mind and remember that everyone here is an expression of divinity. The rich in this realm want the people to spend trillions of tax dollars to benefit billionaires and to profit companies that specialize in exploitation and war and maiming and death--instead of spending the money to provide a system of healing and fairness that benefits everyone. Even though over a million people have died in this realm due to the recent pandemic, and many have lost their homes, the rich still gouge the people by inflating prices for basic necessities. The rich in this realm are only concerned about making greater profits, not about harmony and balance and healing. But in this realm, my friend, you can still heal yourself by touching the dimensions of Universal Consciousness."
The Fool nodded and turned to the south to invoke the Archangel Michael.
His beloved Archangel Michael communicated with him. "You must continue to stoke the inner Fire that enables you to remain in contact with the dimensions of Universal Consciousness. People here will attack you because of your inner Fire, which burns away falsehoods to reveal truth. If you do not live in truth, you cannot experience the dimensions of Universal Consciousness. As a spiritual warrior, you must wear subtle armor. People here will not accept that you are a spiritual warrior, but you are one, nevertheless, and you are here to neutralize dark forces to create balance and to uphold truth and justice for the highest possible good."

Archangel Gabriel

The Fool turned to the west and invoked his beloved Archangel Gabriel. "You know how to purify your heart and mind, but in this realm you are also tasked with purifying some portion of the collective consciousness of humanity every day as you invoke the elements of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth, for this realm is in extreme danger due to pervasive spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical negativity. As a born empath, you naturally take within yourself some portion of that negativity, and as you invoke us Archangels, your personality drops that portion of the blackness of the collective consciousness of humanity into the fires below the surface of the earth. Your personality and a portion of the negativity of humanity burn up in the fires, but your soul spirals upward and touches the golden equal-armed cross that represents the harmony and integration of the elements, and one at a time, each of the Archangels releases compassion and love and wraps the world and specific individuals in harmonious energy due to your sacrifice. Even though each Archangel spreads positive energies throughout this realm and the rest of the world, this realm might never achieve an ideal state of harmony because of its systems of exploitation and its exhaustion of people and resources. This realm is so negative that it is threatening the entire planet, but these rituals help the world move beyond the crisis point."

Archangel Auriel

The Fool turned to the north and invoked the great Archangel Auriel. "This earth is full of abundance and harmony and magnificence," his beloved Archangel communicated, "but a few people in this realm want to own and control it all. Nobody here needs to starve or die unnecessarily from disease, yet tragedy nevertheless occurs incessantly in this realm. You have come from the Tarot Realm, and now here in this realm you eliminate excess negativity so that people of all faiths and races know and experience the abundance and harmony of the earth and the magnificence of the spirit."

Venus in the Courtyard

When the Fool finished his ritual, he walked out into the courtyard of his apartment complex. The Goddess Venus was holding up a golden scepter, revealing that love rules all. "I'm afraid that you might experience a dearth of love in this realm. People in this realm don't understand that this world is full of abundance, and so many men, women, and children suffer or die unnecessarily from hunger and disease and lack of support. Since you have returned from the Tarot Realm, you need always to remember why you came back to your homeland. Through your rituals, you clear away the negativity that blinds people to their connection with one another."

Isis in the Courtyard

The Fool continued strolling through the apartment complex and encountered the Goddess Isis, who stated, "You will not find the dazzling colors of the rainbow in this place, but you can still find the rainbow colors within the natural world and on the paths of the Tree of Life. If you do not lose your connection with nature and the Tree of Life, you will know that this rainbow also exists within you and within each person in this realm and everywhere in the world."

Angel in an Underground Cavern

That afternoon, as the Fool meditated, he had a vision of an angel in an underground cavern. The angel's mind seemed to be flooded with light.

The Moon

After his vision, the Fool put on knight's armor and went for a stroll under the full moon. Dogs were howling in the distance, and the Fool felt the mysterious pull of the moon as well. He stepped on the reflection of the moon in a pond and watched as its light rippled outward.

At the Bottom of the Underground Cavern

The Fool inched out deeper into the pond and suddenly sank into an underground cavern. His armor was so heavy that he thought he was going to drown in a cave where no one would ever find him.

Struggling through the Cavern

Suddenly someone or something, possibly a mermaid or some huge amphibious creature, pulled the Fool up out of the water just as he thought that he was about to drown.

Emerging from Water

The Fool then heard a voice as he was returning to consciousness, which stated, "You must completely purify your heart and mind and soul. When you emerge from the waters, you will experience the dimensions of Universal Consciousness."

Opening the Heart

As the Fool was returning to the surface, he had another vision of the angel. This time she was glowing as if both her heart and mind had awakened.

The Heart Open

Dawn was breaking as the Fool found his way out of the cave, and Isis was spreading her rainbow wings as she stood within a vibrant array of wildflowers.
"Even though this realm is becoming authoritarian and in many ways is falling apart, you can still experience the divinity of the rainbow colors of the natural realm as well as the divinity of the spiritual realms," she stated as her heart glowed with spiritual light.

Venus in a Wheat Field

Then the Fool encountered Venus again in a wheat field. She was still holding up a golden scepter.
"All people on this earth can experience the harmony, abundance, and magnificence of the spirit. Now, unfortunately, a very few powerful people continue to take that abundance and harmony and magnificence away from the vast majority of other people."

Walking through the Wheat Field

The Fool stood in the wheat field as the sun rose behind his head while he was returning home. He imagined that the sun was blazing like a golden five-pointed star, and he felt a six-pointed star blazing in his heart.
As both stars gleamed, he knew for a moment that he could experience all of the dimensions of Universal Consciousness--even in his deeply troubled homeland.

All poems, stories, illustrations, and music Copyright © 2024 by Jim Robbins.

In the Enchanted Forest

big24

00:00 / 04:14

THE STRANGER AND THE FOOL

Stranger (Two of Wands)

The Fool, dressed as a knight, hiked on a journey through an enchanted forest, and he suddenly heard rustling in the trees. He immediately established a defensive posture in case of an ambush. He carefully gazed around, but he couldn't see anything in the trees. He relaxed for a few moments and suddenly remembered his conversation with a stranger as they had both gazed from the battlements of the castle. The man had held a globe in his right hand and a wand in his other hand, and another wand stood nearby on the parapet wall.

Boys Pretending to be Knights (Five of Wands)

The stranger had confessed that he was about to go forth on a journey. The man stated unexpectedly, "It's not death exactly but something like death."
"What do you mean?" the Fool had asked.
The stranger evaded the question. "Now that I have reached this point, I remember the moments of happiness more than anything else. Oh, sure, there were moments of horror and deep sadness and severe pain, but there was always the dance of life around me. I was once a knight. I remember that while growing up, I, like many of the other boys in the neighborhood, pretended to be great knights, and we would sometimes fight each other with long wooden staffs. We hurt other, but never badly. That was a kind of dance."
"I remember skirmishing with the neighborhood kids the same way when I was growing up," the Fool replied in amusement.

Page of Pentacles

The stranger continued, "I remember going on walks near the castle and stopping a long time to gaze at my pentacle in order to internalize the energies of Universal Consciousness, but then I would get distracted by the dance of the leaves in the wind. Sometimes I would grab a branch, but the leaves kept on dancing, and I knew their dance was a union of the elements of Earth and Air and Water and Fire and Spirit.

Near the River in Springtime

"Sometimes, when I was riding to some part of the Tarot Realm, I would pause to gaze at the flowers dancing on the hillsides or the dance of light on the surface of the river," the stranger admitted.

Faery in Lupine Flowers

"As the flowers danced in the breeze, I would sometimes see faeries. I know that sounds a bit delusional."
"Oh, no, not at all. Like you, I also have experienced nature spirits in the flowers and the trees," the Fool replied.

Riding a Wolf into Battle

The stranger continued to wax nostalgic: "Sometimes, when I was a knight, my superiors would command me to ride a wolf into battle. Every battle was pure savagery, but sometimes I imagined the wolf and I were simply dancing through the horrors. Somehow, we always made it out alive.

The Empress (Venus)

"One day, I saw a Queen in a wheatfield. She held up a golden scepter as the wheat danced in the wind--not to show her power but to reveal that love rules all. That day, I felt the subtle forces of Venus all around me."
"I too, my friend, have felt the profound subtle forces of Venus. They are extremely powerful," the Fool replied.

Maidens Dancing at a Celebration (Three of Cups)

The stranger continued, "I have had the pleasure of watching maidens spontaneously dancing together to celebrate abundance. They seemed so joyful. They danced as if their joy would never end.

The Wedding (Two of Cups)

"I married one of them," the stranger confessed. "Our marriage, though rough at times, often felt like a lovely harmonious dance."

Rainbow Dance (Ten of Cups)

"We had two children together. Our family once even danced under a rainbow. I came to know that pink is the color of the highest spiritual love, and with my inner eye, I saw that color in both of our hearts."

A Heart in the Sky (Three of Swords)

The stranger shook his head, "Then my wife died, and one of my children was killed in an accident. I didn't think I could survive those losses, but somehow I managed eventually to experience harmony and balance in my life again."

Homeless (Five of Pentacles)

"After my second child moved away, I got married again, but I was getting older, too old to serve as a knight of the Tarot Realm. I got seriously wounded in battle one day. Due to my losses and my wounds, I became gripped by a kind of divine madness, at least that's what one of my friends called it. Often, when you manifest the ideal virtues of the Emanations of the Tree of Life, others will consider you crazy or a fool, especially if those virtues don't benefit them in some way. I started telling the truth about the brutality of war and complained about some of the terrible misjudgments made by people in power. My wife and I were kicked out of the castle. Occasionally other knights of the realm would help us in secret, but not often."

The High Priestess (The Moon)

"I eventually became terribly ill, and my second wife left me. I couldn't blame her. She had become tired of our destitute condition, and I couldn't seem to heal my illness or fix the problems in our relationship. The holy man in the castle found me and introduced me to the High Priestess, who has profound knowledge of the subtle energies represented by the paths of the Tree of Life. She showed me how to use those energies to heal myself, and I eventually realized that the cosmos is a profound dance of subtle forces."

Dancing and Juggling Pentacles (Two of Pentacles)

The stranger then continued, "After awhile, I healed myself--even my crippling wounds. As part of the healing process, I learned how to dance and juggle pentacles at the same time. I eventually realized that I could dance through all the changes and losses and misfortunes and horrors.

The Dance (The World)

"Once, during meditation, I had a vision of a lovely maiden, perhaps an angel, dancing in the sky within a golden victory wreath, with one red ribbon in the shape of an infinity symbol at the top and one at the bottom. Symbols of the four elements surrounded the wreath, and I knew that the vision was revealing that my life is a dance of victory and celebration even though it might not have felt like it some of the time.

The Fool (The Element of Air)

"I have at times been lower than the beasts but at times higher than the angels. Divine madness has led me to union with Universal Consciousness, which my soul might soon experience in another dimension. That is my next dance, my next sublime journey, my friend. I wish you luck on your journey, and may you dance through all of the changes," the stranger smiled and shook the Fool's hand as he said goodbye.
After remembering his conversation with the stranger, the Fool shook his head and smiled as he continued his journey through the forest.

All poems, stories, illustrations, and music Copyright © 2024 by Jim Robbins.

Moon Goddess

beat27

00:00 / 03:58

LOVE BETWEEN THE DIVINE AND THE HUMAN

Archangel Raphael: Ruler of the Element of Air

Even though the Fool was living in the El Dorado District, one of the poorest districts in the realm, he could still feel the sacred reciprocity of the love between the divine and the human. After practicing his rituals for several years, he had begun to understand the subtle spiritual forces and intelligences represented on the Tree of Life by Archangels and Gods and Goddesses and spiritual symbols. He had experienced powerful spiritual forces when invoking the Archangels Raphael, Michael, Gabriel, and Auriel. When he first invoked the Archangel Raphael, the Fool felt immersed within a thought bubble of incredible complexity. At the same time, the Fool's personality vanished, and he felt a profound sense of eternity. The Fool felt like an amoeba in comparison to the awesome spiritual power and intelligence of the Archangel Raphael, Healer of God.
Using the glyph of the Tree of Life as his guide, he realized that the ninth Emanation known as The Foundation is the key to understanding many major spiritual traditions. The Holy Spirit, represented by Moon Goddesses in some traditions, is associated with The Foundation as well as with the spiritual inebriation, harmonizing love, and sacrifice associated with The Sun--since The Moon reflects the light of the sun. The Moon is also associated with the creation of form through imagination. Combined with concrete ideas, the imagination can create concrete images, such as animals or Gods, that represent unseen subtle spiritual forces, which is why the Fool could create an image in his mind of the Archangels. Each Archangel in the Fool's ritual, known as "The Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram," represents an element and a triplicity of the zodiac, which also includes the seven ruling planets of classical astrology, so together the four Archangels of the ritual represent all the subtle forces of the Tree of Life.
Archangel Raphael, for instance, represents the element of Air and the astrological triplicity of Libra, Aquarius, and Gemini, zodiac signs which in turn are ruled by Venus, Saturn, and Mercury respectively. Each element and zodiac sign and planet represents a powerful subtle spiritual force. The Holy Spirit enables human beings to connect with the love of divine unseen forces through the imagination, and these guides over time take on a life of their own and become capable of independent action. In fact, they guided the Fool to perform specific steps within the Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram that reveal the love between the divine and the human.

Magma under the Earth's Surface

After the Fool had performed the Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram hundreds of times, the four Archangels and Atriel, the Fool's guardian angel, revealed a new way of performing it. After the Fool invoked the Archangel Raphael by drawing the symbols that open the portal to the spirit realm and by intoning the sacred names, his personality suddenly dropped into the magma below the earth's surface. Since the Fool is empathic, he carried a portion of the negativity of the collective consciousness of humanity into the magma, where it began to dissolve and transform into light. His personality completely disappeared, but his soul spiraled counter-clockwise upward to a large golden equal-armed cross. After his soul connected with the balanced cross, the Archangel Raphael wrapped the earth in healing and harmonizing energy. Gaia, Mother Earth, completely purified the negative energy that the Fool had left in the magma and transformed it into light. After Gaia had purified the negative energy and the Archangel had wrapped the entire world in harmonizing and healing energy, a white light rose from the underworld and the divine light of the Archangel engulfed the Fool. Eventually, the Fool felt himself immersed in bright light as though he were standing in the sun. He repeated this with the other three Archangels, Michael, Gabriel, and Auriel.
By that time, the Fool had realized that one must first feel the subtle spiritual forces, then develop and establish concrete ideas and images associated with them, then bring them down the planes through sacrifice. He realized that he was experiencing a sacred reciprocity between the Archangels and the Earth Soul and humanity, for he was immersed in brilliant bright light from above and below at the same time. "I am the sacrifice," he said to himself. Because of his sacrifice, he was experiencing the love between the divine and the human, for the Archangels and the Earth Soul and human beings are all interconnected, all divine.

Justice: Libra

The Fool had worried often about environmental degradation and the concentration of wealth and regular economic instability and the rise of fascism and the complete inability of capitalism to handle major problems like climate change and the pandemic, but the ritual at least helped him to feel like he was doing something significant to maintain balance in the world during a major crisis point in history, so in a way he was also experiencing the balancing force of Libra, the justice of heaven.

Libra: Ruled by Venus

And as the Archangels blessed and cleansed and healed the planet, the Fool was also experiencing the influence of Venus: the marriage of heaven and earth.

Aquarius: The Star

He was also experiencing the subtle influence of Aquarius, the awakening of the heart, for during his ritual he experienced compassion for all life.

The Lovers: Gemini

By the end of his ritual every day, he also felt like he had regained paradise through the integration of his divine core and his higher self and his temporal personality. He came to know the mortal and immortal aspects of himself.

Gemini: Ruled by Mercury

He understood that Venus and Mercury work together to bring the subtle spiritual forces down the planes so that all people can experience the love between the divine and the human. Venus and Mercury and The Moon form the magical triangle on the Tree of Life that enables human connection with the dimensions of Universal Consciousness through worship of Gods and Goddesses and Archangels and Angels.

Archangel Michael: Ruler of the Element of Fire

The Archangel Michael, who rules the triplicity of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius, establishes the spiritual will to purify the heart and mind and maintain a profound connection with the divine.

The Emperor: Aries

Aries the Emperor reveals the power of the subtle forces and the magnificence of the human spirit within the fire of life.

Aries: Ruled by Mars

Mars reveals the courage and power and discipline and strength to establish and maintain justice and harmony within the world.

Strength: Leo

Ruled by the Sun, Leo reveals the beauty and harmonizing love of the higher self.

Leo: Ruled by The Sun

Through The Sun, the Fool realized, we experience the vision of harmony and the mysteries of the crucifixion.

Temperance: Sagittarius

Ruled by Jupiter, Sagittarius the Archer points his arrow toward the sun to reveal the mystical path of higher consciousness. On that path, we experience enlightenment and know the oneness at the heart of all creation, the Many in the One and the One in the Many.

Sagittarius: Ruled by Jupiter

And Jupiter reveals to us the magnificence, harmony, and abundance of the human spirit.

Archangel Gabriel: Ruler of the Element of Water

Archangel Gabriel cleanses the heart and mind and soul with holy water. Through this cleansing we open our hearts and know the love between the divine and the human.

The Chariot: Cancer

Like Cancer the Crab, humans are enclosed in a physical body but can ride a chariot on the paths of the Tree of Life to experience all the dimensions of Universal Consciousness.

Death: Scorpio

Through Scorpio, human beings experience deep transformation, moving from the state of the scorpion to the state of the snake, which is reborn when it sheds its skin, and then to the state of the eagle, which perceives from the perspective of eternity.

The Moon: Pisces

Through Pisces, we go deep into the subconscious mind to experience the mysteries and profound subtle forces of the divine so that we know the oneness and sacred reciprocity of all subtle forces and intelligences.

Archangel Auriel: Ruler of the Element of Earth

Archangel Auriel reveals the abundance of the earth and the divine connection of people with all life on earth.

The Devil: Capricorn

Capricorn blesses us with the experience of the subtle spiritual forces as they manifest in the diverse physical forms of the earth.

Capricorn: Ruled by Saturn

Saturn makes the Many in the One and the One in the Many possible through the manifestation of spirit in form. In that way, Saturn establishes the basis for the love between the divine and the human on the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels.

The Hierophant: Taurus

Taurus the Bull reveals the great potency and power and vibrancy of the life forces, and through that connection human beings can know and love the highest spiritual vibrations and the densest physical forms.

The Hermit: Virgo

Through his ritual, the Fool realized that Virgo reveals the great abundance of the physical realm as well as the diversity of all the subtle forces associated with the elements and the Tree of Life--represented by the Star of David in the lantern of the Hermit.

All poems, stories, illustrations, and music Copyright © 2024 by Jim Robbins.

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