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Stalked by a Witch

smharm

00:00 / 05:39

HOW I'VE SURVIVED FASCISM SO FAR (PART TWENTY-ONE)

Hunted by a Lion-Man

As I was hiking through the enchanted forest, I suddenly felt like someone or something was stalking me. I turned around and glimpsed a witch peeking at me from behind a tree. I galloped through the forest as fast as I could, but the witch kept getting closer. When I turned around to plunge my sword through her heart, she suddenly vanished into the forest. I rushed forward, looking over my shoulder now and then.
Perplexed, I shook my head but kept hiking. Suddenly a lion with human hands rushed toward me. I waved my sword and shouted at the creature. It roared and clawed at me, but eventually it turned and disappeared into the forest. I dashed away, looking over my shoulder every now and then.

Hunted by a Fool

As I was deciding that I should head back to town, a fool jumped out from behind a tree and waved a semi-automatic weapon at me and began to howl with laughter. I dove behind a a log as he started shooting, the bullets flying all over the place. I managed to crawl away as the fool laughed maniacally. "Geez, the enchanted forest is crazy today. What day is it?" I wondered out loud. I had been exploring the enchanted forest for several days and had lost track of time.

Led into Battle by Mars?

I eventually made it back to town and strolled through a neighborhood next to my apartment. Suddenly a warrior with a flaming sword rushed by me. "Charge!" he shouted.
"Where's the battle!" I blurted out as he dashed down the street. No answer.

Haunted House

As I continued strolling down the street, I came upon a haunted house. "Oh, Now I know what day it is," I mumbled.

Director of the Left-Wing Lunatic Asylum

I knocked on the front door, thinking that I might ask for a glass of water and a piece of candy.
A man in a skeleton costume opened the door. "We've been expecting you. Please come in. I am the director here. Here, you will be treated with the utmost care and respect. Very nice to meet you," he claimed as he motioned me inside.

Left-Wing Lunatic Asylum

The director continued, "As you know, our beloved king has signed a directive ordering all radical left-wing lunatics to check into the asylum of their choice on this very special day, which of course is why you're here. Let me give you a quick tour of the asylum before I show you to your room. We will begin our studies of you tomorrow."

A Special Speech by the King

As we walked through the asylum, we noticed the King on TV giving a speech. In honor of the King, the director and I paused to watch.
"I am afraid, dear citizens, that we are forced to suspend some rights because drug cartels and illegal immigrants and dangerous criminals have invaded our beloved realm and terrorists and radical left-wing lunatics have incited an insurrection with the intention of overthrowing our government. They are hideous monsters who will steal your candy and burn down your house and kill you for a laugh. Therefore, we have suspended habeas corpus and have invoked the insurrection act. We can now imprison or execute rebels without due process, and, believe me, we will not hesitate to follow through on that promise, good citizens. We have already set up many insane asylums and concentration camps for the terrorists, and we have burned the constitution so that we can create a much better one that protects all of our loyal citizens. The left-wing radical terrorists must be stopped now! We must end this insanity today!" the King hectored.

Justice in the Lunatic Asylum

The director and I continued our tour of the asylum. We came upon a woman holding up a sword who yelled, "There is no justice in this realm!"
The director soothingly replied, "Now, now, dear girl, everything will be fine. Just put down your sword, and we will bring some candy for you after you return to your room." The woman angrily threw down her sword, and the director quickly grabbed it.
"Orderlies!" the director shouted.

Dragon in Courtyard of the Asylum

Without a word, we continued our tour. Suddenly we encountered a dragon in the courtyard. "No worries," the director assured me. "Some left-wing radicals look terrifying, but most of them are quite gentle after they take their medication. We keep the dangerous ones locked up, of course."
"Good to know," I replied.

Witch Casting a Lunatic Spell

We walked quietly down a hallway in the asylum for awhile, and the director unexpectedly opened a door. "Let me give you an idea of what we do here," he said as he smiled. As we stepped into the room, a radical left-wing witch was attempting to cast a spell at us but without success. "Don't worry, my friend. Her spells are no longer effective, thanks to our amazing new medication."
"Very impressive," I replied.

Left-Wing Lunatic Medusa?

The director and I moved to the next door. "This poor woman used to turn people to stone--even if they only gazed at her for a moment, but she can no longer do that thanks to her special Medusa medication," the director claimed.
"Thank goodness," I replied.

Lunatic Riding an Alligator

We moved to the next room and peeked through the door. Inside, a man was riding an alligator. "These fellows used to be fierce terrorists, but we have tamed them through our highly effective scientific practices. You see, we are trying to find ways to avoid executing the Antifa insurrectionists, and we are also trying to avoid sending them off to concentration camps--if we can. I think you can agree that we are being extremely successful in our rehabilitation efforts."
"Yes, kudos for your great work," I replied.

Left-Wing Lunatic Death?

The director opened the next door and stated, "We are especially proud of this fellow. He believed that he was death until we found the right medication for him. He occasionally relapses and puts on his costume, but even in his costume he remains as gentle as a dove."
"Congratulations again for all of your astounding successes!" I replied.
"Let me escort you to your room so that you can rest and get ready for tomorrow," the director kindly responded.

Monstrous Drones Destroying Apartment Buildings

I followed the director but soon made a break for the front door. I hustled as fast as I could to my apartment in the El Dorado District. Suddenly huge drones flew toward my apartment building, and one drone blasted a huge hole in my wall. I wondered if they had targeted me for extrajudicial execution or if it was just random destruction.

Back at the Left-Wing Lunatic Asylum

I slouched back to the Left-Wing Lunatic Asylum. "I changed my mind. This might be the safest place for me be right now," I whined.

My Room at the Asylum

"No worries. Please come in. I had a feeling that you might come back," The director kindly responded. Then he guided me to my room in the asylum.

All poems, stories, essays, illustrations, and music Copyright © 2025 by Jim Robbins.

Rooms that Dream After Halloween

2divin

00:00 / 03:58

HOW I'VE SURVIVED FASCISM SO FAR (PART TWENTY-TWO)

Landlord

A drone had left a huge hole in my wall, so after I was released from the Left-Wing Lunatic Asylum, I had to find another place to live, and I soon found another apartment nearby. After I moved in, I think I started to hallucinate, which was probably caused by the medication that I had taken before I left the asylum. (I had hallucinated many times during their experiments before they concluded that they had found the right dosage for me.)
I looked out my window and thought I heard the landlord yelling at me--even though I had only resided in his apartment complex for a few minutes. He was threatening to evict me even though I had just given him a security deposit and first month's rent. He shouted that he had found out that I was a left-wing lunatic who had just left the insane asylum and emphasized that I had better behave like a responsible citizen or he would boot me out before I could even blink an eye. Not knowing for sure if he was real, I went over and locked the door of my apartment.

Gollum in the Courtyard

Eventually I stepped out to get a breath of fresh air. As I stood on the balcony, I thought that I saw Gollum down below in the courtyard. He hissed, "The new tenant wants to be a beastie like me, doesn't he? He wants to have four legs and eats all the people who live here, like me, doesn't he? He's thinks he's going to eat up all of those tasty morsels before I even get a bite. He's a left-wing lunatic, isn't he, my precious? Well, I'll show him! I'm the king of this palace!"
I quickly stepped into my apartment and locked the door. "I guess I'll have to wait until the medication wears off to find out if I'm still sane," I muttered.

Gnome in the Courtyard

After hanging out in the apartment for a few minutes, I felt so cooped up that I thought that I was really going insane--probably because of the medication--so I stepped out onto the balcony again. This time, a funny gnome stood below me in the courtyard. "Oh, boy, not again!" I blurted out.
"My friend! Come join me in the faery realm, where no one will execute you for being a radical left-wing lunatic. You will be safe in the enchanted forest," the gnome assured me. I decided right then and there that I must join him, but when I got down to the courtyard, he was gone.

Witch Gazing into the Courtyard

I decided that I would try to find the gnome in the enchanted forest, so I put on my armor and picked up my sword and returned to the courtyard. Suddenly I heard a witch whisper behind me, "Don't listen to that silly gnome. He just wants you to protect his folk. Come with me. We can watch TV together at my place. That will be much more satisfying," she exclaimed.

King Drone

So I went with her to her apartment. "I just got out of the Left-Wing Lunatic Asylum myself," she explained. "They gave me medication so that I would be normal again." She turned on her TV. "Oh, the King is giving a speech. We must be obediant and listen to the what he says, or they might send us both back to the asylum. I'm sure you don't want that, do you?" she asked. I shook my head "no."
So we sat together on the couch and listened to the King, who boasted, "We've rounded up all the radical left-wing lunatics. Many of them checked themselves into mental institutions to avoid being sent to a concentration camp," he claimed. "They were all given medication so that they would remain nonviolent, upstanding citizens of this realm. You have nothing to fear now from those vermin if you remain loyal to me. I expect you to notify the authorities if you see anything unusual. Have a great day knowing that we saved you from the lunatics who wanted to overthrow the government."
The witch looked me over. "Hmmm, you are wearing armor and carrying a sword," she stated. "That seems unusual. Maybe you're still a lunatic, and you need more medication. Don't go anywhere while I look for my phone."

Breakers into Pieces

Sure enough, the Breakers into Pieces showed up at my apartment and banged on my door. They broke the door down and searched my rooms. There wasn't much to find, so they soon left.

Death in the Courtyard

"Boy, that medication is a gift that keeps on giving!" I blurted out after I returned to my apartment. "Either that, or it has made me permanently insane!" I looked down at the courtyard and saw the figure of death, who didn't say anything. "That can't be good," I muttered.

Pan in the Courtyard

"Darn it, the landlord is going to be totally pissed off when he finds out about this door. He's going to kick me out of my apartment and keep the security deposit and the rent money. I'll be out on the street all by myself without any cash!" I shook my head as I examined the door. "Maybe I can fix this," I groaned. I wasn't very handy at fixing things, though.
After awhile, I gave up. I turned around and saw what looked like a portrait of the God Pan on the wall, something that I had never noticed before. The God spoke to me, "If you are troubled, do not despair. Go out into nature and experience the peace beyond understanding that manifests there. In that peace, you will find the answer to all of your problems."
"Boy, I must be insane! The medication should have worn off by now, I think," I mumbled.

Isis in the Courtyard

I looked down into the courtyard and saw what appeared to be the Goddess Isis. She spoke to me, "This place is a dump, but you can still experience the beautiful rainbow colors within the earth plane and within the subtle spiritual dimensions. Don't worry, your problems will pass, and you will find joy again."
"I wish that I could believe that. I'm insane, you know," I replied. Strangely, when Isis heard my response, she disappeared.
Maybe she was turned off by my reply. "How would you know? You're insane, remember?" I mumbled to myself.

Venus in the Courtyard

I examined the door again, but soon gave up trying to fix it. I turned away and looked down at the courtyard and saw what appeared to be the Goddess Venus. Smiling, she stated. "Don't give up. You can still find happiness in the splendor of the natural world and in the arts. You can still love other people and experience the divine love at the heart of this beautiful matrix of life."
"Great, another hallucination trying to make me feel better," I replied. When I said that, Venus vanished.

Archangel Raphael

The Archangel Raphael suddenly appeared, but he didn't seem terribly happy to be hanging out in the courtyard. "Don't fret," he stated. "I can heal you by eliminating all of the illness within you," the Archangel claimed. "You can be whole and happy once again."
"That would be very cool," I replied. Suddenly I felt all sickness and pain and negative energy drain from my aura into the fires below the earth's surface. "I must be insane. I feel better!" I thought as I filled with light. Soon Raphael disappeared.

Archangel Michael

The Archangel Michael suddenly appeared. "Have faith," he stated. "I can cleanse you with divine Fire until you are reborn!" he explained. "You can be whole and happy once again."
"Nice," I replied. Suddenly I felt holy Fire burn away the negativity within my energy field. "I feel better! Maybe I'm not insane," I thought as once again I filled with light. "Or maybe I'm just hallucinating that I'm feeling better. They probably included some chemical in the medication that makes me believe that I'm feeling better. Those scientists at the asylum are pretty clever, after all." As I was thinking that, Michael disappeared.

Archangel Gabriel

Then the Archangel Gabriel suddenly appeared. "Find your strength in God," he stated. "Through God, I can cleanse you with holy Water so that you are whole again!" he exclaimed. "You will be reborn in the Waters of the spirit."
"Great," I replied. Suddenly I felt holy Water wash away all of my negative emotions. "I feel even better! Maybe this isn't an hallucination after all," I thought as once again I filled with light. "If this is an hallucination, I think I like it!" I blurted out. Suddenly, Gabriel disappeared.

Archangel Auriel

Then the Archangel Auriel suddenly appeared. "With the light of God, I can clear away all the negativity in your body!" he exclaimed. "You will then be able to experience the spirit that exists within all things with both your physical and psychic senses."
"I won't object to that," I replied. Suddenly I felt light filling my entire body. "I feel whole again!" I exclaimed. Suddenly, Auriel disappeared.

Queen of Pentacles

I felt so good that I decided to take a stroll through the nearby forest. Eventually I came upon the Queen of Pentacles and a faery speaking lovingly to each other. I felt the unity of the elements underlying all of creation--which, I realized, the five-pointed star symbolized. "Maybe that medication really works, after all," I thought.

Hit by Drones

It didn't matter because when I returned home, I discovered that drones had reduced the entire apartment complex to rubble.

All poems, stories, essays, illustrations, and music Copyright © 2025 by Jim Robbins.

Choices in a Fascist State

thoth

00:00 / 07:18

HOW I'VE SURVIVED FASCISM SO FAR (PART TWENTY-THREE)

Green Dragon

Since drones had destroyed two places where I had lived, I decided to hang out in the enchanted forest for awhile. During my first night in the forest, I had a vivid dream of seven golden cups floating on a cloud. Symbols appeared in each cup, and suddenly I felt like I had to choose one of them. (Perhaps the dream was vivid due to the lingering effects of the medication given to me during my stay at the Left-Wing Lunatic Asylum.)
A dragon nested in the golden cup at the bottom right side of the cloud. In my dream as I gazed at that cup on the bottom row, I suddenly became a dragon. I felt fierce and powerful and scary, which appealed to me since I had recently experienced a lot of chaos and vulnerability and powerlessness, and, for a moment at least, I desired to remain a dragon.

Fighting a Knight

Then I remembered that lone knights, to prove their prowess or to rescue damsels in distress, sometimes fight dragons. Since I am a knight, I suddenly felt repulsed by the idea of tearing apart and eating a valiant knight. "Naw, I don't think so," I thought.

Great Warrior

So I gazed at the second cup and could see a victory wreath jutting up above its brim. I imagined myself as a valiant warrior who is celebrated and respected for his ability to vanquish every adversary.

Savage Warrior

But then I realized that battles often devolve into little more than pure savagery. In my dream, I suddenly saw myself as a brutal, heartless ogre scarred for life by savagery, a knight who revels in killing or harming others. I looked more closely at the cup and noticed a skull etched into the cup's surface. "No thanks," I thought.

Riches

So I gazed inside the third cup at the bottom of the cloud and noticed a pile of jewels and other riches. Since riches provide freedom, that choice at first appealed to me, but then I remembered that the rich often become obsessed with accumulating more wealth at the expense of everyone else while at the same time they grow more and more fearful of losing it.

Funny Dictator

Then in my dream, I imagined becoming a dictator who had to spend most of his time and energy pleasing the super-wealthy because he needed their support to remain in power. He had to constantly violate the law to satisfy the expectations of oligarchs and plutocrats and kleptocrats. If he let down his wealthy supporters, he might end up in prison or seriously harmed in some way. The baubles in the cup suddenly seemed more like bubbles. "Naw," I thought.

Grounding Spiritual Energy

Then I gazed at the fourth cup in the bottom row. Inside the cup stood a castle. I suddenly imagined a king with a large golden pentacle on the crown of his head. The king also grasped a pentacle at his chest, and as he sat on his throne, each foot rested on a pentacle. In my dream I thought, "That looks odd. Is he miserly--trying to hold on to his wealth and power?" Then I thought that maybe he is channeling spiritual energy down through his crown and then through his heart and then grounding it in the earth in order to manifest positive energies--like harmony and abundance and peace and love and magnificence--for himself and his community. "Yeah, that's for me!" I thought.

Fiery Emperor

But then I imagined an emperor in a fiery, molten world. He had dominion of himself--his thoughts and feelings and desires--and he also had dominion of his incessantly changing sphere of influence. He experienced renewal often in response to the changes, and he also seemed to manifest and reveal his periods of internal and external rebirth--like the perennial rebirth of spring in the world. Unlike the king I imagined, the emperor was not surrounded by a community but by molten lava and poppies. He seemed more like a powerful force of nature, but he also seemed more alone--almost like he lived in a tower above humanity--but also more in tune with the spiritual powers and forces of nature. "I don't know. Maybe this is the best choice, at least so far," I thought.

Death and Transformation

The figure in the middle cup whose upper body was covered by a pink sheet seemed so anonymous and uninteresting that I shifted my gaze to the cup above the middle figure's left shoulder. A golden snake seemed to writhe around in the golden cup. "The snake sheds its skin and is often a symbol of rebirth," I thought. "It's also associated with the kundalini, which causes a great expansion of spiritual awareness."
"I like it!" I thought. Then I remembered that profound spiritual transformation can be a kind of death-- the death of the self.

Transformed into a Goat-God

"What if I transform into something that people don't understand, or something that scares them. People tend to avoid or attack anyone who is different. People who are attracted to you might need to overcome psychological obstacles before they can allow themselves to get close to you. "This might not be my best choice, at least not at the moment," I thought. Then I thought, "This must be a lucid dream. I don't usually have complex thoughts when I dream." That confused me. I wondered if I was dreaming or hallucinating again.

Rainbow Goddess

Then I gazed at the cup on the upper right side of the cloud. A blue, severed head seemed to be floating above the golden cup. That was frightening, but I soon realized that the head was dreaming. Suddenly a Goddess with rainbow wings appeared before me.
"When you experience all the colors of the rainbow in the physical realm and the colors and energies of the subtle spiritual dimensions, you will know the Many in the One, the One in the Many, in other words, the unity underlying all of creation," she assured me. Then she smiled and disappeared in the flowers. "Nice!" I thought.

The Star: Opening the Heart

Then I envisioned a woman kneeling by a pond who was pouring water from a jug in one hand onto the earth and water from a jug in her other hand into the pond. A large star hovered above her head.
"Meditation and ritual help you attain higher awareness," she stated. "Eventually you open your heart and know the oneness of all creation, and you direct your light and energy to help people and creatures of the earth to heal and grow. You live in service."
"That's beautiful," I thought. "But that would require a lot of sacrifice. Am I ready for that?"

Apollo Playing the Harp

Then I returned my gaze to the central figure within the cup in the middle of the cloud. The person, male or female, seemed to be radiating light. Even though I couldn't see the person's face, I somehow knew that he or she was deeply spiritual, and I remembered that the color pink symbolizes the highest spiritual energy of the heart. The God Apollo suddenly appeared. He smiled and claimed, "When you open your heart, you can experience the beauty of sacrifice and the vision of harmony. You can experience the beauty of the arts and nature and other people. You can revel in the oneness of creation."

Knight of the Sun

Suddenly I transformed into a knight of the Sun. A golden pentacle glowed like the sun above my head and a golden six-rayed star glowed in my heart. "This might be my best choice. I can live a life of service with an open heart," I thought.

Traitor

Then I envisioned a traitor hanging upside down from a cross in the public square. "That sacrifice might be my fate if I live with an open heart and speak the truth, but I can bear that if I must," I thought.

Craftsman

Then I envisioned a craftsman creating golden pentacles near a castle. The five-pointed star reveals the subtle elements of Earth, Air, Spirit, Water, and Fire in balance within an eternal circle. The elements reveal the energies of the triplicities of the zodiac and the ruling planets--all the energies represented by the Tree of Life. "I wouldn't mind doing that," I thought.

All poems, stories, essays, illustrations, and music Copyright © 2025 by Jim Robbins.

HOW I'VE SURVIVED FASCISM SO FAR (PART TWENTY-FOUR)

Poppies and Lupine Blanketing the Hillside

For weeks I lived in the enchanted forest to escape the drone strikes. At sunrise one morning a horse nudged me awake. I searched everywhere for the rider, without any success. So I mounted the horse, and together we rode off in the sunrise. I had no idea where we were going, but we were both enjoying the freshness of the poppies and lupine flowers as the sun was rising.
I began to entertain the possibility of returning to the Tarot Realm, but then I found a creek and a hillside blanketed by poppies nearby, and I thought that maybe the horse and I would enjoy hanging out there for a while.

Poppy Faery

Suddenly a faery appeared in the poppies. I thought that maybe I was hallucinating again due to the medication that I had been given at the Left-Wing Lunatic Asylum.

Venus in the Flowers

I had often sensed spiritual energies while in nature, but rarely had I glimpsed faeries with my physical eyes. Even stranger, I suddenly envisioned the Goddess Venus standing before me in the flowers. She spoke to me (or was I still hallucinating?), "Once you open your heart to the spiritual energies underlying all of creation, you might begin to perceive subtle forces, often in personified human form, with your psychic senses. In other words, your subconscious mind interprets the subtle energies and presents them to your conscious mind in a form that you are able to understand. Those subtle energies might appear so clear to you that you believe that you are perceiving them with your physical senses. The subtle spiritual energies are real, but the form that you perceive in your imagination is the creation of your subconscious mind, which uses a picture language that enables you to make sense of the subtle dimensions--and is very similar to the way your subconscious mind presents forms and symbols to you in your dreams. In other words, your subconscious mind through picture language makes sense of your lived reality as you sleep. Similarly, throughout human history people have fashioned the forms of faeries and gnomes and angels and archangels and gods and goddesses to make sense of their experience of the spiritual dimensions. As the heart opens, people become more sensitive to subtle forces and have psychic visions that help them to determine if a subtle force is threatening or friendly, evil or angelic, hideous or beautiful, passive or dynamic, slight or extremely powerful. Some subtle forces are extremely powerful and dangerous and can wreak havoc on unsuspecting humans. Shamans and magicians establish a rapport with powerful allies who can protect them and the people in the community. Being able to perceive subtle energies and work with allies in the spirit realm is a valuable skill that has helped humanity to survive as a species."

Jesus in the Flowers

Suddenly Venus vanished and Jesus appeared before me and spoke, "Sympathy for one another opens the heart to God. If you love one another and treat others the way you want to be treated, you also eventually experience love for all of God's creation--which includes the subtle spiritual dimensions. The glyph of the Tree of Life reveals the evolution of the cosmos from the Source as well as the spiritual evolution of individual humans back to the Source. The Tree of Life shows how we are made in God's image and reveals how all the subtle forces of God exist within us. Through the evolution of the soul, we open the subtle dimensions of the Tree of Life within us until we eventually experience the unity of the Source within all of creation. Through the experience of oneness, we feel sympathy for all who are suffering, for like us they are expressions of the divine Source. What you do for the least among us, you do for me and for God. We end the Lord's Prayer with this: 'For thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory, forever and ever, Oh Lord'--which references three Emanations of the holy Tree of Life. We serve the community and humanity by remaining in daily relationship with God and the Tree of Life, for we are all connected."

Tiger Lily Faery

Suddenly with my psychic vision I perceived a faery in tiger lilies.

Opening the Heart

My heart suddenly opened more than I believed possible.

Demonic Project

Then as I gazed at the tiger lilies, I remembered a demonic project to keep food from the hungry and health care from the sick and financial assistance from the poor--so that the super-rich could receive a permanent tax cut and become even more obscenely wealthy.

Insatiable Monster

"It's a sickness," I mumbled to myself. "Some people have an insane need to own more and more even as other people have less and less. To benefit themselves, the super-rich buy off the lawmakers, just a small group of people, while the vast majority of people experience deprivation and the poor and sick and hungry suffer and die. That doesn't seem very Christ-like to me, yet they claim to be Christians."

Justice: Libra

Then the figure of Justice appeared before me. "There are many ways to serve humanity and the community of all life," she claimed. "People can serve others by working on the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical levels to maintain harmony and balance in the world."

Warring Angel

Suddenly a lion with rainbow wings appeared, but I continued to hear the voice of Justice: "Sometimes when a few people harm society through their insatiable greed and hunger for power, you can work on a spiritual level to bring greater harmony and balance back into the realm. If you are spiritually knowledgeable, you can ask the Most High to send warring angels to clear away the dark forces plaguing the greedy who cause such terrible damage to humanity due to their horrific selfishness. Then send ministering angels to bless and cleanse and heal those afflicted by greed and hunger for power as well as those who have been harmed by their vices."

Giving a Helping Hand (Six of Swords)

Suddenly I had a vision of a skillful boatman helping a woman and child cross over the water to another shore, but I could still hear Justice, "Sometimes you can focus your mental and physical energies to help others. A simple act of kindness can cause a ripple effect that creates harmony, not just for individuals but for families and even for the community as a whole," she assured me.

Helping the Poor (Six of Pentacles)

Then I envisioned a rich man giving golden coins to beggars, and I heard Justice once again: "The simple act of giving can cause greater balance within a community. When the rich give to the poor, they are acknowledging the inherent value of all people and revealing an understanding that fortune changes for all of us and that we need to take care of each other--because we are all connected."

Giving and Receiving (Six of Cups)

Then I saw a man giving a golden cup containing a lily to a young girl, and I heard Justice again: "Teaching children how to give and receive is also a way to serve the community. Giving is a way to show reverence for another person, and receiving is a way to show respect for the one who is giving--and through kindness we connect with each other as feelings of separateness and difference and division dissolve."

Building a Cathedral (Three of Pentacles)

Suddenly I envisioned a monk, an architect, and a mason working together to create a cathedral. Justice spoke once again: "People with spiritual, mental, and creative skills can combine those energies together to serve the community by creating a magnificent church where people can gather and share spiritual experiences and elevate their consciousness and connect with each other."

Keys to the Kingdom (The Hierophant)

Then I envisioned a hierophant with golden keys at his feet blessing people gathered within the church, and I heard Justice again: "A priest who knows the higher dimensions of Universal Consciousness can bless members of the community and teach them how to elevate their consciousness and eventually experience the unity of all of creation."

Dance of Abundance (Three of Cups)

Then I envisioned three women dancing together as they each raised a golden cup in a harvest festival, and I heard Justice once more: "Justice means more than maintaining law and order. Justice creates and establishes harmony and beauty within communities. For instance, the arts can join us together with lovely music and graceful dances so that we experience the harmony and magnificence and abundance of the spirit as we celebrate the material abundance that we share with each other--a joyful way to serve the community through harmony and balance."

All poems, stories, essays, illustrations, and music Copyright © 2025 by Jim Robbins.

spark

00:00 / 03:47

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