top of page

Flowers and Faeries near Fresno

A Suite with Six Movements

funco

00:00 / 05:25

FIRST MOVEMENT:

A KNIGHT PLASTERED BY FLOWERS

The Knight in the Redbud Blossoms

One day, the knight stumbled into the branches of a redbud tree. He began to feel like the branches were clinging to him.

Baby Blue Eyes

Then the knight was walking near baby blue eye flowers on a path near the castle.

The Knight in Baby Blue Eyes near the Castle

He began to feel like the baby blue eyes were attaching themselves to him. "I must be dreaming," he said out loud.

Poppies

Then the knight was strolling through some poppies near the castle.

The Knight in the Poppies

He could have sworn that the poppies were plastering themselves to his armor.

Goldfields and Baby Blue Eyes

Soon the knight found some goldfields and baby blue eyes together.

The Knight in Gold and Blue Flowers

He thought to himself, "The farther I go, the more the flowers become part of me."

Ground Lupine and Poppies

Then the knight came upon what looked like two armies battling each other: poppies versus lupine.

The Knight in Lupine and Poppies

He sat down on a rock in the middle of the battle. "I don't understand this," he thought to himself. "This looks like a battle but feels so peaceful."

Faery in the Stream

Then the knight hiked beside a stream where bush lupine was blooming profusely. A blue butterfly faery surprised him.

Ithuriel's Spears and Fiesta Flowers

"You have flowers in your heart, and the flowers are part of you," she said. "If you have flowers in your heart, you will soon begin to feel one with all creation."

The Knight in Lavender Flowers

The knight suddenly felt one with Ithuriel's spears and Fiesta Flowers.

Fiesta Flowers and Wind Poppies

Then the knight came upon a fairyland of fiesta flowers and wind poppies.

The Knight in the Fiesta Flowers and Wind Poppies

He felt one with them too.

Bush Lupine near Lake

Then the knight strolled near a lake. Bush lupine was blooming everywhere.

The Knight in Bush Lupine near Lake

"How can there be such tranquility here when the world is so full of conflict?" he wondered out loud.

Tiger Lily by Stream

The knight climbed higher into the mountains and found tiger lilies.

The Knight with Tiger Lilies

The knight discovered that he did indeed have flowers in his heart and that he felt one with the stream and the other creatures of the earth. "If I am dreaming, this is a good dream," he thought to himself. The knight from that point on had flowers in his heart wherever he went.

Redbud in Bloom

The Empress: Goddess of Love, Nature, and Abundance

hum24

00:00 / 04:16

SECOND MOVEMENT:
THE KNIGHT MEETS THE FLOWER FAERIES

Faery in the Wheat

The knight was riding through the Tarot Realm and thought he had a vision of the Goddess Venus holding up a golden scepter in a wheatfield, which struck him as strange since it was springtime. Nathan closed his eyes and shook his head, thinking that he might be seeing things, but when he opened his eyes again, he saw a faery strolling through pink flowers in the wheatfield toward the Goddess of Love.

Poppies on a Hillside

The knight galloped away and soon came upon a hillside blanketed by poppies. "Only in the Tarot Realm," he muttered. He had never seen so many poppies before.

Poppy Faery

Then he encountered a faery in the poppies. Once again he closed his eyes and shook his head and galloped away.

Baby Blue Eyes

Then the knight found a pristine spot rug of baby blue eyes and felt a presence. "Don't tell me. I'm going to see another faery," he thought out loud.

Baby Blue Eye Faery

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, sure enough, he could see a faery covered with baby blue eyes.

Ground Lupine on the Hillside

The knight continued riding his horse on the trail near the river and soon came upon a hillside covered in ground lupine. "Okay, I bet I'm about to see another faery," he thought.

Lupine Faery

Sure enough, he saw a faery sitting in the flowers. "What is going on here?" he asked out loud, but the faery didn't answer him.

Owl's Clover near the River

He rode on through the foothills and saw a hillside topped by pink owl's clover, something he had never witnessed before. "Wow, I'm sure glad I'm in the Tarot Realm," he declared in astonishment.

Owl's Clover Faery

Then the knight witnessed something else he had also never witnessed before: strange pink owl's flying around a faery who was resting in the owl's clover.

Ithuriel's Spears and White-tipped Lupine

"Why, this is something new as well," the knight muttered. "I've never seen Ithuriel's Spears growing with white-tipped lupine before."

Lavender Faery

Suddenly the knight heard the voice of his mentor, the gnome called Mr. Mellifluous. "Nature is always different from one year to another. Every year you will find something unexpected.”

Indian Pinks

The Knight smiled. "Aw, my friend, Mr. Mellifluous. So glad to see you again! I am seeing a fairy in the Indian Pinks. Perhaps you can tell me why I am seeing faeries in the flowers wherever I go!"

Indian Pink Faery

"You are sensing the presence of nature spirits, and your mind naturally personifies them as faeries. This is a good sign, my friend. You are becoming more in tune with the spiritual forces within the natural world. The Tarot Realm is having a positive effect on you."

Tiger Lilies

Suddenly Mr. Mellifluous disappeared. The Knight continued on the trail higher into the mountains. Eventually he came upon some tiger lilies by a stream.

Tiger Lily Fairy

The knight closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he saw a tiger lily faery. "In the realm where I came from, I'm sure greedy people would have already despoiled this meadow and driven away the nature spirits. I'm so glad to be here in the Tarot Realm!" He smiled and headed back down the trail to the castle.

Baby Blue Eyes around Dead Lupine Bush

findin

00:00 / 03:59

THIRD MOVEMENT:
THE KNIGHT RETURNS TO THE RIVER GORGE

Baby Blue Eye Faery

Nathan thought about returning to his homeland as he was falling asleep, and in his mind he hiked down a path into the river gorge where once he had found baby blue eye flowers growing around a dead lupine bush. Suddenly a faery appeared in the baby blue eye flowers. Nathan remembered that people were trying to build a dam that would bury the entire gorge under hundreds of feet of water. He was afraid for the faery and all the other creatures in the gorge.

Bush Lupine next to the Trail

Nathan kept hiking along the trail and encountered lupine bushes with light blue blossoms.

Lupine Faery

Then he encountered a faery in the lupine bushes. She seemed a little sad and perhaps even a little afraid.

Wild Hyacinth in the Gorge

Then Nathan found a large purple flower along the path. He tried to remember its name but couldn’t for some reason.

Hyacinth Faery

Then a faery appeared in the flowers, and Nathan remembered that the purple flower had different names, such as brodiaea and blue dick and wild hyacinth.

Red Maids by the Trail

Nathan continued hiking into the gorge. He loved breathing the fresh air and finding all of his favorite flowers again, like the red maids he was suddenly gazing at.

Red Maid Faery

Then Nathan found a faery in the grass wearing red maid flowers. Nathan tried to get her attention, but she pretended not to notice him.

Trail near the River

Popcorn flowers and fiddleneck and baby blue eyes blanketed the slopes next to the trail. Nathan suddenly felt afraid that a dam would drown all of the flowers if he did not return home.

Faery with Blue Butterflies and Poppies

Then Nathan encountered a faery in poppies and baby blue eye flowers, or were they blue and orange butterflies fluttering around her? “Are you afraid for your homeland?” Nathan asked her, but she didn’t respond. She just looked at him with sad blue eyes.

Sierra Nevada Blue Butterfly

Nathan looked carefully and noticed that some of the blue flowers were actually blue butterflies. He remembered that in his homeland a friend had told him that butterflies were once everywhere in springtime, but now most of them were gone.

Blue Butterfly Faery

As soon as Nathan remembered what his friend had said, a blue butterfly faery appeared. She looked like she was about to flutter away. “Please, do not go away forever,” Nathan pleaded. The faery looked straight at him and seemed to say, “You must return home now. You must return to your homeland.”

Bush Lupine and Fiddleneck by Trail

Nathan gazed down and could see the river winding through the gorge in the distance. Suddenly, he woke up. Confused for a moment, he remembered that he and his friends had fought against the dam and had won. He breathed a sigh of relief. All of the creatures in the gorge were safe for now, at least for a while, but so many places were still in danger. Perhaps it was time for him to return home.

bottom of page