NATHAN AND THE HOLY MAN
One day, the holy man in the castle approached Nathan. “I’ve never told anyone else this before, my friend. When I was three years old, my family escaped from great turmoil in a nearby realm. We traveled through the forest, like you, and we discovered the Tarot Realm. I don’t remember much about that time or about the other realm. As I grew up, I often pretended to be a knight, just like the other boys in the village. We would have great fun skirmishing with each other. Sometimes we fought savagely, but no one ever got badly hurt.
“As I grew older, I proved myself worthy and became a knight of the Tarot Realm. I never felt alone as I charged into battle because I knew that some presence was protecting me. I sometimes felt that a powerful faery was following behind me, giving me strength and courage.
“As I grew older, the battles seemed to become more vicious. Instead of a faery, a dragon followed me, and together we showed no mercy to the enemy. Sometimes I would attempt dangerous feats, like leaping over a chasm on my horse, as though I no longer had any regard for my own life.
“As time passed, the battles became even darker and more daunting, with dragons swooping down to tear soldiers apart. I began to feel terrible negativity building up inside of me.
“Sometimes, after a battle, I would ride my horse through a field of flowers to experience the tranquility of the earth, but the negativity never quite left me.
“One day, as I was riding through the forest, I encountered a faery, who tried to get me to slow down. I was startled and didn’t know what to do, so I ignored her and kept moving forward.
“Soon after that, I got ambushed by six enemy soldiers. I was caught off guard, and I wasn’t wearing any armor. I doubted that I would survive, but I was strong and defeated them all. That day, I first began to question whether or not I should remain a knight.
“Not long after that, I suffered a serious head wound during a heated battle. Another knight carried me off of the battlefield, and they removed my armor so that I could receive medical care. The battle continued for several days, and I would sometimes watch. The battle, even from a distance, was so horrific that I couldn’t watch for long.
“After I recovered, I rode my horse along the seashore at sunset. That evening, I felt a profound sense of eternity. I felt one with the ocean and the sky and the setting sun. Spirit was manifesting peacefully, and I couldn’t understand why there is so much conflict in the world.
“Eventually in my travels I encountered another faery. I was prepared this time. I offered her a gift to show that I was ready to know the spirit realms. She touched my arm and suddenly all the negativity that had built up inside me seemed to flow into her, and I felt whole again.
“Afterwards, I started meditating in the church next to the castle. I began to experience a spirit realm that contains archetypes and symbols representing spiritual principle. Then I began experiencing formless realms that communicated spiritual intuitions. Over a long period of time, I forgave everyone who had harmed me and began to feel great sympathy for others. It took me awhile, but I eventually realized that I am an empath. During my meditations and rituals, I began to take on the negativity of the realm and then eventually even some of the negativity in the collective consciousness of humanity, and I released the negativity into the fires below the earth so that it burned away completely. By being a knight, I discovered my true purpose.” Then the holy man looked Nathan directly in the eye. “You, my friend, might find that you have a similar purpose, especially if you ever return to your homeland.” The holy man patted Nathan on the shoulder, then left Nathan alone in his small room in the castle.
Continue with Nathan through the Tarot Realm.
All Text, Music, and Illustrations, including Paintings, Photographs, and 3D models, Copyright © 2022 by Jim Robbins.
(All AI generated images are based on paintings, 3D Blender renderings, or photographs by James T. Robbins.)
