The Strength card is about communing with the sometimes wild and unruly energy of our ego selves. The card depicts a woman gently yet firmly embracing a lion. The lion is the beastial or animal nature of our emotional body. It can be passion and desire, but it can also be intense fear. The woman in the card is that part of us that can be receptive to this strong wild emotional energy. By being open to our own passion and fears, we gain access to the emotional energy and we can ultimately be in dominion with it. I like to think of the image of a wild whitewater river for this card. As in river rafting, the way to survive the rapids is to go with the flow of the energy.
In Vedic astrology, the Strength card corresponds with the sign of Leo. Leo is a fixed fire sign ruled by the Sun. Leo is a sign of celebrating the divine spark within and that shines as our own unique individuality. It shows the projection of divine light that flows through us. It is where our conscious mind is focused and how our egos are perceiving. The ego self can be like a wild beast. Though we often wrestle with our egos, they are in fact very difficult to control. The Strength card is actually about not attempting to control or suppress the ego, but rather embracing and celebrating it.
In my understanding of the Toltec path, the Strength card is the first of six cards representing the mastery of transformation. It represents where we begin when we are endeavoring to transform our perceptions. The Strength card is the raw perceptual energy that we are currently investing in all the habitual emotional patterns of our ego. By surrendering to our desires and fears, we become one with that energy in a conscious way. Before we can redirect the roaring river, we must embrace it and become one with it.
The Strength card shows us the courage that comes from embracing our emotions and the fixations of our ego. When exploring the Strength card, practice flowing with your emotions rather than against them. Commune with the raw energy of your emotions, especially the strong ones like desire and fear. Feel the wild beastial power of your animal self!
Find the Strength card from your favorite tarot deck and place it somewhere you will see often. Invite the energy of the Strength card into your life. Imagine you are that serene woman in the card, gently but firmly embracing your wild passionate ego. Realize that courage is the ability to open to your own passion.
Next: The Hermit
(c) 2004 by David Ray
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