The Journey of “Strength” – Major Arcana IX

Article by Darshan.S

Card Symbology:

In the card of Strength, we see a woman who has a garland of flowers tied around her waist and hair. Dressed in white attire she has an infinity symbol above her head representing the cyclical nature of the universe. There is a lion that stands in the foreground in a reddish hue representing extreme passion. The woman in white stands before a yellow background representing the intellect. She is able to open and close the mouth of the vicious lion with apparent ease and calm. She looks serene and relaxed.

The card represents inner strength just as the lion in it represents our animalistic tendencies such as our desires, rage, passions, jealousy, lust, etc. It is our shadow-self, the side of us that we repress to be able to operate in society. Even though we repress this part of us, when the conditions are favorable it escapes and expresses itself. It is only through the acceptance of this shadow self can we begin to acknowledge and embrace it. When we deny or repress our shadow self, it often expresses itself in unhealthy forms.

The woman appears to co-exist quite peacefully with the Lion, she, in fact, soothes him with her loving touch. She does not fear him as she realizes that the Lion is calmed by her gentle touch. He knows she means no harm to him and displays his trust by allowing her to get close. The woman controls the beast through reason and love.

Work with The Strength archetype to tap into the following energies:

• Ability to face challenges
• Bring balance
• Confidence
• Determination
• Enjoying power
• Increased commitment
• Inner strength
• Overcome doubts
• Overcome fears
• Persistence
• Personal power
• Potency
• Self-belief
• Stamina
• Strength
• Support
• Virility
• Vitality
• Will power

Signs that you are lacking the archetypical energy of Strength:

• Cowardliness
• Cruelty to animals
• Depression
• Despair
• Domination
• Feeling of failure
• Hedonism
• Hopelessness
• Lack of inner strength and belief
• Lack of respect for others
• Lack of self-control
• Lacking courage
• Self-doubt
• Vanity
• Weakness

Tapping into Inner- Strength

It’s important to realize and take note of moments in our life when our inner strength is being put to the test. We need to be able to calm down and respond to events and situations instead of merely reacting to them.

No matter what position we find ourselves in our lives, we need to remember that we will always have access to the inner-strength that we need in order to handle the situation and survive through it. Life never puts us in a situation which we do not have the resources to handle. If we feel fear at any points of time then we don’t have to ignore it or suppress it, we just need to feel the fear and do it anyway.

It is also a good idea to examine and assess our own innate strengths, as all of us are born with different gifts. This assessment allows us to work on our shortcomings and team up with people from whom we can learn the strengths we lack.

Learning to keep calm under triggering situations is a crucial skill. By keeping yourself composed under such situations, you can easily maneuver through difficult situations. Don’t take the bait of being triggered by volatile situations. A calm approach is often more powerful than an aggressive one. All of us go through challenging life situations but through these situations, we can develop the ability to help others through their difficult times by compassion and loving understanding.

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Darshan is a Reiki healer & teacher, Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist and a Professional Dowser. He owns a Metaphysical Store called “Crystal Alchemy” through which he helps spread awareness about Crystals and other Healing Modalities. You can reach Darshan at www.facebook.com/Crystal.Alchemy.Store, www.facebook.com/TheHealingOcean.