April 15, 2010 - Strength

Joan Bunning writes about the Strength card : "Usually we think of strength in physical terms - big arms, powerful legs - but there is also inner strength. Inner strength comes from an exercise of the heart muscle. It is perseverance, courage, resolve and composure - qualities that help us endure when times are tough. In the past, a person with inner strength was commonly said to have character; he or she could be counted on in the darkest moments. Card 8 represents this energy of quiet determination. Strength is not a flashy card, but one that is solid and reliable."


I love this card and understand the Grace that must be experienced and demonstrated for the maiden to walk in gentle partnership with the lion, even though I do not always achieve it. the Strength card is not just about showing strength, knowing you can endure.  It is about patience, maintaining composure, showing forbearance.  It is also a card of compassion, of giving others space, of accepting, and of kindness.  These are skills I'm still struggling with, not seeing space as abandonment, forgiving others for their imperfections and myself, most especially myself.  
Finally, the Strength card is about demonstrating the strength of love, being wholehearted in a world that does not value it.  


In the Jane Austen Tarot, the Strength card is depicted by Fanny Price and Henry Crawford of Mansfield Park.  Just as in the Rider Waite Tarot, the Jane Austen deck shows the union of two opposites, the animal pleasures of Henry Crawford and the more spiritual, heart-felt love of Fanny Price, the maiden and the roue.  When it shows up in a reading, you may find yourself caught between physical desires and spiritual ones.  It does not necessarily advocate one over the other but rather insists you have both at your command should you choose to take hold of them.  It is also a card of trusting your gut.  Fanny knows Henry is not the man for her but is pressured on all sides, including by Edmund Bertram, the man she loves, to marry him.  She holds to the strengths of her convictions even though its unpopular.  She is even sent from Mansfield Park as punishment for her disobedience.  And she does waver a moment, before finding herself and refusing Henry for good.  When this card shows up, call upon the courage of your convictions.  Know valor is your birthright.  Own it and persevere.  It will be made right.  It is this trust in the rightness of things, that life's endings are better crafted then my ego's that is my biggest struggle.  


How will Strength serve me today?  I do not know, but I will keep you posted.