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Esoteric Tarot Course
Lesson 9
Supplies you will need:
- 78 Card Deck of your choice (required)
- Your Tarot Journal (required)
- “The Tarot Trumps and the Holy Grail,” by Margaret Starbird (buy if you can afford it)
- “Tarot Journeys,” by Yasmine Galenorn (buy if you can afford it)
- “Tarot in Ten Minutes” by RT Kaser (buy if you can afford it)
8 – Strength
The next card you’ll be working with is Strength. As usual, let’s begin by looking at what Margaret Starbird has to say about this card. Read the section entitled “Strength” in her book before proceeding with the rest of the lesson.
Journal Writing
Go to your journal and start a new page with the word “Strength” and the number 8 at the top. Now take the Strength card out of your deck and look at it. Again, you may want to step into the card to see if the woman or her lion have messages for you. Be sure to write down everything in your journal. What do you feel, hear, or what things just pop into your head? By now you know that you are exercising your intuition here. What do you see on this card? Take note not only of the figures (both human and animal), but also of colors, shapes, the landscape, vegetation, heavenly bodies and symbols.
Now, in your journal, write down what this card is showing you. Record any key words that come to mind or any feelings the image evokes. Be sure to do this before continuing with the lesson.
What Do These Symbols Mean?
Description
Here, we have a beautiful, blond-haired woman dressed in a white robe with flowers and greenery adorning her hair and waist. A sideways 8, the symbol of infinity, seems to magically hover above her head. She is either petting or restraining an oddly shaped beast, which resembles both a lion and a large dog. Behind them, blue mountains and lush foliage meet the yellow, vacant sky.
The Symbols
Strength is the 8th card of the Major Arcana, the number eight representing not only infinity, but also self-containment and, in Kabbalistic terms, splendor. The atomic number of oxygen is also eight and, as we certainly know, oxygen is necessary for all life on earth.
Though the lovely female figure in the card appears to be delicate, she is clearly exerting control over the lion-dog creature. Strength does not always equal brute, violent force. It can also be subtle, insinuating, and even gentle. If you are a parent (or even a pet-owner!) you surely know that sometimes the most effective way to assert your will is through kindness and sensitivity. Being a kind person does not make you a weak person. Indeed, such figures as Yeshua, the Buddha and Ghandi were both deeply compassionate and indescribably strong. One could even say that their strength had its foundation in their compassion.
The Strength card calls us to approach the challenges of life with fortitude, courage, and determination, taking control of our bad habits and unhealthy urges while retaining our own self-respect and self-love. It also calls us to stand up for ourselves in the face of adversity and to be “masters” of our own destiny, using our God/dess-given gifts without ever resorting to pettiness, meanness, or tyranny. Strength comes from within, it cannot be bought or willed into being. Certainly, it cannot be faked. More often than not, the most cruel and “powerful” dictators and political figures are utter cowards at heart, which is why they must resort to horrific displays of violence and oppression in order to “prove” their virility.
Meanings
Strength
Courage
Conviction
Energy
Determination
Action
Heroism
Virility
Reversed Meanings
Weakness
Pettiness
Sickness
Tyranny
Lack of Faith
Abuse of Power
Guided Meditation: If you have the book Tarot Journeys by Yasmine Galenorn, read the meditation for Strength, beginning on page 103. This is an excellent book and is brimming over with insights. This meditation is especially appropriate when you need extra energy for healing or when you are working magik with the element of Fire.
Let’s Play a Game
Remove the Fool, The Magician, The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers, The Chariot and the Strength cards from your deck. Shuffle them, then lay out a three card spread. The first card represents what influence(s) you need to be rid of in your life. The second card represents what issues you need to take care of in the immediate future. The third card represents what you will accomplish once you have completed the first two tasks.
Tarot in Ten Minutes
Back once again to Tarot in Ten Minutes. The following three lessons will help you become more familiar with the Major Arcana cards as well as with some of the other cards you have used up to this point.
Complete each of these readings:
Reading #22, Yes or No?
Pages 186-191.
Do Extra Credit
Reading #23, Who Am I Deep Down Inside?
Pages 192-196.
Do Extra Credit
Reading #24, What Are My Motivations?
Pages 197-203.
See also: http://www.tarotmeister.com/strength.html
Questions
1. After reading the section “Strength” in The Tarot Trumps and the Holy Grail, please write a paragraph or so giving your “take” on the author’s ideas.
2. What were your key words? What do you feel/intuit that this card represents? Is there someone you know who might be represented by this card?
3. If you completed the guided meditation in Tarot Journeys, write a bit about your thoughts, feelings, ideas, etc. Why might this meditation be useful when you need a little extra energy for healing work or when working with the element of Fire?
4. In the section “Let’s Play a Game”, describe what position each card was in. Then write at least a paragraph detailing what the cards might be saying to you.
5. For the section “Tarot in Ten Minutes”, send in each reading and the extra credit.
Email your answers to the Mystery School with “Tarot 9 Answers” in the subject line.
As always, we have another new spread for you to try!
The Pentagram
(This is a great spread for getting a general overview of your life as it stands right now.)
Shuffle the entire 78-card deck. Then, lay out the cards in the following arrangement:
5
1 2 3 4
Card 1 represents where you came from.
Card 2 represents where you are going.
Card 3 represents what is difficult for you.
Card 4 represents what world view or lifestyle makes the most sense to you.
Card 5 represents what your ultimate goal in life is.
