I admire strength, but what exactly do I mean when I say "strength?" Well, it doesn't have anything to do with lifting bar bells... I think true strength is a mental muscle involving character and resilience. It is the spark that keeps us going, keeps us accomplishing things, keeps us coming back even when we are exhausted. True strength is that desire to continue living despite the cruelty and meanness that would have us surrender to despair.
Do you love lists as much as I do? If so, feel free to add your own in the comment section. Here's a quick list of what I think of as true strength:
1. Battered women who eventually leave their husbands and start their lives over.
2. Children who grow up in dysfunctional families and, despite physical, emotional and sexual abuse, grow up to become good people who raise good children.
3. Men who are kind and good in a freakazoid culture trying to intimidate them into becoming selfish and violent.
4. Those of us who can admit we have a problem and then seek the help we need.
5. LGBT people who refuse to live a lie
6. The people who love LGBT people, and support them, despite family pressure to do otherwise.
7. Introverts who find a format for speaking out that works for them. (There is more than one way to do the right thing.)
8. Extroverts who use their power for good and don't forget the power of humility. (The second part is equal to the first)
9. The students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida who stood up and shouted to the world #NeverAgain when their classmates were gunned down in cold blood. They are actually at the top of my list right now. I love those kids.
True strength involves thinking and feeling. It requires that we become more human. As you will notice in the tarot card below which is called Strength, the woman is closing the mouth of a wild animal. She is restraining her lower self; taming it. The blue mountain in the lower left represents the great work - human evolution and personal growth. The infinity sign over her head is an occult symbol for the number 8. It is also called Splendor because by the time you get to 8 on the the tree of life, you've accomplished a great deal.
Strength isn't something that comes naturally to us. It must be cultivated, watered, mulched, and fertilized. Let's get to it before we die of thirst.
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| Strength: 8th Major Arcana from The Pamela Colman Smith Commemorative Set | . |
