STRENGTH
Taming a lion takes a certain self control as well as courage.
Typically we think of the lion as all powerful, representing the domain of desire, sexual impulses…after all he is the King of the Jungle.
Originally this card was called The Force in early french tarot decks to describe the feminine principle that exerts influence without the need for excessive force.
The picture on this card shows a woman whispering into a lion’s ear, she’s all in white suggesting her intentions are pure. She is displaying admirable self-control to quell any fears she may have, after all her hands are holding a lion’s mouth. Is she holding it open just enough so that he can express himself without roaring, or holding it closed so she can can communicate to him so that he hears her? Either way holding a lion’s mouth is daring as well as risky.
Recently a client had Strength as the bridge between herself and her lover. They had an incredibly passionate connection but lived in different countries which explained the need for self control as well as strong feelings of risk.
The Lion also represents the creative urge and so when I see the. Strength card in a tarot reading it speaks to me of our desire to express ourselves openly; our urge for creative expression. There is a mastery to being able to express our creative urge through collaboration rather than battling with others or indeed battling against our own ego; our fears of making mistake, of failure, of making a fool of ourselves.
To speak from our truth takes courage … so it’s good in a tarot reading to be reminded by Strength of how this woman communicates, she bends down to whisper in the ego’s ear, she doesn’t confront or challenge, but rather she uses self control to quell her fears and steady her resolve.
Essentially the Strength card is about communicating from a place of peace, taming the ego, ours or someone else’s so that you can be heard. Sometimes its not a bad idea to communicate in such a way….with a little gentle persuasion. so the other person thinks your idea is theirs.