Tarot: Being Reminded of ‘Strength’
What I love so much about tarot is how it speaks with us, or how we speak to ourselves through it. In our day to day routines, the simple, or even sometimes fantastic of things can get lost. A moment with ourselves, our cards, and opening our hearts can be a good reminder (or reinforcement) of those precious things.
While finishing up reading the book “Tarot Shadow Work: Using the Dark Symbols to Heal” by Christine Jette, more of a workbook in confronting and addressing the darker or more deeper sides of ourselves, I had a pretty profound experience with the final spread. A culmination of the efforts the readers of the book had put in, this final spread centered around ‘The Star’, and our hopes for the future. And not to spoil the spread, I mostly wanted to talk about one card that has had a tendency to follow me. In the position of “Your Gifts” — What does one need to keep or nurture? What gifts have you found in the dark? What strengths have you developed? — That’s where it popped up. ‘Strength’, quite fitting.
I won’t lie, I often get emotional whenever this card shows itself. Almost no matter the spread, no matter the position, it’s like this card appears and tries to remind me, “Don’t forget me, I’m always here, you’ll always have me.”
I can get frustrated, angry even, when that lion comes up. It can almost feel like a moment of weakness, of humbling, feeling at fault for my struggles and not channeling what the card says I already possess. I think many can relate to this feeling. Being challenged by life and never feeling good enough. Like you’re barely standing on your own two feet, dangling by a thread. One false move and you’ll crumble.
“What strength!?” I often yell back this card. “I’m terrified all the time, unable to do the most basic tasks, crippled by anxiety, hardly taking one step forward before I stumble backward! What kind of strength is that!” I feel mocked, like this card is placed as a joke at my expense.
But the card says nothing in return. In reality, it’s just a piece of paper, it has nothing to say. But it doesn’t need to say anything. The picture says it all.
A lone figure, no sign of fear in their face or posture. In fact, they seem content, pleased even, as they grasp at the jaws of a fierce predator. The lion, with all the power it holds, relents. There is no submission, but trust. These two beings existing together, frozen in time as one. Neither needs to make a move, neither has to. There is this unspoken exchange of curiosity. The courage it takes to approach the lion, and the faith the lion gives to be vulnerable.
When I saw that card appear in this spread, I laughed. The things life has thrown at me these last few years, and when this spread asks me, “What strengths have you developed?” I am shown literal ‘Strength’, I couldn’t help but laugh! And once I was done laughing, I sat with this card. Let it linger in the air, my thoughts going blank as I stared at the artwork. And for the first time, I could hear it speak. Through images in my head of recent events, of me overcoming things I never could’ve imagined. Simple things for most, scary things for me. But I had tried, and stumbled, but kept trying. Going forward, trudging on, pushing through the muck. Looking back at my efforts, I could see why this was the only fitting card to have come out. I may have times of self-doubt, low confidence, and my anxiety is still kicking, but as am I. Slowly, but surely, I continue on, and ‘Strength’ says, “I’ve been there all along, you just couldn’t hear me.”
Sometimes you have to wait for the right moment for something to resonate. You can be told time and time again the same thing, but one day you’ll hear it in a slightly different way, and it feels like brand new.
I’m opening the floor for you to join me in a quiet moment of reflection. If you have a deck, pull out your ‘Strength’ card (or use my photo from this post), a journal ideally too, and sit with it for a bit. Give yourself the space to absorb the imagery, have an open mind and try to listen. After a few minutes, record your thoughts. Maybe leave the card out for a while, or snap a pic and use it as your phone or computer wallpaper.
What strengths have you exhibited recently? How does it feel to notice it?
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Thank you for reading! I hope to continue to blog about tarot, mental health, and similar topics. Feel free to follow, or support me on Ko-Fi.
-LR🐇
