Strength is not brute force but the quiet mastery of the lion within, the courage to face inner darkness with compassion. Power, energy, action, courage, magnanimity -- the infinite loop above her head tells us this mastery process never ends. True power must come from the balance of gentle love and fierce discipline. Reversed: Abuse of power, despotism, weakness, discord. The lion goes berserk.

UPRIGHT: Power, Energy, Courage, Magnanimity

REVERSED: Abuse of power, Despotism, Weakness, Discord

Strength, or Fortitude, is equal within all Men from birth. I am speaking of courage, honesty, and will. Strength is doled out to humans as will, first and foremost, and everyone can maximize their will in this world, regardless of outward strength, intelligence, or upbringing. Fortitude is gifted along with consciousness in this way, and it is up to each of us how we best manifest our Strength(s). The Rider art of the eighth Major Arcana really does a lot of heavy lifting in terms of explanatory power. I’d imagine someone might initially expect art of warrior slaying a rival or manhandling a wild beast might be more fitting; and yet, compassionate relationships with animals, and the continuous process of practicing gentle solidity (as indicated by the infinity symbol above the tamer’s head), are the focal points here. Live for long enough and it becomes natural to see that an animal can sometimes ascertain a better measure of a Man’s strength than his peers.

On the journey, the hero achieves a singular moment of mastery by sheer strength of will, or faces someone abusing their strength and letting their lion go wild…

Bottom Line: When you exert Strength, you sustain the core of consciousness.

Tree of Life Path: Chesed to Geburah -- Mercy x Severity. The truly strong are ultimately kind, merciful, and tranquil.

A.E. Waite quote: “A woman, over whose head there broods the same symbol of life which we have seen in the card of the Magician, is closing the jaws of a lion. The only point in which this design differs from the conventional presentations is that her beneficent fortitude has already subdued the lion, which is being led by a chain of flowers…Fortitude, in one of its most exalted aspects, is connected with the Divine Mystery of Union; the virtue, of course, operates in all planes, and hence draws on all in its symbolism. It connects also with innocentia inviolata (innocence inviolable), and with the strength which resides in contemplation.”

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