This segment originally appeared in this month’s newsletter
I pulled a card from my new Starman Tarot deck, to set up a theme for this month’s newsletter. The card I pulled was Strength. I’ve mentioned elsewhere how much I like this deck for so many reasons, not the least of which how incredibly pointed it is as an oracle. Here’s what Davide and Esther de Angelis have to say about their version of Strength:
“While this card symbolises strength, its nature is very different and in great contrast to the masculine counterpart of Strength, which is the Chariot. Sheer determination and will are not wielded. Instead the lions that symbolise our innate power and instincts, the frenzy and passion of our emotions, are tamed by the calm, loving, and sure touch of the feminine and purity of heart. The lions have deferred to her inner strength and self mastery and know that they will not be harmed.
“The feminine speaks the language of the heart and is fearless in its truth. The mandalas alive in the background behind her are generated from the patterns of particle collisions. Particle accelerators allow physicists to study subatomic particles by speeding them in powerful magnetic fields. They then trace the interactions that result from collision – enabling them to delve into the mysteries of the universe: the nature of dark matter and the deep structure of space and time. These particle mandalas represent the phenomenal power and energy that is embedded in nature. Like a mirror, they reflect the powerhouse of humanity waiting to be released.
“Power is total and complete in itself, making no demands. It instead gives energy, supplies, supports and sustains. Its inferior cousin, force, takes it away, incomplete and always needs to be fed energy from the outside. Power, being whole, needs nothing.
“The feminine archetype, supremely courageous (heartfelt) in the face of daunting odds knows how to embrace and accept that which otherwise could be lethal and dangerous. She understands the power of acceptance, trusts it wholeheartedly. From experience, she knows that when we face our fears, when we face and bring light to our shadows, they disappear. That’s not to say that she doesn’t feel fear, merely that she feels it and acts anyway.
“Hers is the courage for instance to face another day when the life of a beloved child has been tragically snatched away. The courage to be in the chaos and meaninglessness of it all, to be in the abyss of life where nothing makes sense. This is the inner strength required when war and natural disasters bring chaos to family and communities, when war crimes seemingly destroy all sense of respect and hope. The strength to carry on, with power and integrity, however dreadful the circumstances, love yoked with the power of passion.
“Strength therefore suggests that you have the capacity to endure and overcome the obstacles which are presenting themselves to you right now. By calming the negative voices with the breath, witnessing the self talk as a stream of consciousness rather than “the truth’, uo give yourself space to breathe new love. It speaks of being aware and acknowledging the instinctual energies that want to lash out and rage at the injustices of life and tempering them from the inner well of love, compassion, and kindness. It asks you to relinquish your doubts, realign with your principles and courage and thus reveal your true inner strength.”
So there you have it. That’s the theme for December.