Strength

Strength is a complicated card. It's a complicated feeling. Being strong isn't about stoicism or ignoring taunts or being able to bench press a truck. To tell you the truth, I don't know what it's entirely about. There's a softness to it. And that's reflected in the card. It isn't a flashy card, like the Chariot. It's something deeper than that.

My deck shows a man in heavy armor facing the reader, a long-nosed dog sitting faithfully in front of him. The Rider-Waite deck, which I believe conveys the meaning of the card far more fully, depicts a woman easing open the jaws of a lion. Her arms aren't powerful, they're thin like mine, and she's still able to open the lion's mouth without being bitten herself. I think that's what strength is all about.

Strength, patience, compassion, and soft control are the keywords to remember.

"Card 8 will appear in a reading when its qualities are needed. It can be a reminder not to despair or give up. You have the inner strength to endure and triumph. If you are pushing too hard, you need to withdraw for the moment and be patient. If other people or circumstances are driving you crazy, remember the strength that comes with love and forbearance. These will see you through the hardest moments."

I don't think I have much power at the moment to describe how much it means to me that this card appeared today. I must have shuffled the deck around twenty times before I was satisfied. There are some days that I doubt these cards. About half the time, I think. There are some days, most of the other half, when I feel the need to remark on how well they correspond to my current mood. And there are rare days like today when nothing else could have been more appropriate.

Give me the strength to mold myself softly. I don't want to look back on today with regret.