Strength, Reversed.
Gilded Tarot by Ciro Marchetti
Have you ever had one of those times where you were inclined to throw the “book” meaning of a card out the window and go with your own ideas? I remember when I was first starting out with tarot I thought I had to use the definition in the book all the time…which lasted until I got my next book, that had completely different meanings and almost caused a meltdown and made me want to give up, for a while. Then I realized that the beauty of tarot is that tarot can be what you as a reader make it, and especially as I started collecting decks I realized that the imagery on one card in a certain deck really could communicate a completely different meaning than anther deck (stay tuned for a series of posts comparing the same card in different decks coming soon!) Or that the same card in different positions could also indicate different things.
Further, there are just some cards that for me, the traditional meanings just don’t gel, especially when we start talking reversals! (Also stay tuned for a post next week on the topic of reversals and the never ending debate regarding them!) The Strength card, like many major arcana cards, has many different meaning and interpretations to the point that considering all the possible meanings can make your head spin faster than the wheel of fortune. So what do you do? You could get out a book, type it into Google and get over 19 MILLION responses, ask someone, or use intuition. Really, any of these options could work, but for daily draws I prefer to use my intuition. The beauty of a one card spread/draw is that all those other confusing factors really don’t matter, because the interpretation is exactly what you want it (or need it to be). So today, I’m going to take this card as an indication that I need to have patience and trust more in myself.
Lately I’ve been feeling frustrated- mostly with work, but the problem is I’ve been letting it get to me too much. In my day job, unfortunately, I often deal with people at their absolute worst and have to intervene in some pretty horrific situations that make Lifetime movies look boring. Sometimes, it can really take a toll. The problem is, I’ve been letting the frustration with one aspect of my life spill into the others. I’ve been questioning if I have the ability to turn my ideas into reality, and wondering if maybe just continuing to float on by is the best idea rather than working all day, coming home and putting a few more hours into achieving my other goals, then going to sleep exhausted and wishing there were more time in the day.
Today, I’m going to take the reversed strength card as an indicator that I need to make a more conscious effort to unwind after work, acknowledge and let out the frustration, so I can move on and not let that dissatisfaction spread. I need to a be a bit stronger with my personal boundaries surrounding my time, so I can fully invest myself in the things I want do, and not the crap that’s left over. In it’s most concrete application, I’m going to do exactly what the card depicts and spend some time connecting with an animal. Well, not too concretely, since last time I checked, pet lions were illegal. But I do have fabulous, wonderful dogs who I don’t just relax with very often. When I do, I always feel recharged and energized afterwards.So today, rather than just let them out and get right to work, I’m going to spend some time with them out in the yard and just let myself breathe and enjoy the adventure that just going outside is for them. It doesn’t matter how many times they go outside everyday, each time they act as excited as a kid in Disneyland for the first time. Today, I’m going to try to channel some of their enthusiasm.
What implications does the strength card have for you today? Let me know in the comments!
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