Strength
Definition:
increase self-mastery, taming a situation through gentleness and compassion, and tending to the difficult parts of the self.
Poem:
Can you love the broken parts?
the anger, the fear, the hatred
Can your gaze be the sun melting the snow in springtime?
Softening the world for a bountiful harvest
It’s not easy to see the world as it is and find a way to be kind towards it
But it’s what it needs right now
Love the unlovable
And watch it transform
Invitation:
There is something so beautiful about the fact that the image associated with the Strength card is one of such gentle connection. It’s a reminder that it is often through compassion that challenging situations are resolved. Of course, that doesn’t mean we don’t have boundaries. We just don’t try to get what we want through control and will. Strength asks you to engage in any situation with an open heart. But especially, it invites us to engage with all the parts of ourselves with love and compassion, even the parts that are difficult.
Meditation: Take some time to sit in quiet contemplation and focus on the energy of Strength. As you meditate, visualize yourself as the figure on the card, holding the lion's jaws open with grace and calm. Feel the strength and inner calm that comes with this visualization.
Parts work: This idea comes from the therapy modality, Internal Family Systems. It posits that each person has various subpersonalities with different perspectives and motivations. The process helps a person find more harmony and balance with these parts. Of course, this is a complicated system that requires the support of a therapist. But at a high level, it can be useful to think about different parts of yourself because it creates a helpful separation from your problems. So, for example, if you are feeling conflicted about starting a new workout routine. You can imagine talking to the part of you that doesn’t want to do the routine and understand its perspective. This can help unlock a pathway to making this routine stick or finding another routine that would work better.