The Light and Dark Sides of Humans

From the Neuzeit Tarot, Strength:

When I first started using tarot cards, it took some time before I realized the lion in Strength was not something or someone external, but within me.  No matter how much spiritual work I do, anger, fear, envy and other not-so-nice characteristics will always be a part of me because I'm human.  My job is shown by the yin-yang wheel the lion's paw rests on: figure out how to keep the light and dark sides of my personality in balance.  Physically, I can use my breath to slow down the adrenaline rush that makes me want to react.  Mentally, I can look logically at the fallout of what I might do before I do anything.  And emotionally, I can realize that people have light and dark sides just like me, and I can choose to make a charitable assumption about their behavior rather than a negative one.

The roll of Rory's Story Cubes brought "nervous smile and snake:"

I've come to realize that when people feel threatened, emotionally or physically, they tend to do one of two things.  Either they put on a peacock suit and try to impress people ("See why you should like me?") or they slide on their snake suit and try to intimidate people ("I will hurt you if you mess with me.").  The problem with snake suits is that they provoke the same response in others and venom ends up flying all over the place.  It takes a conscious effort on my part to realize not all snakes are poisonous, and if I treat them respectfully, they will more often than not slither off and avoid confrontation.