Logic + Love

From the Bonefire Tarot, Strength; from the Day of the Dead Lenormand, "Heart:"

          This woman appears to be trying to soothe the lion, much like I do when I take my pets to the veterinarian. "Calm down, this will be over soon," she seems to be saying. A friend recently called to tell me she had been asked out to dinner by a man in one of her social groups. While eating, there were things he said that made her question his motives for asking her out as well as signs that suggested he was married. Being forthright, she asked him directly about both. He replied that he was married, but he couldn't help asking her out because he felt instinctively drawn to her. Had that been me, I would have been instinctively drawn to box his ears and break his nose. But just because I feel some way doesn't mean I have to act on this emotion. There are times when I have to inwardly tell myself the same thing I tell my pets.
          The Heart in Lenormand generally means romance, desire and affection, but with the Strength card I think the meaning goes a bit deeper. Here is an unconditional love that is combined with reason to produce compassion. Christians speak of the Passion of Christ, meaning the events that led up to his crucifixion. Passion comes from the Greek word paschein, meaning 'to suffer.' The prefix of 'com' added to it means to patiently suffer with. In other words, this is a strong love for myself and others that doesn't react but responds.