A Different View of Strength

From the Dark Goddess Tarot, Strength; from the Tattwas Cards, 'Fire - Seed of Earth:'

Those who try to put their lives back together exactly as they were remain fractured and vulnerable. But those who accept the breakage and build themselves anew become more resilient and open to new ways of living. ~ Stephen Joseph 

          This Slavic goddess combined with a Tattwas card that signifies alchemy implies the balanced nature of inner strength. Challenges, like the sapling that deepens its roots to withstand gusty winds, can help us develop it. Yet unrelenting force, the kind associated with various types of trauma, has quite a different effect. What doesn't kill us, in fact, doesn't make us stronger (according to researchers). If that were the case, many of us would be sporting Wonder Woman boots or Superman capes. Yet such physical or psychological injury may activate resiliency - the ability to be flexible with what comes our way. And trauma does change us, as David B. Feldman explains: "Up to 80 percent of survivors say that they grow in some way as a result of their tragedies. This phenomenon, officially known as post-traumatic growth can result in people redefining their relationships, deepening or altering their spirituality, or discovering a new philosophy of life." So perhaps resiliency and a wider viewpoint is a part of inner strength too.