It's a Mix

From the New Liminal Tarot, Strength; from the State by State Cards, Louisiana (King of Hearts):

True strength requires a mix of perseverance, kindness, and bravery.

—Sophie Caldwell

The angelic woman in this card seems to exude patience and calmness while the lion embodies fierceness and courage. It may be hard to believe, but we all have both sets of qualities within us even though have one set is usually our default. However, we often have to practice the weakest quality to make it more natural - and neither side is easier or more fun. Yet when we have a center of calmness, it is easier to act with bravery in more appropriate ways. Louisiana is where jazz was born, a music genre that originated in the African American communities of New Orleans. Developed partially from ragtime and blues, it is often characterized by urgent beats, syncopation, improvisation, and impromptu solos. If you don't know the song, it can be hard to tell what direction the music will take (much like life). Inner strength provides the resilience and clarity to get through the varying beats we experience daily.

It Can Be A Gift

From the Tarot of Mystical Moments, Strength; from the Inner Eye Oracle, the King of Hearts:

Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength. 

— Francis de Sales

This young girl, with her cat ears, nose and tail, knows she is part beast. To her, it is a gift. Intense emotions that make her want to wound with sharp claws and teeth can be tempered with practice. That energy can then be channeled into patience, courage, resilience and receptivity. The real struggle, she realizes, lies within. When life gets overwhelming, she reminds us of Dieter F. Uchtdorf's words: "It's your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life's story will develop." The King of Hearts represents a guide to our emotions. His ram horns indicate that he won't back down from strong feelings; the armor he wears on his chest is his heart. He models calm behavior and gives us a safe space to explore the root of our emotions and see how our impulsive reactions create more problems than solution. He knows that it is only by working through our challenges that we will find an inner strength that will keep us grounded. 

Experience is a Friend

From the Cosmic Cycles Tarot, the Page of Wands; from the Magic Neko Deck, the King of Hearts:

You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.

― Richard Branson

          The Page of Wands is full of curiosity paired with an adventuresome spirit. She learns by doing, even when that doing falls outside of etiquette or the typical norm. She will likely wind up with plenty of scrapes, stitches, and maybe even a broken bone, but nothing will dampen her desire to explore and learn. Experience is her friend even though it can be a hard taskmaster at times. Yet the King of Hearts suggests that she add another tool to her knapsack - intuition. Even a cat knows that while curiosity can lead to discovery, it always is a good idea to follow one's inner nudges as well. Sometimes the best road to travel is the one our intuition directs us toward.

Crossing at the Crossroads

From the Tarot of the Masters, the Five of Coins; from the Key to the Kingdom, the King of Hearts:

          I can relate to these tired, broken people - not so much financially, but feeling downhearted and hopeless. Holidays have a way of putting me in this mindset with an added dollop of exhaustion. It is instigated by being around my relatives with whom I have very little in common except a bloodline. Yet Ricklef makes an important point about this card: "poverty of the body does not reflect or create poverty of the soul." Rather than roll in self-pity, I'd do better to get out my spiritual toolbox. The King of Hearts card is based on a poem about King's Cross, an inner city area of London, England. It was named originally for King George IV, a man remembered for his extravagant lifestyle and selfishness. Formerly a red-light district, the area was revitalized by the construction of King's Cross Railway. The rhyme starts off with the king having a temper tantrum and ends with these lines:

King's Cross!

What shall we do?

Leave him alone

For a minute or two.

Indeed, time has a way of changing things. My job is to remain compassionate and kind toward myself and others. After all, I don't have the power to change anyone but myself and my own attitude.