A Measured Response

 From the RainShadow Tarot, Strength; from the Liminal Spirits Oracle, Ocean:

A measured response trumps a triggered reaction every time.

―Alexander Kambiri

Mack describes Strength as inner fortitude with calm composure. While anger or fear might get our attention, acting from these emotional surges don't usually produce the hoped for results. Save the fierceness for days when survival and self-preservation require that kind of energy. Take a deep breath in, purse your lips as if holding a tiny straw, then exhale slowly. Find your center and then make a measured response. Ocean reiterates this advice. Even when its waves are rolling on the surface, it is calmer at its depth. As Hermann Hesse reminds us, "Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself."

Training in What?

From the Roots of Asia Tarot, Strength; from the Mahjongg Oracle, Chrysanthemum:

We have also been training our body and mind just by living our life. The question is: training in what? 

—Gaylon Ferguson

In our daily encounters with people and situations, our inner lion may be awakened and roar to be fed. Will we let it gorge on frustration, anger and rage, or will we take time to calm it so we can handle things in a sane and appropriate way? Training the mind allows us to be aware of thoughts and emotions and sift out what is worth acting on and what we can let be. Chrysanthemums are a symbol of the sun and represent happiness and vitality. It asks us to consider whether our anger is putting our energy to good use and creating contentment, or if it is tanking everything.

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.

Learning, Inside and Out

From the Urban Tarot, Strength; from the Principles to Live By, Open-mindedness:

Who is wise? One who learns from all.

—Talmud

Scott explains that the lion statue in this card is based on the famous marble lions that guard the main branch of the New York Public Library. Mayor LaGuardia (1930s) named them Patience and Fortitude, qualities he thought folks needed to survive the depression. Strength does not represent the ability to crush and intimidate; instead, our inner beast invites us to learn courage, endurance and self-control. Open-mindedness is to be receptive to new ideas and viewpoints other than our own. We don't have to automatically discard our own beliefs and ideas, but we make space for new information. Being curious and open allows us to put a damper on frustration and fear in our relationships. Much can be learned (and a calmer mindset had) when we move from a defensive stance to an inquisitive one. 

Temperature was 15 F this morning. The birds are a little confused about why the birdbath isn't working!

An Invincible Summer

From the Ferret Tarot, Strength; from the Nature's Wisdom Oracle, Crocus:

Your struggles develop your strengths. - Arnold Schwarzenegger

Facing our fears and embracing our challenges are what develop our muscles of courage and resilience. Spiritual fitness takes effort; our tendency to avoid what looks difficult only makes our inner strength atrophy.  Crocus is associated with joy because it is one of the first flowers to push against the last of winter's ice and snow, appearing during the earliest days of spring. It too is a reminder that when we refuse to hide, we will find our strength. As Albert Camus explained, "In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

Listen, Ask Questions

From the Wheel of Change Tarot, Strength; from the Oracle of the Dreamtime, Reconciliation:

The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.

– William James

Do you ride your inner beast, or does it ride you? The normal human stress response falls into one of four categories: fight, flee, freeze, fawn (immediately acting to try to please to avoid any conflict). But often the threat is in our head only - there's nothing tangible to base it on. Our reaction is likely based on old mental patterns that run us like an automated machine. Reconciliation is a vision of the council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, a desire for respect, equity and justice for all people and beings, including the land itself. Such an action requires an honest appraisal, especially our own faults and assumptions. Both of these cards bring to mind a quote from Fred Rogers: “In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.”

Heavy Loads

From the Animal Totem Tarot, Strength; from the Blum/Gern Rune Cards, Ingwaz/Inguz:

It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it. 

—Lou Holtz

The ox in this card pulls a heavy load down a rocky path but doesn't seem to be snorting and stamping his feet about it. He just continues to take steps forward, knowing that the road won't last forever. Inner strength requires the same mentality: understanding that things change and that being angry or full of pity only adds to our load and suffering. The rune Inguz/Ingwaz means 'seed' and suggests being separated (planted) in order for transformation to take place. It can feel lonely and overwhelming when we think no one cares or that we have too much placed on our shoulders. But if we were to shine some light on our thoughts, how much is reality and how much is dramatic exaggeration? Both the pleasant and unpleasant in life is our spiritual path; we can choose to let it help us grow or keep us stuck in a rut.

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. 

Don't Hide

From the Gaian Tarot, Strength; from the Goddess Oracle, Baba Yaga:

We must reject not only the stereotypes that others hold of us, but also the stereotypes that we hold of ourselves. —Shirley Chisholm

If you're a young girl in the Deep South, it's likely you've heard all your life: "Be a good girl. Act like a lady." And from the church: "Be submissive to men." The inner beast that provides us with courage and strength is starved and abandoned if we act on such directives from others. Yet this woman has embraced her passion, her instincts and her wildness - not loosing them indiscriminately, but making friends with them. These are the things that will make her whole and help her to thrive. The Slavic goddess Baba Yaga reiterates this in her quote from the oracle companion book  :

I freely express my vitality

my sheer exuberant joyfulness

to please myself because it is natural

Trying to please others rather than being who we are is self-destructive. It is time to change the things we cannot accept. In the words of Michelle Obama, “Am I good enough? Yes, I am.”

Arsenal of Anger

This week I'll be using the Victoria Regina Tarot, a deck and book set created by Sarah Ovenall with text assistance from Georg Patterson. This tarot set was published by Llewellyn. I'll be pairing it with the Alchemist Oracle (aka 'Connected and Free'), a deck and booklet set self-published by Lauren Aletta. Today's draws are Strength and Comparison:

Every woman has a well-stocked arsenal of anger potentially useful against those oppressions, personal and institutional, which brought that anger into being. Focused with precision it can become a powerful source of energy serving progress and change. —Audre Lorde

I personally appreciate that most Strength cards are illustrated with a woman. As Lorde said, we do indeed have a well-stocked arsenal of anger. The VR's companion book states, "Don't smother aggressive tendencies or let them run amok. Learn instead to guide and direct aggression with loving calm." Wise women have been transforming their fury and frustration for years, realizing that insight can come if they don't allow that emotional energy to control them. They know it's simply a messenger that arrives in fiery ways to gain our attention. Comparison asks me to consider - before I react - how my planned response was received and what fruit it bore in the past. If still in the thrall of rage (or its cousin resentment), that choice likely won't be wise or beneficial.

Loosely Leashed

From the Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus Tarot, Lust (Strength); from the Words of the Brehon Oracle, 'Three nurses that bring dignity:'

The Lust card emphasizes the need to employ our inner beast in helpful ways rather than suppress it or completely unleash it. The use of 'lust' rather than strength makes me think of bloodlust, a person's desire for ferocity and violence triggered by events around them. We all have those moments that can unlock our desire to act in detrimental ways. Dignity, or respectful conduct, derives from three sources according to the Irish triad. It entails three questions before acting: 

1. A good mind - Is my clarity being affected by emotional intoxication?

2. A good memory - What were the consequences for similar actions in the past?

3. A good soul - How might my behavior overflow, causing untended harm or hurt to others?

Dealing with Instincts

From the Badgers Forest Tarot, Strength; from the Gemstone Oracle, Girasol:

The tremendous danger is that this belief - that genuine happiness comes only from pleasant feelings - becomes a strong motivation to stay closed to anything unpleasant.

~ Joseph Goldstein

Strength is like a coin with two sides, both dealing with our natural instincts. One side deals with finding our inner fire of courage, realizing that what we must do is more important that what we fear. The other side involves finding a way to stay calm and grounded, understanding that our rage and frustration will not make any situation better. Girasol is a hazy, pale-pink variety of quartz. It's name is Italian and means "turn towards the sun." It represents those times when we feel vulnerable, and so we just try to stay 'hazy,' hunker down, and avoid it all. Yet a tepid approach is often no better than our rage or fear. But if we can turn toward our source of strength, we will eventually see with clarity and be able to respond with the appropriate action. 

Back to Now

From the Morgan Greer Tarot, Strength; from the Celtic Book of the Dead deck, the Island of the Falcon:

Strength may suggest courage, but it often refers to the ability to calm our emotions so that we can see a situation with clarity and respond appropriately. As Joan Sutherland explains, "If you and I are having a conversation and I become angry, I might find my emotions so compelling that suddenly I’m not in a conversation with you anymore, but with my anger." My feelings are what take center stage rather than the person I was talking to or what we were discussing. On the other hand, if we can let this energy move through us and dissipate without reacting to it, our mind has a chance to clear. As Sutherland states, "[A] response emerges from the whole of oneself, grounded in the whole situation, with each element assuming its true size and shape. In responding we’re not doing something about a situation, but participating in it." The Island of the Falcon card illustrates the voyagers being led out of the Otherworld by a falcon. It suggests finding a way to be grounded in the present, with both feet on the ground. Using our senses, whether that is feeling the grass under our bare feet or listening to the wind in the treetops, is a simple tool for re-emerging when we've been hooked by our emotions.

Careful - Sharp Teeth

From the Somnia Tarot, Strength; from the Lojong for the Layperson deck, Slogan 58 (Don't be frivolous):

Strength is one of of those traits that requires a careful balance lest we get caught in its sharp teeth. It requires a measure courage, the willingness to say 'enough!' and stand up for what is right. Yet if not tempered, it can turn into a rage that mangles. It also requires compassion, which can turn into martyrdom or the role of victim (putting our head in the trap) if we don't tap into self-compassion. Slogan 58 - Don't be frivolous - cautions us to be aware of how we spend our time and energy. Just as the daylily bloom lasts only a day, we don't have unlimited time or energy. Unlike actual play or fun, frivolity is simply a distraction from reality that leaves us feeling restless and unsatisfied. Attention to those thoughts that are running through our mind can be a clue as to whether we're about to expend (or waste) those resources in ways that help or harm.

Conscious Intention

From the Shadowscapes Tarot, Strength; from the Cedar Runes, Wunjo:

How do we feed our inner fire? Do we overfeed it, creating a raging blaze that is ready to knock heads and verbally blast those who get in our way? Or do we underfeed it, barely leaving one glowing ember that never speaks up for oneself or any other injustice? It requires a constant adjustment to keep our inner beast in good shape, willing to have the courage to act but without the impulse to crush. Yet we know we're in balance by how we feel; our rash words and reactions are replaced with calm composure, with resolve rather than revenge. The rune Wunjo literally means joy and harmony. It implies that to have such happiness requires an inner strength to wisely deal with the potholes and bumps we encounter. 

The Buddha saw: our thoughts, emotions, and actions are the primary sources of our suffering. Equally, our thoughts, emotions, and actions can be the source of our joy and freedom. Living, as much as possible, with conscious intention is the first step of this transformation.

—Thupten Jinpa

With Care

This week I'll be using Tarot by Caro, created and self-published by Caroline Clarke. The oracle I'll be drawing from is the I Ching, illustrated by Klaus Holitzka with instructions by Marlies Holitzka; it is published by AGM Urania. Today's cards are Strength and Hexagram 56:

Clarke's rendition of Strength made me think of dog handlers at a show - 'flagging' the tail and slipping a treat to the dog. My inner beast - the part of me that would like to freely offer head slaps and say whatever passes through my mind - must be treated with care and respect as well. Rather than trying to sit on it to keep it under control, I can acknowledge what has happened (injustice, unkindness, etc.) but without exaggeration or assumptions. Hexagram 56 is called the Wanderer and advocates for humility, calmness and intelligence, as if we were a stranger in a new land. Staying calm and open-minded can create a pause and a chance to understand what was behind what occurred instead of rushing to judgment.

Master or Minion

From the Nigel Jackson Tarot, Fortitude; from the Viking Lenormand, the Child:

The dictionary defines Fortitude as the "strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity." It is a bit like emotional temperance. Controlled anger or fear can give me the courage or incentive to take the action that is needed rather than hide or fly into a rage. But it takes a lot of work to manage those emotions, becoming their master rather than their minion. Without management, I lose all clarity and fail to understand what would be most beneficial; I attempt only to make those uncomfortable feelings go away. The Child suggests simplicity - I don't have to complicate things by over-analyzing them. As Pema Chodron encourages, "Feel the feelings and drop the story." It's my story about things - my opinionated judgment - that causes my distress and clouds the issue. Rather than react to that energy, I can attend to its physical sensations as it passes through my body and dissipates. I can become the curious child who watches rather than the expert.

Edgy Energy

From the Middle Way Arcana, Strength; from the Vertical Oracle, Mercy:

Developing patience and fearlessness means learning to sit still with the edginess of the energy.

~Pema Chodron

The purpose of Buddha's teachings was not just to show us how to get to know and change the way we think, but also to choose wisely the way we respond. The pair of dog lions - one male and one female - show the balance needed in Strength. If we are a blazing bonfire and try to speak our truth, no one will be able to hear what we say because they'll only be focused on our shrieking. On the other hand, if we are a tiny ember, our words won't be noticed at all. The balance between the masculine and the feminine suggests an appropriate response, much like a cozy campfire that people can warm themselves around. Mercy shows a woman wrapped in soft flower petals; it encourages us to keep our heart open and tender rather than hardened. But when there has been harm done, this can be a tough task (and might add fuel to our fire). But without mercy, we bring hatred and fear to the campfire, and we will receive the same response in return. Things change when we attempt to listen to and understand the conditions that have shaped the other's viewpoint (we might be surprised to find we don't know the full story).

Tightening Saddle Belts

From the Ship of Fools Tarot, Strength; from the Wisdom of the Four Winds, Kiwi:

Rather than a lion, Williams uses a donkey for his Strength card. Unfortunately for the jester attempting to ride him, he's forgotten to buckle and tighten the saddle belt. As someone who once was on a galloping horse when the saddle slipped, I can affirm it can be a memorable experience. In a card that denotes courage as well as compassion and tolerance, that saddle belt suggests self-restraint. If we want to be the captain of our fate, we'd better learn to control our own rudder and sails. Learning to feel what we feel without a knee-jerk reaction takes intentional practice. The Kiwi suggests it might also require courage. This flightless bird, known as the hermit of the forest floor, is about the size of a chicken yet lays an egg that is 20 percent her body weight. The kiwi has very strong, muscular legs that are used for running and defense. Added to the Strength card, courage implies grace under pressure, to remain focused rather than intoxicated with emotion. Such clarity helps us choose the right words and actions with careful consideration.

Art by Hannah Willow

Wishing everyone hearts full of warmth, wonder and peace this holiday.

Flashing Lights

From Waking the Wild Spirit Tarot, Natural Force/Wild Power (Strength); from the Saltwater Reading Cards, Octopus:

Can we speak our truth above a whisper without roaring it? Can we live from a heart of kindness without being taking advantage of? We all have Strength's power within us, but it may be too tame and timid or uncontrollable and violent to be beneficial. This force is something we must learn to harness for courage and tolerance without caging it, allowing us to respond appropriately to each situation. Bowen's Octopus card illustrates the blue-ringed octopus, a marine animal known for the dangerous neurotoxic venom it contains. Yet it gives warning before it attacks; if provoked, this octopus quickly changes color, becoming bright yellow with each of its rings flashing bright iridescent blue. Thus this animal's keyword is awareness. Both these cards suggest that I consider whether I am aware of (and respect) other's boundaries as well as make my own obvious and hold to them. As one anonymous person said, "The only people who get upset about you setting boundaries are the ones who were benefiting from you having none."