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T.8 Strength

Activity

VIII. Strength

Name: Strength
Hebrew Letter/Meaning: Tet (ט) / Snake, Taste
Element/Planet/Zodiac: Leo
Name of Path: Intelligence of Activity
Type: Balancing in the Higher Self
Connecting Sefirot: Mercy (4) & Severity (5)


Tidbits: This path regulates the powers of creation/stasis and destruction/motion.

The woman clothed in white is a version of the Universe/Temperance/High Priestess/Empress archetype. She is Venus garbed in Wisdom, exercising spiritual maturity (snake). The Lion is the passion of the self and also the Courage to do what is necessary, be that synthesis or deconstruction. The lemniscate (infinity symbol) over the goddess’ head represents the never-ending flex and flow.

Practicing this path is exercising the capacity of discernment, trusting oneself, cultivating unique talents, and finding the energy to take action.

When under-developed, this path is a place of impulsivity, lack of control, addiction, and reliance on either passivity or aggression to navigate life.

Reference Note:

Spend time with each of the Trumps to generate your “tarot encyclopedia” notecard for each.

Working with the Trumps is slightly different because they represent forces of subjective experience instead of forms and objective structure. The symbolism in the cards is more complex, subtle, and profound. For this reason, we will slow down our pace to only one Trump per day (except today when we do two).

You are encouraged to only engage with one Trump per day. This will hopefully allow you to relax a little, spend more time exploring each trump, and catch up with any minor arcana you had to skip over the last few weeks.

In case it’s still helpful, here is the recommended process.

  1. Look at the image on the card and examine its details.
  2. Read the page in the companion book for that card.
  3. Read the description provided here.
  4. OPTIONAL: Read other descriptions of that card online or in other books.
  5. Reflect on the questions posed.
  6. Write down the details of the image that have meaning to you and the 2 or 3 interpretations (perhaps 1 heavenly, 1 upright earthly, and 1 reversed earthly) that resonate most strongly for you.
  7. Reflect on whatever correspondences you can find, such as relationships to other cards, astrological associations, and anything else. Include notes on anything specific that stands out.

    Feel free to write down your own interpretations based on what comes to you!