An Exploration of Strength ~ by Zanna

One of the first cards I look at when considering whether to purchase a Tarot deck is the Strength card. The card draws me and I feel a very strong connection to it. This could be because Strength often shows a human (typically a woman) with a beast of some sort -- and with my Sun sign being Sagittarius, I am comfortable with that "dual nature" thing. Or maybe it's just that I love animals, and I want to see how the lion or other creature is depicted on the Strength card.


In any case, I thought I would share some of my favorite Strength cards here.

LEGACY OF THE DIVINE TAROT
Thanks to Tierney Sadler's recent post on Facebook, I remembered how much I LOVE the Strength card from Legacy of the Divine Tarot, rendered so beautifully by Ciro Marchetti. Just look at the gold and red and amber -- the colors of Fire. The OGD (Order of the Golden Dawn) assigns this card to the zodiac sign Leo, a Fire sign, so the color scheme and presence of cats all makes perfect sense. The woman on this card seems to have a marvelous rapport with these magnificent animals. Ciro writes: "She stretches out her hand, emitting a glow of inner energy. These beasts are not caged or chained, but nevertheless they are controlled by this force of will alone. The power is within us."

BUCKLAND ROMANI TAROT
In Ray Buckland's Romani Tarot, the beast is not a cat but a bear. This fits with the deck's theme, as the Roma were known to feature trained bears in their carnival shows. This bear opens its mouth in a manner that seems threatening, but the juvvel (Gypsy woman) next to him is calm, almost serene, as she places her hands in and around his jaws. This same woman is depicted on The Magician card and the World card in this deck. Whether she is opening the bear's mouth or closing it, we get the strong sense that she is in control, not through brute force but through gentleness and kindness.

ANIMALS DIVINE TAROT
Lisa Hunt's Animals Divine Tarot offers the expected lion on its Strength card, accompanied by Tara, a Buddhist deity. Note the pleasant expressions on both faces. These two are clearly in harmony with each other. The lion can be said to represent male energy, with Tara representing female energy. Among the many stories about Tara is one in which she is advised to pray to be reborn as a man in order to make faster progress on the journey to enlightenment. Tara rejects this suggestion, resolving always to be reborn in a female form.

TAROT OF THE GNOMES
Instead of the more traditional "lady with a lion," the Strength card in Antonio Lupatelli's Tarot of the Gnomes depicts someone called Kaitavranos holding open the mouth of a lizard (at first I thought it was a frog or toad, but then noticed the tail!) It is also interesting to note that the OGD associates Strength with the Hebrew letter Tet (or Teth), meaning "a serpent." Lizards and snakes are close relatives. Lizards are commonly associated with the element Fire, which connects with the OGD association of the Strength card with the zodiac sign Leo, a Fire sign. The card seems to emphasize the struggle for control over our "animal nature" rather than mastery of it. Getting there is half the fun?

TAROT OF THE SPIRIT
In Tarot of the Spirit, Pamela and Joyce Eakins offer us a serpent instead of a lion on Strength, reflecting the card’s Hebrew attribution (Teth, the serpent). The lion is not ignored, but is found in the astrological attribution Leo (the symbol for Leo is in the lower right corner). Paul Foster Case makes an interesting connection by pointing out that the astrological symbol for Leo (typically said to represent the lion’s mane and tail) resembles a serpent. In this version of Strength, the polarity frequently represented by a woman and a lion is shown in other ways. Two serpents climb a pillar of light, which is a flame. They move in opposing directions, symbolizing the tension between Chesed (creation) and Geburah (destruction) on the Tree of Life, and between intellect and intuition. These dualistic forces are also seen in the black and white pillars to either side of the central pillar (the Pillars of Severity and Mercy). The central pillar, the Pillar of Mildness on the Tree of Life, mediates between the opposing forces, bringing them into balance.


This has been fun for me and I hope it is interesting to at least some of our blog readers. As always, I welcome your comments and observations!

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Sources

• Legacy of the Divine Tarot by Ciro Marchetti (published by Llewellyn Publications)
• The Buckland Romani Tarot by Raymond Buckland. Artist: Lissane Lake. (published by Llewellyn Publications)
• Animals Divine Tarot by Lisa Hunt (published by Llewellyn Publications)
• Tarot of the Gnomes by Antonio Lupatelli (published by Lo Scarabeo)
• Tarot of the Spirit by Pamela Eakins, Ph.D., Scribe, and Joyce Eakins, M.F.A., Painter. (U.S. Games Systems, Inc.)
• The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages by Paul Foster Case (Macoy Publishing Company) 

A Journey Through My Decks: ACE OF CUPS (by Zanna)

In this series of posts, I plan to discuss all of the Tarot cards in order, using a different deck for each card. Today I'm exploring the Ace of Chalices (Cups) from The Dragons Tarot by Manfredi Toraldo, with artwork by Severino Baraldi (published by Lo Scarabeo).

The Dragons Tarot by Toraldo and Baraldi depicts dragons and people from many cultures and civilizations. The four suits are organized as follows:
Swords – Air, the North, European dragons
Wands – Fire, the South, Earthly dragons (Babylon, Egypt, Africa)
Pentacles – the Earth, the West, Feathered serpents (the Americas)
Chalices – Water, the East, Eastern dragons[/b] (China, Japan, Far East)


The LWB offers a very brief description of each Minor Arcana card.  For the Ace of Chalices we read:

"A female hand keeps an ornate chalice from a Chinese dragon." My first inclination is to interpret this to mean that the woman is withholding the chalice from a dragon, i.e., keeping it away from the dragon. However, the image on the card does not suggest that to me. The keyword for the card is given as Nourishment.

Let's just say that the chalice is a source of nourishment, and that the chalice depicts a Chinese dragon fighting with a swordsman. 


The use of a female hand on the Ace of Chalices reflects the passive or "feminine" quality associated with the suit of Chalices and the element Water. In this deck, a female hand also appears on the Ace of Pentacles (Earth). Male hands appear on the Ace of Swords (Air) and Ace of Wands (Fire), commonly seen as "masculine" or "active" suits/elements.


Book T* describes the Ace of Cups or Chalices as symbolizing "fertility – productiveness, beauty, pleasure, happiness, etc." In my tarot system, Aces indicate a beginning or fresh start, the core energy of the suit, potential or opportunity, self-reliance, expression, and consciousness.


The shining light emanating from the chalice on the Ace of Chalices in Toraldo's deck suggests "a golden opportunity" to receive the emotional or spiritual nourishment needed to pursue a new direction or begin a new endeavor.


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* Book T - The Tarot, Comprising Manuscripts N, O, P, Q, R, and an Unlettered Theoricus Adeptus Minor Instruction. A Description of the Cards of the Tarot with their Attributions; Including a Method of Divination by Their Use. A public domain manuscript.

An Interview with the Elemental Tarot (Tarot of the Elements) by Zanna

As promised, here is a deck interview with the Elemental Tarot or Tarot of the Elements (spread by FireRaven, seen in the Acelectic Tarot Forum Spreads Thread).

5..........6

......4.....

3..........2

......1.....

I love using elemental dignities and associations with the Tarot, so I was delighted to receive the Elemental Tarot deck for Christmas. Our interview took place on a cold but sunny February day. I had cleared a path to my door so the cards wouldn't flounder in the deep snow. Over a cup of steaming hot Earl Grey tea and a plate of apricot-walnut scones, we got to know each other a little better.

1. Tell me about yourself. What is your most important characteristic?
TEN OF PENTACLES (Earth): The Cycle of a Seed
My most important characteristic is the ability to provide stability in motion, to reveal how you can adapt and adjust through each cycle, to show how energy manifests itself in the physical world. Growth is constant; potential is ever-evolving. We reach the end of an old cycle and the beginning of a new one at the same moment in time. (I love the little men marching around and around what appears to be a planet -- Earth? I assume they are Earth elementals, i.e., gnomes.)

2. What are your strengths as a deck?
THE SUN: Joy
I am a happy gift, a source of warmth and light in which you can bask to your heart's content. I call your attention to opportunities to pause and savor life. I encourage you to acknowledge, understand, and accept your true identity, along with your own strengths and virtues.

3. What are your limits as a deck?
TWO OF SWORDS (Air): Clear Guidance
At times I may seem too complex to provide a simple yes or no answer. I like to offer many possibilities for consideration -- pros and cons, ins and outs. The pendulum swings back and forth and in between.

4. What do you bring to the table -- what are you here to teach me?
THE LOVERS: Joining
I am here to teach you what we can do together. When we join our energies or forces we become greater than either of us can be alone.

5. How can I best learn from and collaborate with you?
SIX OF PENTACLES (Earth): Nourishing a Seed
At times I will seek you and at times you will seek me. I may hide from you, and you may hide from me. You can best learn from and collaborate with me by being open to giving and receiving, pursuing and being pursued, revealing and hiding.

6. What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?
TEN OF WANDS (Fire): Inspiration Understood
Through me, as we work together, you can become connected to everything else in the Universe. You will be able to access everything you need. By working with me, you can experience these connections as liberation rather than a burden. (I love the salamanders -- Fire elementals -- circling the fiery globe in the center of this card!)

I got a clear impression from this interview that these cards have their own special energy and messages to convey!

Elemental Tarot.
Artwork by Marco Turini.
Copyright 2010 by Lo Scarabeo

Three of Cups - Astrological Associations (by Zanna)

Astrological associations for the Minor Arcana cards typically involve both a planet and a zodiac sign. The attributions established by the Order of the Golden Dawn (OGD) are by far the most commonly used. However, some Tarot decks use a different set of associations. As a professional astrologer, I find it interesting to compare and contrast these associations from deck to deck. The use of astrological associations with Tarot is completely up to the reader. This is merely intended to be interesting and fun.

Credits for the decks and books mentioned in this post can be found HERE.

THREE OF CUPS

Thoth Tarot by Aleister Crowley

For Crowley and the Order of the Golden Dawn (OGD), the Three of Cups represents the energy of Mercury (planet of the mind and communication) in Cancer (a Water sign ruled by the Moon and known for being imaginative, emotional, sensitive, loyal, and moody). Like Book T, Crowley titles the card "Abundance." Hajo Banzhaf and Brigitte Theler (in Keywords for the Crowley Tarot) describe the energy of the card as: "emotional (Cancer) exchange (Mercury), emotional (Cancer) intelligence (Mercury)." On the card, the three cups are adorned with pomegranates, a reference to the myth of Persephone and Demeter and an interesting link to The Empress card (Trump 3) in some decks (not the Thoth). Osiris Snuffin points out color symbolism in the Thoth Three of Cups associated with the Sun (yellow lotuses) and Aries (red cups).

One World Tarot by Crystal Love
Crystal Love associates the Three of Cups with the second subdivision of the sign Cancer, with the Moon as the natural ruler and and Mercury as the subruler. She describes this energy as follows: "The intuitive and homey nature of Cancer is given strong intellectual and creative capabilities with the presence of Mercury. . . There is literary ability, a strong imagination, and a love of travel."

A.E. Thierens, PhD. (Astrology & the Tarot)
Thierens describes the Three of Cups as follows: "The Water on the house of friends, the Eleventh, must bring concord, etc. Friendship, but on this airy house more platonic than that of the foregoing card [Two of Cups]. . . As the eleventh house also rules the blood, it is very favourable for health and eventual recuperation. Moreover this house has to do with commerce and business, and the card favours them beyond a doubt..."  (Note: The astrological system devised by Thierens is radically different from that of the OGD. I will not go into detail here, but will simply provide the astrological associations for the card under discussion. If you are interested in learning more about this system, I recommend the book referenced above.)

The Mandala Astrological Tarot by A.T. Mann
Like the OGD, Mann's deck associates the suit of Cups with the element Water. Mann describes Cup Two, Three, and Four as "The Rains of Cancer" and associates them with The Summer Solstice (21 June to 22 July). Cup Three is assigned to the Second Decan of Cancer -- Pluto in Cancer. On the King Scale of Color, the color linked with Pluto is pale red. The color for the sign Cancer is yellow-orange. Mann's keywords for Pluto are "power, the masses, magic, propaganda, force, force majeure, frankness." For the sign Cancer, his keywords are "mothering, fecundation, fertilization, feeling, emotions, mother, home and family, the unconscious, protective, urge, and possessiveness." Mann's divination meanings for Cup Three include "An emotional change of mind discovered through contemplation leads to the need for withdrawal. Great tension at home creates emotional flare-ups and a change in attitude to loved ones."

The Whispering Tarot by Liz Hazel
Liz Hazel's suit of Cups is the suit of the Water element, embodying "emotions, feelings, relationships, love, as well as the nature and consequences of emotional attachments." The Three of Cups represents the Mercury/Cancer energy we see in other decks. Hazel's illustration depicts three mermaids holding three cups burst from the ocean. Hazel notes that this card can suggest "delightful celebrations and parties, a romantic interlude. . . Good news or letter from a special friend. . . Love freely given and received. . . Talent recognized and developed. . . Groups of people who share similar interests." Ill-Dignified, the Three of Cups can indicate "a shallow interest. . . spurning an offer of love for no real reason. An offer of love that is inappropriate. . . An absence of a lover. . . A love relationship that is between two people with a big age difference."

Looking strictly at the Mercury-Cancer designation, I get an interesting sense of conflict between "mercurial" tendencies (capriciousness) and the homebody, loyal nature of Cancer. Some of the phrases provided by Joanna Martine Woolfolk concerning the placement of Mercury in Cancer in a birth chart are: "You are chameleonlike in the way you are able to adapt yourself to different kinds of people. . . Your outlook is always intensely personal -- you're fond of discussing large events in terms of your own feelings. . . Sometimes you are plagued with irrational phobias, such as a fear of flying."

I welcome your comments!

Zanna