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Synopsis
A time for self-awareness involving
courage, strength, and determination. General
Description
The card Strength has a certain kinship
to the card of the Magician (I). Similar to that card, Strength
also touches upon the extraordinary power of the secret of
a deep, inner harmony. If the great influential strength of
the Magician is founded upon the harmony of conscious and
unconscious powers, then the vital energy, courage, and passion
of this card is an expression of the reconciliation of the
civilized person with his or her animal nature. In mythology,
this is impressively portrayed by the friendship between Gilgamesch
and Enkidu, his previous bitter enemy. This card makes it
clear that we cannot aim to hide our instinctual nature behind
pallid virtue but should open ourselves much more to encountering
the living, sometimes terrifying archaic powers existing in
each of us, in order to gradually tame them through loving
acceptance and gentle force. When we do this, not only these
primordial powers are available to us, but also all of the
reserves of strength that we have used up until now to repress
these instincts.
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