Strength, Path 19 on the Tree of Life

Exploring Path 19, Strength

Path 19 Strength, is called the Path of Teth, travels back and forth across the Tree of Life between the Pillar of Mercy and the Pillar of Severity. In working this path we have an opportunity to look into the mirror of our life and discover those aspects of ourselves we may have hidden away. This is a path can help us see who we truly are and as we work through it we will be presented with opportunities to become more and more of our true self. This path represents the connection between mercy and strength, as well as the balance between compassion and discipline. It is a journey toward self-mastery as we increase our ability to overcome fear and obstacles on our way to spiritual growth. The Hebrew Letter associated with this path is Teth which means snake. It is said that there are two sides to the snake - the great teacher of humanity who brings wisdom and the darker twin, the snake who tempted Adam and Eve in Eden. This reflects how each of us needs to work on finding our own balance on this continuum.

In her book Kabbala Pathworking, Sandy Anastasi suggests some of the areas Path 19 can helps us work on include: Understanding that self-acceptance leads to inner peace; Self-acceptance, that we are perfect as we are; Self-knowledge in recognizing how far we've come; Cleansing by letting go of emotional blocks and being able to bring up the past and let it go; and Self-healing.

Andy Matzner, in his book Tarot for Transformation, Using the Major Arcana to Discover Your Best Self and Create a Life Worth Living says of Strength:

This card is called 'Strength." I think the bravest thing you can do is love yourself for who you are. Sure, you'll have those voices in your head telling you all sorts of awful things to make you hate and doubt yourself. We all talk to ourselves - you are not crazy, that is part of being human! Which is why the Strength card is so profound: The way to vanquish our negative thoughts, the ones that make us feel unworthy and unwanted, is through self-forgiveness, self-love and self-compassion. Instead of power over (the way of the lion), it's power with (the way of the maiden).

In his book The Soul's Journey, Finding Spiritual Messages in the Tarot, James Ricklef says of Strength:

This card indicates inner strength such as courage, fortitude, and passion. The lady and the lion on it may also represent our good and bad sides, much like the old cartoon representation of a little angel and a little devil sitting on a person's shoulders presenting their respective advice.

One of the ways he suggests one might wish to use his book is to do a daily draw and review the basic messages and then consider one of the messages for the card as a lesson or insight to keep in mind throughout the day. In the case of Strength the messages to chose from are: The lion and the lion in other; Passions - master or slave?; Good wolf/Bad wolf; and Release the lion. I wonder which one of these speaks most to you right now.

While both Andy Matzner and Sandy Anastasi focus only on the Major Arcana, James Ricklef also has information on the Minor Arcana. Since I chose a card for each of the Sephirot I thought I'd share some of his information on these too.

Two of Pentacles: There is a sense of balance in this card, such as juggling tasks and responsibilities. Also, there is a sense of whimsy in many versions of it, so it can indicate playfulness, or even the play of change in our lives. While his messages to chose from are: Balancing the secular and the spiritual; The spirit of joy; Laughter is the best medicine.

Three of Pentacles: A common interpretation of this card is that of people working together on a large creative venture. This has obvious spiritual implications if we consider our spiritual quest to be that sort of endeavor. it is larger than life, and in fact, it is the ultimate creative venture. Here the additional messages to chose from are: Working together on our spiritual journey; Working together within our diversity; Creativity and spirituality in ordinary labor.

We are not here to fit in, be well balanced, or provide exemplar for others. We are here to be eccentric, different, perhaps strange, perhaps merely to add our small piece, our little clunky, chunky selves, to the great mosaic of being. As the gods intended, we are here to become more and more ourselves James Hollis