Strength as Hopes and Fears

Hi guys, when doing the Celtic Cross I usually have a hard time at understanding the Hope and Fears position. Sometimes it's clear, other times it is not, for example, what about the Strength card?
I draw it in the context of love and interpreted it as on one side me longing for love, but on the other side being afraid of it, could my take make sense with this card in this position?
Thanks.

Since you're talking about love, Strength as a hope is a love that is strong and lasts forever. As a fear that could be a weak love or a prideful love or even a love that overpowers you.

rwcarter said:

Since you're talking about love, Strength as a hope is a love that is strong and lasts forever. As a fear that could be a weak love or a prideful love or even a love that overpowers you.

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Thank you Rodney! That's true, it's just how I see this card, I totally agree.

As far as making sense of the "hopes and fears" duality, it's probably well-known by now that I follow Eden Gray's method, which separates the two and moves "fears" to the 7th position, which - since it sits at the bottom of the CC "staff" - I've come to see as the Self's "psychic basement" where such things dwell. That leaves the 9th position as the home of "hopes," which I've expanded to encompass the querent's best interests in the matter (goals and objectives, "stake" in the matter, what might be gained or lost, highest expectations for the outcome, etc.)

Anyway, in that light, Strength in this position suggests being convinced that one is worthy of love and respect (and perhaps can even demand it of others as a right), but that there could be a "blind spot:" overweening pride and inability to bend on matters requiring compromise. Strength reminds me of the old way of autocratic kings and military "strong men:" "Might makes right." "Drawing a line in the sand" is another possibility.

Thanks Barleywine.

Barleywine said:

As far as making sense of the "hopes and fears" duality, it's probably well-known by now that I follow Eden Gray's method, which separates the two and moves "fears" to the 7th position, which - since it sits at the bottom of the CC "staff" - I've come to see as the Self's "psychic basement" where such things dwell. That leaves the 9th position as the home of "hopes," which I've expanded to encompass the querent's best interests in the matter (goals and objectives, "stake" in the matter, what might be gained or lost, highest expectations for the outcome, etc.)

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Yes, it's not a easy position to understand, I'd separate them me too.

Barleywine said:

Anyway, in that light, Strength in this position suggests being convinced that one is worthy of love and respect (and perhaps can even demand it of others as a right), but that there could be a "blind spot:" overweening pride and inability to bend on matters requiring compromise. Strength reminds me of the old way of autocratic kings and military "strong men:" "Might makes right." "Drawing a line in the sand" is another possibility.

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I see what you mean and it makes a lot a sense, especially the "being convinced that one is worthy of love and respect" aspect. There's also a link with the "blind spot" thing, I mean I admit the "strong men" aspect makes sense too on one side I like this type of men, but on the other side I admit I still haven't found one like that not making me suffer, so probably Strength was really the best card to get in this position for me.

I would say that you are hoping for an intense relationship full of passion and fun.

As far as fears are concerned, could it be that you are at once afraid that this kind of relationship could absorb you too much and lead you away from certain other areas of importance in your life?

To make it easier to understand, why not add a card so that you have one for hopes and the other for fears? When doing a spread, you're in the driver's seat and you can do whatever you like to make it easier for you to decipher what the cards mean to say. You don't have to follow spreads right to the smallest detail. You can add or remove cards or change the names of the positions or whatever else you choose to do. .

Grizabella said:

To make it easier to understand, why not add a card so that you have one for hopes and the other for fears? When doing a spread, you're in the driver's seat and you can do whatever you like to make it easier for you to decipher what the cards mean to say. You don't have to follow spreads right to the smallest detail. You can add or remove cards or change the names of the positions or whatever else you choose to do. .

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Good advice. I changed position names and position meanings at will over time, eliminating some (actually quite a bit) of the tradional stuff and substituting my own based on decades of using the CC. I never saw a reason to add cards to it, though, except once or twice when I tried turning the outcome position into a three-card sequence stretching farther into the future.

I sometimes substitute one or the other, or sometimes add a card in that position to indicate both. I guess it might not strictly be considered a Celtic Cross with that addition, but to me it just makes sense to modify the spread if necessary.

I've seen spreads where there are three cards for each position of a Celtic Cross. I haven't tried that, but sometimes if I need to, I draw more than one card on whatever position needs more information.

Since I don't know anything about the Golden Dawn or those things called decans and the Thoth "stuff", I've just developed what works for me. Barleywine, I think it's fascinating all the things you share here that do incorporate those things, but right now my mind just doesn't want to go there very much. I've given it a try, but so far it's water off a duck's back it seems like.
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Michael Sternbach said:

I would say that you are hoping for an intense relationship full of passion and fun.

As far as fears are concerned, could it be that you are at once afraid that this kind of relationship could absorb you too much and lead you away from certain other areas of importance in your life?

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Hi Michael, thanks so much.
You're right, that is the only way I see a relationship, full of passion and fun.
For what concerns fears, probably I'm afraid I don't deserve love.