Constellation of Strength

rwcarter

The Constellation of Strength
The Principle of Courage and Self-Esteem
Strength – Star – Eights


Keywords: Self-Confidence. Fate. Perseverance. Power. Force. Kundalini Energy. Hope. Grace. Balance.

Strength represents the self-confidence that comes from coming to terms with one’s own instinctive urges. In the sense of death, destruction or ruin, Sekhmet is a perfect representation of Strength because she dealt men their fates when she went on the rampage that started on Ra’s behalf. It takes perseverance to gain control over one’s passions and emotions. Strength represents the power and fortitude needed to overcome difficulties. It suggests control over the uncontrolled forces of nature represented by the lion. Strength represents the vital force that lies dormant until it’s activated (Kundalini energy) through the achievement of discipline. It suggests the balance between passivity and aggression that is achieved when one is able to gain control over one’s own potential destructive power.

The Star represents the kind of self-confidence that allows one to stand up to adversity. It also represents the kind of perseverance that’s needed to stand firm in times of trouble. The Star suggests the kind of power that comes from having optimism – believing that “tomorrow’s another day” gives one the power to carry on. It’s the type of force suggested by the calm after a storm – it’s quiet and subtle. It represents Kundalini energy that’s dormant until one’s thoughts clear after a period of confusion. It suggests the hope that allows one to see the light at the end of the tunnel and the promise of a brighter future.

As a gift, the 8 Wands represents the ability to access one’s potential through a search for knowledge and learning from experience. As a challenge, it suggests the need for mastering a subject or field and the resulting development of self-esteem that mastery brings. The hopes, trials and tests that must be passed in order to transform hope into actuality are around searching for knowledge, learning from experience and learning not to initiate an action that one will later wish to call back. The energies required in Strength that must be integrated into oneself deal with learning how to properly balance present and future need of resources.

As a gift, the 8 Cups represents finding and living one’s personal destiny by leaving behind that which wasn’t of use and beginning a journey or adventure. As a challenge, it suggests that laziness, boredom and lethargy get in the way of developing the self-confidence to follow a vision. The hopes, trials and tests that must be passed in order to transform hope into actuality are around acceptance of a truth, overcoming fear of the unknown, dealing with the ending of a period in one’s life and ensuring that one doesn’t miss the boat. The energies required in Strength that must be integrated into oneself deal with learning how to properly balance stagnation, apathy and paralysis with the need for positive action, the need to be pulled out of one’s area of comfort and the need to face the whole truth about a situation.

As a gift, the 8 Swords represents developing the self-confidence to follow where the road may lead, regardless of what obstacles one may face. As a challenge to accessing one’s potential, it represents being confronted with a seemingly insurmountable obstacle that one must overcome. The hopes, trials and tests that must be passed in order to transform hope into actuality are around accidental interference, apparent dead ends, the realization of solutions that aren’t immediately obvious and the challenge to find a new way to accomplish what one has easily done in the past. The energies required in Strength that must be integrated into oneself deal with not giving up in the face of the “impossible,” having the self-confidence to know that one will be able to find a way out of or around a situation and not being intimidated in the face of threats.

As a gift, the 8 Disks represents developing self-esteem through use of one’s skills, expertise and honest labor to follow a vision. As a challenge, it suggests the challenge of finding and living one’s personal destiny through choosing a skill and becoming good enough at it to make a living out of it. The hopes, trials and tests that must be passed in order to transform hope into actuality are around working hard now so that one may profit in the future, being patient and persevering and being flexible. The energies required in Strength that must be integrated into oneself deal with having perseverance and having the confidence in one’s skills to openly display them for the approbation of others.

Rodney