This week the cards drew Strength, and the timing could not be sweeter.
This very morning, Thursday 23 July, before dawn, the Sun moved into Leo, the sign of the Lion. And here is Leo’s own card, the woman and the lion, arriving on the first morning of the season.
In the old picture a woman in a white robe stands with a great lion. She is not fighting it. She is gently closing, or perhaps softly opening, its jaws with her bare hands. Above her head floats the sideways figure of eight, the symbol of the infinite.
There is not a weapon in sight.
That is the whole teaching of this card.
Real strength is not force. It is the quiet mastery of the lion inside you, your fear, your anger, your raw instinct, handled with patience instead of a whip.
The woman has not killed the lion or caged it. She has befriended it.
Notice too that Strength is card number eight, and July is an 8 month in numerology. Eight is the number of power, and here it is, power with a gentle hand.
So this week, when something in you roars, a temper, a craving, an old fear, do not wrestle it to the ground. Put a calm hand on its head instead.
You are not at war with yourself. You are learning to lead the animal rather than be dragged by it.
That is the strongest thing a person can do.
Where in your life are you being asked to lead with a gentle hand this week?
There is more teaching like this in The Library, and every daily post is in Daily Posts. If you would like guidance on your own path, see Readings.