Three Decks. One Card- Strength
“Symbolism is the language of the Mysteries; in fact it is the language not only of mysticism and philosophy but of all nature, for every law and power active in universal procedure is manifested to the limited sense perceptions of man through the medium of symbol. Every form existing in the diversified sphere of being is symbolic of the divine activity by which it is produced. By symbols men have ever sought to communicate to each other those thoughts which transcend the limitations of language”
- Manly P Hall
Images have a way of reflecting the philosophies of a people which extend beyond words. Images convey language, and the tarot is the language of the occult. There are many beautiful decks with powerful imagery, but I have found three decks in particular to be the most useful when understanding western esoteric ideology. These decks are:
-The Hermetic Tarot
-The Thoth Tarot
-The Rider Waite Smith Tarot
All three decks have ties linking them back to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The Golden Dawn was a secret society dedicated to the study and practice of occultism in the late 19th and early 20th century. Whether or not we are aware of it, much of our modern western practices originate from the Golden Dawn.
One humanistic theme carries a tale as old as time… brilliant minds seldom agree. Even though these three decks sprang from a single source; their creators espouse different philosophies about the meaning of the cards themselves. They also convey different advice concerning what the querent is to do when confronted by their themes.
I have found these ideological clashes to be extremely helpful when I’ve encountered moral complexities. It is best to review these differing ideologies by looking at the same card from all three decks. Each deck offers different advice to the same issue… it’s like getting a ‘second opinion’ from three very smart friends.
The question presently at hand is, ‘What is to be done with the beast that resides within us all?’ The Strength card of the major arcana tackles this moral dilemma. The beast itself remains a cohesive universal theme throughout all three decks, representing our ‘lower’ nature. Some Jungians also refer to this as the ‘shadow self’, but as I feel this terminology has been frequently misused in popular current occultism, I will not be discussing the shadow. I will instead be referring to ‘animalistic impulse’ or lower nature to avoid any confusion.
Here is what these three decks have to say about self mastery.
- Strength, Rider Waite Smith Tarot
In the RWS tarot, a young maiden gently subdues the beast with the mental effort. The maiden wears white, a symbol of purity. The Lion is red, a symbol of passion and manifestation of will. Also notice how the combined postures of the two figures flow into one another. The advice of the Strength card is to use calm and pure mental will to harmonize with the lower nature.
- The Daughter of the Flaming Sword, The Hermetic Tarot
In this depiction, the maiden is no longer robed in pure white. She instead wears a suit of armor indicating ferocity and stamina. Like the Strength card, the outward force used to subdue the Lion is passive, denoting the mental nature is still utilized as opposed to outward force. The maiden’s right arm is raised to hold the holy grail. Within the grail is the elixir of life and the key to immortality. And this is where the advice strays from the RWS… In hermeticism, the key to our ‘immortality’ is not to become completely involved in our physical universe, to identify less with our body and more with our mind and spirit… diminishing the importance of our lower nature.
- Lust, The Thoth Tarot
And finally we have the Lust card. The maiden has been changed to Babalon…. The scarlet woman, mother of abominations, and goddess. She rides the seven headed beast in ecstasy while simultaneously holding the elixir of life. Notice how she also holds the grail, she is still tapped into the importance of the mental universe while deliberately engaging in her ‘lower nature’. The advice Lust practically screams is BALANCE. The grail has to be held perfectly level to allow the elixir of life to flow into it from left and right. From all directions… this card indicates balance. This means to enjoy the lower nature, but not be overwhelmed… while also engaging with the divine mental self… while not getting lost in the realm of the mind.
As all three cards offer up different advice, how are we to know which path to take? Whose sage advice will we utilize? Many times our intuition will tell us which answer is correct. In my personal gnosis… we choose which decks to read from for a reason. I suggest owning all three and begin adding an extra step to your divination routine… pick up a deck the way you would pick up a single card. Whatever deck you choose is the energy and advice you need to align with.
