Nine of Wands and Strength – Breathe and stand down for while

My question for today was which part of me is in need of some nurturing and loving attention and I pulled the Nine of Wands from the Shadowscapes Tarot. 

Yes, lately I am too often fully armored and expecting the worst. That is my default mode when stress is piling up and I feel like I have to be ready for whatever calamity might happen next. But of course, that is all in my head because nobody knows what the next moment will bring and I am not responsible what others might do. My sole responsibility lies in my answer to their actions.

Then I was wondering how I could pamper my inner warrior, my always present sentinel and I pulled Strength. In this card, the rider has dismounted his lion and caresses his manes.  Behind him, a cat is playing with a bell tied to a ribbon. Birds are flying over him and the bamboo in the background is reminding him of how swaying in the wind without breaking, is a strength too. Look how the yellow from the first card lowers itself easily into the next. While the first card is uptight and is asking for constant alertness, the second card lets us breathe and enjoy the moment. Today this card radiates balance and inner peace for me

Even the guy in the Nine of Wands needs to stand down for moment if he want to do his job properly otherwise when the real attack come he is lying in his bed with a burnout  

The Woodward and Queen of Vessels - There is no easy way out

Today’s word to draw a card with is "Crossroads" and I got The Woodward and Queen of vessels-Salmon from the Wildwood Tarot.

Some of my initial thoughts where: if anybody could make the right decisions to find his way out of the dark forest it is The Woodward. But even the strong and experienced Woodward needs some quiet time to collect his thoughts and weigh his options before his can make the right choice, not only for himself but also for his environment. I wonder if his cup is also filled with coffee just like mine is, when I am trying the make up my mind about what to do next and where to go from here.

Next I got the Queen of Vessels to add some  intuitive wisdom to this post. She is the living example that the best way is most often not the easiest way. It takes a whole lot of courage and determination to swim upstream but she knows without an doubt, this is the best choice for her and her future offspring.

She advises us to not only to make our decision based on our strength but also on our intuition because together these two aspects of ourselves can show us the way out of any forest.

“You can always take the easy way out and give up, but real strength comes, when you decide to keep pushing forward, no matter what the circumstances are”

Strength - My lion is running wild!

Today’s card is Strength from the Original Rider Waite Tarot. This is a card of compassion and surrender, of emotional control and patience: of all kinds of Strength. As with many cards in the deck this is a card of seeking balance. Here it is about balance between the maiden and the lion. With a gentle touch the maiden subdues the strong instinctual urges of the lion. Most of the time this is perfectly doable for me but when I am really tired and overwhelmed my inner lion starts running around aimlessly, trying to find anything which could ease his mind. Radical solutions are tempting. He is highly impressionable for how others find their way out of the forest.  Also he susceptible for enabling on social media.

When my lion  is behaving like that my first instinct is to catch and lock him up in a dark corner of my mind. My inner Queen of Swords wants to pull the strings at all time.

But since this card is about patience and compassion, it is more wise to listen to my Lion’s needs and find a way which suits us both. Most likely this will be the Middle Way. It won’t be the easiest road to travel but for now it will be the kindest and most loving one to follow.

Strength - We try to make the best of it, day by day.

Today’s card is Strength;  a great card to get and to lift up my spirit. We all know we have this great fortitude within us. We are so much stronger than we give ourselves credit for, so it is always a good thing to be reminded of our own inner strength. I particularly like this depiction of Strength because the woman and her wolf have such a deep spiritual connection. Without words or touch they know they belong together and they are an intrinsic part of each other’s life. (Maybe some of you remember I did a painting of this picture about two years ago)

What is it that we need this Strength for, this drive to go on, even when everything else seem to be opposed  to our efforts.

And then I drew the Seven of Swords. This is the lonely warrior. The one who goes on because he knows he is fighting for the good of all. Seven stars in the night sky are symbolic for his beliefs and ideals. He is a peace keeper with a sword in his hand. Each time before he goes into battle he examines his heart: Is it still pure?

It is hard to stand up for your ideals and stay true to what your belief in, especially when those around you do not  share those. Each day we get up and try to life our life according to those ideas as best as we can and each night when we go to bed and revisit our day we know some things could/ should have been done differently. But we don’t give up or give in and when dawn breaks we get up and try again.

Let it Go!

Today’s cards are Strength and The Hanged Man from the Wild Unknown Tarot by Kim Krans. 

The first thing which came to mind, when I saw these two cards together was the famous song from Frozen: "Let it go".

First I pulled The Strength card. In this version of Strength we see only the Lion. The maiden is represented by the rose. The lion is  gentle holding our higher self between the softness of his lips. The sun of consciousness is shining upon them. In this card we have fully integrated our more untamed, wild and powerful self  with the more conscious parts of ourselves. We even trust it to take over if needed. 

So I asked for what cause I needed Strength and I pulled The Hanged Man. The bat is hanging upside down. His feet are in the dark, his head is in the light. Seeing things from a different perspective can provide you with some illuminating insights.... That was the moment I started humming “Let it go”

This is the best advice I can get from my cards for the coming month. In two weeks my SIL is starting his new job. then he will move in with us until S and he have found a place of their own. And let’s not forget the upcoming holidays….

New Moon in November

Today’s cards are picked by myself from the Anna K Tarot to represent my intention for the coming lunation.

Release - The seven of cups.

Lately I feel the desire more than usual to buy stuff on an impulse. YouTube is a very powerful enabler. Lots of gorgeous decks are unboxed, revealed, and reviewed. Besides that I feel the urge to smoke a cigarette more often and more intense. And don’t get me started about milk chocolate with hazelnuts. I know giving in to these cravings only will give short time fulfillment but none the less I feel them so intense.

Embrace - Strength. This card beautifully represents for me the practice of “Feeding your Demons” developed by Lama Tsultrim Allione which Bev  introduced me to.

The woman in this depiction of Strength is facing her inner lion, her untamed self, the sum of  her intense emotions and burning desires. She asks her what it is she really needs because it isn’t chocolate, the next new deck or a cigarette. And gently her lion puts her paw on the woman’s lap and looks at her with her deep brown eyes and she knows: Her lion needs to be loved, comforted, held, cared for, listened to, and so many other things that money just can’t buy. When all of her needs are met she can unfasten the collar and sit with her quietly.

I love it that in this depiction the lion is female too, which highlights the fact that the woman and the lion are on and the same.

This month I am going to focus on tending to my lions needs and to be compassionate with every part of myself when things get difficult. I also want to focus more on being grateful for what I have.   

Gratitude: Today I am grateful for seeing through the illusion that things will give me what I really need and for the inner strength to change my behavior patterns    

Isa and Strength –Beauty puts her Beast on Ice

Today’s rune is Isa (ice) Some of its keywords are: quiet peace, end of a period, retreat for recovery, reflection and contemplation, patience, isolation and self control. It is not so hard to imagine the Vikings had a rune for Ice. When the waters were frozen, there was nowhere for them to go but wait at home for the thaw. They had lots of spare time to recover from their wounds and ailments and also time to make plans for the future.

The card which I drew to accompany this rune today is Strength from the Original Rider Waite Tarot. Although we see more often The Hermit as the tarot counterpart for Isa, Strength is also a very good match for this rune. Strength is all about restraint and patience too:Waiting when the time is right for the beauty to call upon her beast for help. And look how he is so eager to jump to her rescue also when it is not that appropriate. So very often Belle has to put him on ice and she does is in a very compassionate way because she truly loves her beast. They are two parts of one soul. Tied together with an unbreakable eternal bond. She has to be careful though not to subdue him too long. Ice can start to move slowly without noticing and he might find a weak spot to break free too strong, too fierce to be controlled by  his lady. Wording your opinions with persuasion and conviction is a way to let your lion softly roar and that is what he wants the most: to be heard.

The Woodward - Hunter and Guardian

Today’s card is The Woodward (Strength) from the Wildwood Tarot. We see a hunter with a mountain lions mask. He is holding a spear with blood on it in one hand and a cup in the other. From the shaft is hanging a lion headed figure. The hunter is waiting, assessing what the right next move should be. Each moment he has to find the balance between the darkness of death and the beautiful gift of life.  He is both hunter and guardian of the forest.

The book says:  “The Woodward is a hunter whose prey is solutions to moments of crisis. He acts as an emotional backstop when fate, or the destructive energy in a situation, faces us with seemingly irrational or overwhelming disaster.” 

This card reminds me to reevaluate my own backstop; my inner place of strength and protection; How can I maintain a balanced stance like this Woodward and wait patiently for the right moment to act and the right words to say? If possible I retreat myself from a stressful situation to regain my focus and balance but usually I just have to try to keep my mouth shut, breath and pray for guidance. It is so easy for me to blurt out my first reactions and try to get my way but it is often not very helpful for the long run. My greatest challenge is to keep silent and have the patience to listen to others involved and to that soft voice within. Only then I feel I can make the right decisions for the good of all.

The Queen of Wands - Cherish and encourage your inner cub

Last night I was meditating and I felt rushed and also annoyed that lately so much is left undone. It seems like I don’t have enough time to get everything done. Being the responsible woman I am (ahum) of course the fun things are being put on the backburner. While I was trying to free my mind of all this noise, I heard  from deep within: “Slow down; there is plenty of time”

And then I realized I was rushing from one thing to another without being present with what  I was doing  right now. No wonder I was experiencing lack instead of abundance.

When my meditation was done, I pulled  a card with the question in mind, what could help me to really stay in the moment  and enjoy what I am doing. And I pulled the Queen of Wands from the Mary El Tarot. Well this queen is certainly present in the here and now. Look at how she is presenting herself: boldly and fearlessly. She is a South American shaman holding her little Jaguar, which is a symbol of strength and protection, in her arms :

This queen is the ruler of our inner fire, the flame of our  true self and our creative potential. She will show you who you are really meant to be. This queen always reminds me of Strength and when I opened the guidebook I read:  “She provides you with a safe , warm and abundant environment where you can grow from a small cub to a powerful jaguar yourself; master of your own internal forest.”

When I embrace my creativity; my drive,  and spend time with my cub, time will stretch out and there will be plenty of it to play, to grow,  to work, to enjoy and to be grateful for each precious moment.

Strength – Watch and Wait

In the Strength card from the Mary El Tarot we see a woman sitting on a lion, holding a strand of pearls in her folded hands. The depiction is predominantly painted with orange, which relates to the sacral chakra which is situated in the lower abdomen.

Strength is about aligning your soul’s purpose with the source of your  more primal desires. This is where you inner lion lives; the one who is destined for creativity and greatness. It is our task to befriend, to get to know this part of ourselves so we can tap into its enormous potential and to let him watch the zebra’s in the distance while you are praying with you pearl beads. Each bead is a result of wonderful transforming power: making a gem out of a continuous irritation. This is asking for restraint from lashing out and breaking your shell. No, we watch and wait,  are patient and pray.

Strength is also about taking responsibility for our own life; creating it with our words and actions. When we do or say the right thing, we've listened to the voice within. Only we can know what is right. This is when we trust our own greatness. Each time we do the right thing we become stronger and more confident.

This card is a welcome companion for me. It will help me to  find my own Lion. Sometimes I think it is still an insecure cub which bites and growls, to make a lot of noise when shadows are moving in the dark J

Maybe if we hang out a bit more he’ll grow stronger and more self assured.

Wolf Moon – I will watch over you

For today I drawn  Wolf moon from the Oracle of the Shapeshifters. We see a girl and wolf together in the picture. It is night and probable cold, since the wolf moon appears in January. We don’t now for sure who is the one being watched over, but I strongly suspect it is the girl who is about to change into a wolf under the light of the full Wolf moon. She is holding the wolf, hugging him and she is finding comfort in the warmth of his fur and the strength of his spirit. 
This card reminds me of the Strength card, so maybe the girl and the wolf are representing  two aspects of the same being

Wolf Moon heralds a time of change. Although we are always constantly changing, some times change can be more obvious than usual and these are the times we want to be held, because change can be scary and painful: Often we have to leave a familiar situation behind and then we have to step into the unknown just like the Outsider or the little bird from my previous posts. Yes, again the cards seem to tell us a story like a in daily comic strip.

The wolf is a loyal guide during such transformations. For me he represents (inner)strength, loyalty and trustworthiness. Whether you see him as a spirit animal, an angel, a part of your inner self or the divine itself, is of no consequence; just know you are watched over.

Affirmation: Today I am going to be aware of the spiritual protection, I will receive in difficult situations.

The Courage to dare to embrace the Ordinariness of Life

For today I've drawn the eight of Rainbows  (Pentacles) "Ordinariness” from the Osho Zen tarot. We see a woman walking in nature, enjoying the blossoming trees and the flowers all around her. “Beauty can be found in the simple, ordinary things of life. We so easily take this beautiful world we live in for granted. Cleaning the house, tending the garden, cooking a meal--the most mundane tasks take on a sacred quality  when they are performed with your total involvement and love.” (guidebook) 

This is an attitude which can bring us so much joy but is so hard to maintain. So I pulled another card with the question: what do I need to enjoy an ordinary life? Imagine my surprise when I pulled "Courage" (Strength) from my deck!

This little tiny flower had the courage to meet the challenge of the rocks and stones and it has become the flower it was meant to be, basking in the sunlight. 

Our daily life with its chores and routines can easily be represented by the rock and stones This courageous Daisy is asking us this: Do we dare to meet the challenge of our daily life; "to dare to live life fully right where you are" and embrace each moment of it. Maybe it can be helpful if you can look at your life as a beautiful painting. Instead of looking at the whole picture in a glance, and judging it in second, look for the details, the brushstrokes and how the light is captured on your canvas.  See the beauty of the colors and notice how they deepen by your perceptive look. Enjoying life can be as simple as looking at it with wonderment.

Today I am  going to be grateful for the colors my day is going to be painted with. So I will brighten the palette of my life

The Three of Cups needs Strength

Today’s card is the Three of Cups from the Morgan Greer Tarot. Three women standing together; enjoying each other company. Its seems like they are wearing the garlands from Yesterday’s card. This card is for me the “Me me and my girls” card. We love each other dearly and we like to spend time together. Just hanging out; laughing and talking, or watching a movie together. Just regular stuff but sometimes enjoying those little things together is making a relationship so special

I wondered what more I could write about this card so I pulled another one to find a more specific meaning. (an idea I found on Tiferet tarot) 

I pulled the lion. Wow! That made a lot of sense. After the (now resolved) difficulties between M and S, it is a good advice to keep a lid on our primal reactions toward each other. Not every thought has to be shared. Not every feeling has to be put into words.

“I teach you that the greatest strength is strength of spirit, and that all challenges are conquered if they are met with tolerance, forgiveness, forbearance and compassion”.

Before we speak we can try to figure out, if what we want to say is beneficial, necessary and kind. Look how tender and gentle this woman is treating her lion. Somehow it makes me wonder if we are kind to others we are also kind to ourselves at the same time. This kindness must somehow reflect back on our own well being.

Affirmation: Today I will treat others with kindness and I will weigh my words before I speak.

Strength – just breath and be patient

I always feel good when I pull the Strength card for my daily draw. As if a lost well, where I can replenish myself, has been found again. This card is from the Tarot of the Hidden Realm by Julia Jeffrey and it depicts a woman and a wolf. They are both entirely at ease with each other. You cannot see her right hand but I suspect she doesn't have to hold the animal's scruff. The energy is of gentle strength and trust. This card is all about patience, courage and aligning yourself with your true nature; becoming one thought, one breath; becoming a whole person. This kind of strength is often more valuable and accomplishes more than any other display of power.

She does remind me of M and how she sometimes gets reassured and calm just by sitting next to our Labrador. They have a bond which is very strong and so special. Tarot books often state the animal in the Strength card represents our wild nature and the woman has to gentle submit and restrain those impulses with compassion but here in this card I feel there is gain for both creatures in this encounter because they meet as equals.

Beltane Issues

The Lovers

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the Divine again, after reading a blogpost by Kerry from Neopagan Priestess about incorporating the male aspect of divinity into your practice. 

Although the God of my childhood is a Father, nowadays in my spiritual practice God is Feminine; a Mother. But sometimes I wonder if perhaps I am forgetting or neglecting a major part of my God(dess).

Since it is almost Beltane I am not surprised this subject is asking my attention now. I've always struggled with this Sabbat, because I never knew what to do with a god and goddess in love. It feels strange to me,  although I  know it’s just a myth, but still ….

How could I research this aspect of the Divine in a creative way without diving to deep in all sorts of mythologies, which can be ever so confusing. Although I love to read them, in my opinion the gods are described often as being too human, to really satisfy my quest for understanding Divinity on a more spiritual level.

The Hermit

I had suggested Kerry to name the masculine aspect of the Divine using the tarot, the same way as I have done with the femine aspect.

Trying this out for myself I came to the conclusion it didn't really matter which personal pronoun I would use in these naming exercises. Even if the character in the depiction was male or female; it didn't make any difference for me:

The Hermit: The Keeper of Knowledge, who comes to me in silence and sheds his/her light over my hidden wisdom

or

The Light Bearer, who takes me by the hand and illuminates my way in the darkness

Strength:The One who perseveres and is strongly committed to protect those who are in need

or

The Patient One, who teaches me to reach deep within for my own inner strength 

Strength

God can be as nurturing, gentle and creative as Goddess and Goddess can be as fierce, militant and lustful as god. They are all the same. Every Goddess is an aspect of the Divine and every God is an aspect of the same Divine too. Since I don’t feel comfortable with aggressive warlike Gods, I turn to Kali or Sekhmet who are both fierce goddesses to defend and protect me in times of need. So we are free to reach out to the Divine in whatever form we feel comfortable with. Recently I've started calling Her Amma (thank you Sycamore). With this name, which sounds a lot like “mama” (Dutch for mom) I can see Her as all encompassing and at the same time very approachable to build a personal relationship with. She is every God and Goddess for me. She is Spirit. She is Nature, She is Everything. I just choose to call upon Her as female instead of male

For me this was another step closer to what I belief to be God(dess). More and more I come to realize that All is One and the freedom which emerges from this is so liberating.

I am even looking forward to Beltane now J

(The cards are from the Druidcraft Tarot by Philip Carr-Gomm and Will Worthington)

Strength – Don’t smother your Lion

Shadowscapes Tarot

Today is a gorgeous Spring day to air out my Shadowscapes Tarot by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law. It has been hidden in the back of my tarot drawer for most part of Fall and Winter but now it is time to renew our relationship. The first card I've got after such a long time is Strength. I like this depiction of strength very much. It shows us there are different kinds of strength.  For instance you have the strength of the bamboo, which is flexible and strong and can bend without breaking and there is the strength of an oak tree, which can grow from such a tiny acorn into the king of trees. There is the strength of a swan mother protecting her young and the strength in a lions roar and last but not least there is the strength of this slender female which can silence the lion with the gentle touch of her hand.

Strength also is reminding us of being compassionate and patient  and temper our primal fires by soft control. The cats represent the domesticated wild cat. But beware don’t smother the fire of your lion entirely, because you may need this force sooner than you think. Be a wild woman and embrace your power like the lady in this card.

Another spread for Self Love

A few weeks ago I've posted a spread for self love for Valentine´s day. Yesterday I've discovered a great website called "Little Red tarot". There I saw a post with another “awesome” Self love spread for this Holiday. But hé, self love is for every day of the year and since I adore this little three/four card spread so much, I wanted to post it here. So (drum roll)…. Here it is:

“The ‘Me Myself and I, aka Why I Am Totally AwesomeTarot Spread”

1. What’s totally awesome about me is…

2. My favorite thing about myself is…
3. I am brilliant because…

And if that hasn't sorted you out, go right ahead and pull one more card:

4. One reason it doesn't matter if I have one lover, three partners or no sweetie at all is…  

I guess this is the Valentine’s day position, so for now I like to call this extra card: the loving/caring action for myself right now

It is in the nature of this spread to read it in a quick, positive and intuitive way. Just see it as a pat on the back whenever you need it.

So let’s give it a try:

 

Crystal Visions Tarot

 1 What’s totally awesome about me is…

Five of wands – I have a lot of creative ideas running around my mind: I just have to pick one…

2 My favorite thing about myself is…

Strength – I am  a compassionate , strong woman

3 I am brilliant because….

Five of Pentacles – Even in times of need I always take care of my family

4 How can I love myself right now?

Ace of Wands - I will pick one creative inspired idea and  I will  go do it!

I highly recommend this spread because it feels só good! The cards give you compliments you would not have thought of yourself. Even this reading with two fives has been so delightful

Finding Durga through Tarot

Goddess Oracle

Yesterday I had drawn the seven of wands and I have asked myself a lot of questions about this card. One of the main subjects was how to defend my own physical and mental private space. I know I have always had an issue with setting my boundaries. Apparently I do respect other peoples boundaries more than my own. I noticed how tired the guy in the card was and how he was likely to give up, putting the needs of the others above his own. (Isn’t the tarot a wonderful mirror J)

Later that night when I had put these thoughts aside, I was surfing the web for another mantra. I have been singing the Tara mantra for some time now and I would like to try another one so I could experience the differences between them. It had to be a short one for I still find it difficult to remember the words. And I don’t want to bothered by that while I am chanting. So I found the Durga mantra: “Om Dum Durgayai Namaha” which means something like: “Om and Salutations to that feminine energy which protects from all manner of negative influences." It looked like a perfect mantra for me. Then I started searching to get to know more about the goddess Durga. The only thing I did know was that she is a fierce goddess.

While reading up on her I discovered (in short) she is a protective mother goddess and she helps us to stand up for ourselves. Googling  for some depictions of her I found this one from the Goddess oracle. The caption says: Durga – Boundaries. And that discovery closed the circle around me and made me feel safe.

I‘ve tried this chant the same night. I particularly liked the version of Thomas Barquee 

When I flipped through my tarot cards I saw that there are a few cards that represent the aspects of Durga for me. First of course the seven of wands but also the nine of wands, and not to forget Strength. It might be a fun challenge to use tarot to describe some more aspects of the goddess (just like naming them) 

Crystal Visions Tarot

New moon in December

The day before yesterday I’ve celebrated the new moon of December. I call this moon the Moon of Trees and its theme is letting go. About every tree has let go of its leaves. So it’s only natural to consider what to leave behind in this year, which has almost run to its end and what to bring with us into the new year.
Before I drew my cards I meditated. Since I am a little bit uncertain about how to view  Divinity, I called my circle by visualizing the elements and when I decided to go a second time around to strengthen my circle, I was surprised to see animals which can be associated with these element.  I think I was unconsciously triggered by the court cards of the Wildwood tarot.
Afterwards I drew these two cards from the Osho Zen tarot

Osho Zen Tarot

Release: Postponement (four of Swords) This keyword could be my middle name. I procrastinate mostly out of fear for failure but postponing is coloring my life in grays like the person and the scenery in this card. She wants to participate in life. She longs for life in full color. And so do I, but it’s hard to let go of fear and anxiety. And that is where the next card comes in…..
Embrace: Courage (Strength) For facing fears you need courage. But not the courage of a lion, like in the RW decks but the subtle courage of a tender flower. I have a choice: I can be as a seed stuck between the rocks or I can grow out to my full potential; a beautiful flower. For that is the only thing I have to do to face my fears: I have to have the courage to grow into the light and face life.
 As always I am astonished by the cards I’ve drawn. They are so fitting for my current situation. On a literal level the postponement card speaks of my creative insecurity and at the same time my longing to paint (The window could be a painting)
There’s this funny thing about growth: When you keep focusing on it, you can’t distinguish any change, but if you step back, let go and later on return you’ll notices the change, the growth. So this kind of courage is all about trust in your own ability to grow
The cards complement each other perfectly since Courage is a beautiful attribute to help to let go of postponement and to move forward without fear into the new year

I need Strength to be still

Crystal Visions Tarot

Today’s card is Strength from The Crystal Visions Tarot. I have to admit that I am neglecting my other Tarot decks a bit which is understandable but a pity because they each have their own charm, emphasis and tone. How I've longed to possess this deck and now it’s lying in my drawer waiting to be heard. 

So back to Strength. I have written about this card several times already. Not feeling that strong lately so perhaps it is a kick in the butt to step up. But generally I don’t get that feeling with this card so let’s have a closer look at it:

It looks like it’s evening and a woman and her lion are resting on a mountain top, surprisingly grown with sunflowers. The woman is cupping the lions chin. Two eagles are soaring in the reddening sky.

This card encourages me to tap in to my inner strength, willpower and determination, but at the same time to do this with kindness and compassion for myself. What does this mean for today. I want to look at the bright side of things (sunflowers) and although my neck and shoulders are hindering me more than else today, I don’t want to give in to self pity but at the same time I don’t want to be too strict with myself. I will definitely meditate today (skipped it for two days in a row.) Why do you have to have so much strength to just sit and be quiet????? I can sense a connection between this card and The Singer of Courage which I've drawn a few days ago. A sort of reminder? This card is giving me also a feeling of rest or pause. While in the RW version the woman is actively controlling the lion, here they seem to be two of a kind.  I will end this rambling post with a beautiful quote from the Tarot of the Timeless Truth by Leila Vey

“I teach you that the greatest strength is strength of spirit, and that all challenges are conquered if they are met with tolerance, forgiveness, forbearance and compassion.”

So and now off to do some meditating J