Whether we admit it or not, most of us have authority problems. Whether we are an independent rebel or a bit of a conformist, authority must be established. Authority comes from a Latin term meaning to adhere to, or to bind to. It has a very similar meaning to another Latin derivative, religio, which means religion. So authority, whether religiously or practically, has overtones of religion or spirituality. It is therefore important how and when we lead and how and when we choose to follow. In essence, authority is about who or what we trust in when we make decisions.

We enter the first Hall of the Magician, Strength. (Just as the Magician oversees the four Halls of Strength, Temperance, Justice and The World, so each of these in turn are charged with the care and maintenance of four other Tarot personalities or energies.) The woman depicted in the Strength card has quite a task on her hands. She has to wrestle with authority in the area of Masculine/Feminine and Spiritual/Material realms. She must be strong enough to harness the power that is associated with authority and yet gentle enough to model how authority ought to be used.

Strength Described

In no way does Lady Strength have to do with the patriarchal perspective on the feminine that calls it the "weaker" sex. She is the human manifestation of the Magician's power. And what a power it is. She is the Lion tamer. Lady Strength is the mediator between our lion-like instincts, especially as represented in our power urges, and wise gentleness.

Lady Strength handles the Lion through love and relatedness rather than through coercive means. The contrast between the feminine and masculine handling of power is shown in a picture by Nicholas Verduin. Samson directly faces the Lion and overcomes his instinctuality whereas Lady Strength approaches the Lion indirectly from the side. Acceptance of the instincts for power replace direct confrontation of power. While the Lady controls the beast she also meets its need. There is a debate among Tarot readers as to whether she is opening or closing the mouth of the Lion. What I sense is that she will do either depending on the circumstances. Whichever she chooses, she guides, nurtures and channels the instinctual energies of the Lion. Through her feminine compassion and the magic of human relationship the Beast is transformed as depicted in The Beauty and the Beast and The Frog Prince. Pre-eminently, Strength is found in the capacity for relatedness. She is unafraid of the power of the Lion. This is evident in the way she has direct physical contact with the Beast.

The Lion undoubtedly represents raw instinctual power. And in areas where authority is exercised this raw power can very easily swallow individuals who gets too close. It is easy when close to power to get swallowed and carried away. Sue Nichols, a Jungian Tarot readers says: " If we allow our instincts freedom to act without restraint, they can turn on us and tear us apart." The misuse of authority through pride is the greatest danger that Lady Strength enables us to avert. On the other hand, when our ego submits to Lady Wisdom, our instincts are channelled towards conscious goals and regenerative power is placed into the world in which we live.