Finding Strength in the Dark Wood
The Dark Wood Tarot
We usually feature stand alone books here. However, our decks’ companion books are all excellent in their own right. Here is an example from the Sasha Graham’s Dark Wood Tarot.
Strength
Strength is the archetype of Warrior.
All power lay within you.
The Shadow Witch returns to the earth and finds herself inside a stone walled garden. She hears the hissing of a snake and the slow beating of a heartbeat drum. The garden protects a woman who hypnotizes a snake as a rose blossoms above her head in a stone wall.
Strength simmers with constant power to illuminate everything. It is causality itself. Strength is the inner reserves of power wielded in profound gestures. It is intellectual, physical, and emotional fortitude. It is exuding tenacity of character, personal responsibility, and inner confidence no matter the external circumstance.
A yogi sits in Padmasanana position and gazes at the nature of her inner strength as exemplified by the Kundalini snake appearing before her. Yoga is the alignment and movement of the physical body in the material world. Yoga poses are like tarot archetypes. They kindle inner and outer strength and spiritual prowess. Strength applies to how we use our deep inner reserves of power. Each of us is a font of energy. Do we give it away to others, do we save enough for ourselves? Can we nurture and stoke the strength of fire within us? Can we transform and transcend who we are and what we are capable of? True strength engages our ability to be flexible in the face of events, people’s needs, wants, and moods. It gives us the power to react out of who we are rather than reacting out of the given situation. Strength determines how we approach each day, challenge, and blessing.
The yogi’s upper chakras, the energetic centers of the body are awakened, active, and pulsating with power. Her crown chakra, located above her head, the energetic point connecting her to the universe at large is portrayed as a flower budding through a concrete stone wall. Softness pushes through a seemingly impenetrable stone barrier. Her third eye chakra, located between the brows, sparkles with bindi jewelry marking the strength of her intuition. Her throat chakra, place of strong communication, is marked with a jewel. A gem lay across her heart chakra, where she allows her broken heart to mend thus becoming even more pliable. The solar plexus, located on the belly, is marked with her moon belt. It glows with power and self-esteem. The snake is her own creation. It will to do her bidding exactly as she directs it.
Meaning – Gentle control. Inner wells of power. Stable body. Sound mind. Fortitude and unwavering sense of self. Knowing when to apply pressure and when to release it. Character and resiliency. Effortless action. Recognizing one’s power. Your energetic birthright.
Shadow Meaning – Holding tightly to a person, place, or thing. Addicted to habits that control your life. Using Strength over adversity to define the ego and create drama. Forcing others to do things they do not want to do. Bending another’s will.
