Into the Shadows with Tarot Symbolism

The Strength Tarot Card depicts a woman taming a wild lion. Her left arm represents mental strength, and her right arm represents physical strength. As we can see, her right arm is gently holding, while the left arm bears the heavy weight, representing a hidden power that can only come from within. 

The lion, another archetypal figure, represents raw, primal energy. It embodies our passions, desires, and untamed instincts. The lion’s presence symbolizes the need to harness and transform this raw energy into a constructive force. True strength is not suppressing our passions but guiding them with wisdom and self-control. 

In Tarot symbolism, Strength represents inner strength, patience, sympathy, soft control and domination over fears, triumph over material desires and mastery of the inner self. With patience, we can cultivate love, compassion, understanding, and grace in all of our experiences. 

Strength also symbolizes the alchemical process of transformation and the inner journey to self-discovery. When we explore the depths of our being we can confront our fears, doubts and limitations and release the control they have over us.

Integrated, Strength represents the raw and gentle power of the human spirit. It speaks to inner resilience and cultivating patience, grace, empathy, compassion, understanding, tolerance, fortitude, and virtue. When we get to the root cause of our fears, self-limiting beliefs, and negative behavior patterns, we master our own instincts. 

As we explore the inner depths of our being and confront our inner demons, we emerge stronger, wiser, and more connected to our authentic selves. When we embrace our vulnerabilities and shadow selves, transforming them into sources of power and resilience. 

In Shadow work, Strength represents weakness, impatience, indifference, and strict control. When we become fearful, anxious, or filled with doubt we lose our inner power. When our power is lost, we slip into our shadow selves. This can manifest as using aggressive, brute force to control the situation, person, outcome. 

When we can view the situation through the symbolic lens, we can find the lesson the experience is trying to teach us. This will allow us to remain steady and patient while embracing soft control using gentle persuasion and subtle influence. Guiding others through empathy and compassion fosters deeper understanding for positive resolutions.

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In Tarot Symbolism, the High Priestess Archetype is an enigma wrapped in a mystery. She sits between two pillars, the light and darkness, the conscious and subconscious, representing our inner world. When we explore the hidden realms within ourselves and embrace the depths of our subconscious mind, we can balance the light and darkness within. 

You cannot have light without the dark. The only way to truly assimilate our shadow side is to accept and integrate the dark parts of ourselves. This allows us to shine light on our shadows and embody the light to use this power for good. 

The High Priestess Archetype symbolizes mystery, intuition, and inner wisdom. She represents the divine feminine, embodying the timeless power of the feminine archetype. She teaches us to embrace our receptive, nurturing, and intuitive qualities. She also represents mystery, hidden things, and the realm of ancient wisdom; she is the unbroken link between the conscious and unconscious. 

Through her deep, inner wisdom, the High Priestess archetype teaches us important lessons for spiritual growth and self-empowerment. She guides us to embrace our inner wisdom, trust our inner voice, and delve into the mysteries of the unknown. She helps us navigate the complexities of life with clarity and purpose and embark on a journey of self-discovery, growth, and healing. 

Integrated, The High Priestess represents the power of the feminine archetype and the feminine side we all share. As a gentle female depiction, she balances out the masculinity of the Magician archetype. The High Priestess urges us to dig deep into the dark, murky, wetlands of our mind to uncover our hidden power and the mysterious truth within. 

When we release ourselves from our fears, doubts, insecurities, and negative belief patterns we take back our personal power and there is peace and balance within. With patience and stillness, we gain clarity and insight. We trust our intuition and form a deeper connection to the hidden realms of our psyches and embrace a new spiritual dimension to life. 

The High Priestess shadow represents secrets, uncertainty, the inability to trust yourself and others, and fear of the unknown. When we become fearful of the unknown it can cause fear and anxiety. We are creatures of habit and like our physical world routines to remain unchanged, even if change desperately needs to occur in our lives. 

When we fight change, we begin infighting within ourselves, the battle between the heart and the mind. We tell ourselves if we change, we will lose our physical world security, the jobs or material possessions we hold dear, and the comfort of our friends and routines. 

But this is the veil of illusion. At the core of our inner struggles are just fears that we need to examine and process. Fears created through unresolved emotions, tribal beliefs and negative thought patterns that have accumulated throughout our lives. 

When we release the hold our fears have over us we can find clarity, resting in the knowing that the physical world is the illusion. With trust and faith, we can embrace our inner wisdom and find peace knowing that things happen for a reason and there is more to the world than what we can see on the surface.

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In Tarot Symbolism, The Chariot Major Arcana symbolizes determination, power of will, triumph over obstacles, personal strength, self-control, and self-mastery. Two sphinxes, one white and one black are harnessed to the chariot, representing duality, and at times, opposing forces, positive and negative, light, and dark. The white sphinx represents the positive use of willpower, and the black sphinx represents the negative use of willpower. 

The black sphinx is controlling, impatient and pulls strongly on her side. Although her efforts may pull the chariot off course, this just empowers the white sphinx to pull harder on her side. The Charioteer’s task is to guide both sphinxes, together, using willpower and absolute determination. 

The Charioteers unwavering control over the two sphinxes represents mastery of opposing forces and the power to harness the inner world and outer world challenges and steer them towards success. 

Integrated, The Chariot represents the quest to achieve self-control and self-mastery of our inner world. In Hindu mythology, the chariot symbolizes the body, and the charioteer symbolizes the soul guiding it. The Chariot embodies the dualistic nature of our psyches, the power of will, making choices, and taking action. 

One of the most profound acts we can perform to bring spiritual stability into our lives is to surrender personal will to Divine will. Deep inside, we all have an awareness that we were born for a specific purpose and that life contains a Divine plan, yet we ignore these internal messages seeking to get our attention. 

We continue to build our lives according to our own will, seeking to achieve goals of the physical world, what is accepted by the group and what the tribal mind equates to an empowered person. We set our goals and align our ambition to holding power over others, acquiring a big house, fancy job title, or a six-figure salary. When we chose this path, we misalign our life-force energy with money, objects, and people. 

When a crisis or life altering event occurs in our lives, like physical illness, job loss or divorce, we are suddenly forced to confront the limitations or our own inner resources that prevent us from accomplishing the goals we set for ourselves. Once we arrive at this place, we find ourselves asking questions like, what was I meant to do with my life? and what is my purpose for being born? 

This critical stage clears the path so we can begin to align our will to Divine will.  This one choice, made in trust and faith allows Divine guidance to enter our lives, to reorder our struggles into success and our scars into strengths. 

Surrendering personal will to Divine will gives us the inner strength, focus and clarity to make quality choices in our lives that break us free from our fears, insecurities, and the tribal mind. It allows us to take action in the world, guiding us to find our individuality, passion and connection to our higher self. 

In Shadow work, The Chariot represents misaligning our life-force energy, our goals, and ambitions to the physical world, thus allowing our fears, doubts, and negative belief patterns to control us. This results in passivity and the inability to take action. 

As creatures of habit, we are resistant to change. Although we may be deeply unhappy in our current situation we are paralyzed by fear. We are unable to move forward and make the choices necessary to take action to move ourselves out of this state.

When we continue to stay in a dead-end job, a loveless relationship, or in physical pain, it depletes our energy, causing a mental, emotional and physical imbalance. 

The Chariot reminds us to stop being a passive passenger, take control of our lives, and embrace the driver’s seat of our life and our inner world. Stand tall and release the fears, trust yourself and have faith. 

Like the Warrior standing in the chariot, with confidence, courage, and strength, we can elevate ourselves in the face of adversity and overcome our challenges and steer our lives in the right direction. By aligning our will to Divine will, we can harness our inner power, make choices that allow our inner light to shine and take focused action to emerge victorious on our chosen path. 

The Chariot is also connected to the Throat Chakra. The spiritual lessons connected to this chakra are related to the power of will, self-expression, surrendering our own willpower to Divine will, and the power of the spoken word. The power center of choice and consequence. 

Every thought and feeling we have, every choice we make, and every action we take is an act of power and has energetic consequences. When we live in fear, we look at life and people through the lens of darkness and decay. This outlook can result in judgement, hate and dishonesty. 

The 5th Chakra energy allows us to begin the healing process, to call back our spirits and let go of the past. It gives us the ability to be honest with ourselves as well as forgive those who hurt or betrayed us. It allows us the freedom to surrender our personal will to Divine will. 

The Chariot represents harnessing our inner power, aligning our will to Divine will, maintaining focus, and taking purposeful action towards our goals. When we embrace our inner world, we can discover the hidden gems inside of us. We can find our passion, our purpose and live a peaceful, balanced, and more fulfilling life. 

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Knight of Swords Archetype

In Tarot Symbolism, the Knight of Swords Archetype symbolizes willpower, determination, action, honor, intellect, and communication. The Knight represents clarity of thought, higher intellect, being true to ourselves, and communicating freely and authentically. 

Honor Thyself and Others

In Tarot, the Knight of Swords reminds us to not be hasty, assertive, or aggressive with our words and actions. We must stay patient and steady through the storm to gain clarity and view the situation from a symbolic perspective. Focus on the wisdom and the lesson, not the chaos.

Integrated, the Knight of Swords Archetype is a warrior of the mind, capable of slicing through fears, doubts, and confusion. With swift, decisive action we can change the narrative of our thoughts. With a sharp, focused mind, we become assertive and courageous in our quest. Our faith will guide us to overcome our fears through the energy of our emotions. 

In shadow work, The Knight of Swords represents impulsiveness, aggression, anger, and the turbulent nature of the mind. We tell ourselves stories like we are not smart enough, thin enough, rich enough, or good enough and we become unbalanced. 

We begin to act out of impulse and our shadows manifest as aggression, hostility, ruthlessness, anger, and rage. When our minds are plagued with negative thoughts it impacts our mental and emotional health as well as our physical health. 

This flows outward beyond our internal selves, impacting our environment, family, interpersonal relationships, work, even our freedom. Anger and rage result in poor judgement which can cause one to have experiences with law enforcement. 

As the Knight rides steadfast towards his pursuit, he reminds us to slow down and patiently review the situation with a clear mind. With focus and determination, we can conquer our fears and overcome our hostile ways by using this energy for good. Become a warrior for change and fight for truth and honor.

Focus and Determination 

In Tarot, the Knight of Swords reminds us to honor ourselves and keep our word, to ourselves and to others. We cannot worry about what others may think, say, or do because their opinions are their own. We have zero control over the operation of other people’s minds, but we can find the self-control to manage our own thoughts and actions. 

Integrated, the Knight of Swords reminds us that when the mind is stormy it becomes murky and difficult to see a path forward. With a swift flick of the wrist, we can slice through the confusion and see things with clarity and focus. 

We have the inner power to control our thoughts, reactions, and responses and rise above the need to know why and view the situation from a symbolic perspective. When we do, we can see that every person and situation we experience in life is a lesson for growth on our journey. 

In Shadow form, the Knight of Swords can become hasty, impatient, aggressive, and angry. At the heart are fears, doubts, and self-limiting beliefs. We must look deep within and honor who we really are and feel and release the negative beliefs and behavior patterns so we can live our truth in life. 

When we become plagued with fears and doubts, we do not honor ourselves or our true nature. We conform so we can be accepted by the group. We are tribal beings; however, we also need to have the courage, strength, and determination to find ourselves and then honor who we really are despite how others may respond.

When we embrace the powerful energy of the Knight of Swords we can slice through the fears and doubts and emerge from the storm clouds with strength and courage. Believe in yourself and your abilities. We are all created equal, and we all have a purpose in life, to love and to serve. 

When we harness the energy of the Knight, we cut through the confusion and gain clarity of thought. Honor yourself and others through your thoughts, words, and actions. Become a warrior for good and fight for truth and honor.  

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In Tarot Symbolism, the Moon Archetype depicts fears, illusion, intuition, hidden things, and mysteries of the unknown. Integrated and guided by the light of the Moon, this archetype represents navigating and honoring the complexity of our emotions, balancing the heart and mind, and trusting our intuition so we can listen to the whispers of our soul. 

The Moon is a dance between light and shadow, consciousness, and unconsciousness. By exploring the hidden or suppressed aspects of ourselves we bring them into awareness. By embracing both, we can attain a deeper understanding of ourselves, the universe, and the Divine connection we all share. 

With Shadow work, The Moon Shadow in tarot represents our hidden and/or repressed fears. It also represents our shadow self, the emotions and traits society deems unacceptable. It represents our deepest fears and darkest desires. 

When we suppress these emotions and characteristics we begin to fear them. Then, when faced with challenges, we are not able to respond appropriately and our shadow manifests. We can become fearful, insecure, anxious, confused, suffer from insomnia, and for some, develop nightmares. 

By taking a walk through the dark, murky forest of unknown land, we can discover the hidden aspects within ourselves. With truth there is wisdom and a path forward. In the darkness, trust the light of the Moon to guide you on your inner journey to healing and growth. 

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In Tarot Symbolism, the Temperance Archetype symbolizes balance, moderation, patience, alchemy, integration, and health. Temperance represents the fusion of two contrasting elements and bringing them into balance and harmony within mind, body, and soul. 

Integrated, the Temperance Archetype urges us to embrace balance, moderation, and discernment in our thoughts, emotions, and actions. Temperance is a powerful reminder that we can master the art of blending opposites and become balanced within. With patience, wisdom, and grace, we can view life’s challenges through a symbolic perspective and find the lessons presented to us for our healing and growth. 

In Shadow work, the Temperance tarot card represents excess, extremism, imbalance, fear, and anxiety. When we become excessive and extreme, we approach life in an unbalanced way, and this can cause chaos, conflict, fear, and anxiety. This manifests as loss of faith and trust in ourselves, interpersonal relationships, and our place in the physical world.  When there is a mental, emotional, or spiritual imbalance it can quickly manifest into a physical imbalance or illness.

Like the winding path depicted in the Temperance tarot card, in the journey of life, true harmony is found by reconciling our conscious and repressed unconscious. Balancing the many levels of awareness within our mind and the complexity of our emotions. It calls us to accept with gratitude and integrate all aspects of ourselves. 

By seeking balance and moderation in all aspects of our lives, we can embrace the process of spiritual alchemy, and this leads us to inner peace, integration, and spiritual maturation. 

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In Tarot Symbolism, the Magician Archetype symbolizes mastery, resourcefulness, mystery, alchemy, and transformation. The Magician is associated with the intellect and can easily bridge the inner world of mind and spirit to the outer world of creation and physical manifestation.

Integrated, the Magician Archetype has the natural ability to wear many hats. The Magician knows they can tap into skills and abilities beyond the physical world, so they are able to take risks and trust the power of intuition and the collective subconscious. When acting in the light, this skill is a hat revealing both the hat and the wearer, thus empowering those around them. 

The Magician instinctively understands the laws of the Universe and can alter perceptions of reality to benefit others, they are the masters of win-win creative solutions. 

The Enlightened Magician will practice what they preach holding themselves accountable for their actions. They choose to act consciously, knowing what they are doing and why, acknowledging their motivations while understanding their own intentions.

In Shadow work, the Magician also wears many shadow hats, some of the more chaotic include control, manipulation, illusions, and secrets. In shadow form, the Magician will keep crucial information from others to prevent them from becoming empowered. 

The shadow Magician is quick to ascertain human needs and human behavior, and they will use this knowledge to manipulate others to their own advantage. They are masters at getting others to say and do exactly as they want. 

Self-awareness is the first step in integrating the Magician shadow.  Reflect and mentally build how to use this power for good and then physically put it into action. We all have the power within to heal our mind, body, and soul. 

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