The Strength of the Major Arcana
One of the most valuable ways I learned to see the Major Arcana cards was explained to me in Rachel Pollack’s book
Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom. The suggested pattern was to lay out the cards in order starting with The Magician
and put down 7 cards per row, so that you would have the Chariot as the last card in the first row. The second row
would start with Strength and end with Temperance. The last row of 7 would start with the Devil and end with the World.
By viewing the cards in this way it becomes relatively easy to see new and interesting ways in which the cards relate to
each other.
As an example one day I decided as an exercise of discovery, to start with the Strength card and add it’s number to
each of the successive card’s numbers. The first pair would be adding Strength number 8 to The Hermit number 9 to
equal 17 The Star. Then I considered how the cards related to each other. I followed this pattern of adding Strength to
all the other cards in the second row, in order, to the end of the row which is Temperance. Here is what I found.
Strength (8) plus The Hermit (9) = The Star (17)
The strength we direct towards the inner quest for self understanding in the Hermit must first be discovered. Through
the Strength card we learn about how to recognize and release subdued or submerged aspects of self that are hard to
face, uncontrollable, or undesirable, in safe and appropriate ways. This is done in part through understanding and
acceptance. Our inner lion of aggression, anger and lower instincts, are discovered, balanced and integrated initially
with Strength and then with more fully within the teachings of The Hermit.
The Hermit uses the inner strength we have to help us delve more deeply into who we are and what has made us this
way. Strength and the Hermit combined allow the energy of our less desirable aspects to be safely directed towards
further self exploration and self expression. With out the strength to approach The Hermit we may never find the
freedom to stand naked before the world, as The Star depicts, spreading hope in a truly loving compassion that
nourishes us all and that is self perpetuating.
There is no fear in The Star, no holding back, as we have been bathed in the light of her love and compassion backed
by our strength of who we truly are and what we have learned about ourselves.
Strength (8) plus The Wheel (10) = The Moon (18)
The Wheel, seen as an outer subjective experience, has the potential to teach us that all changes of fortune can be
seen as opportunities for greater understanding. Good and bad as potential for positive change and growth.
The understanding, that comes from the strength of dealing with our less positive inner motives and urges, helps us
maintain our balance on The Wheel no matter which way it turns. The Wheel provides all the opportunities needed to
test our newly found strength. As the archetypal lessons of the Major Arcana are fully integrated, the lessons of The
Wheel draw us eventually towards the center to the inner realms of collective unconscious as represented by The
Moon.
When the tests of The Wheel are passed, the door way to our unconscious dreams is open for us to examine more
fully. What ever secrets emerge from our unconscious we are now in a better position to understand them and integrate
them into life’s experiences. With the strength and experience to understand whatever events The Wheel has in store
for us, these events will be further complimented by The Moon, which holds no secrets for the truly brave searching for
inner, as well as outer, understanding.
Strength (8) plus Justice (11) = The Sun (19)
The work done to tap into our true inner strength and our inner depths (explored in The Hermit), as a profound
knowing and understanding of who we are, allows us to perceive with vision (the conceiving of or discernment of
spiritual awareness) the archetype of Justice. Justice is the true equalizer of spirit beyond the ego and the physical,
which allows the brilliant light of the Self to shine forth in all it’s joy and regained innocence as depicted in The Sun.
Innocence is regained because Justice is not for us, as ego, to deliver. Therefore we are freed from that burden and
our true self shines brightly in playfulness in support of all life.
Strength (8) plus The Hanged Man (12) = Judgment (20)
Strength now gives us a platform from which we can dare to view our lives from a different and more enlightened
perspective. From the perspective of The Hanged Man, now comfortable with non positionalty, there has been a 180
degree change in the perception of reality. From this view Judgment is relinquished to a Higher Power allowing us to rise
above our previously more grounded point of view. The Hanged Man sees the non judgment of Judgment because in
reality there is no one capable of judging, except at the level of ego, which the combined view of Strength and The
Hanged Man is perhaps beyond.
Strength (8) plus Death (13) = The World (21)
Through the integration of all lessons of the previous Major Arcana and our understandings of them, we gain the
strength that helps us face Death. When Death is faced in the truest sense, the world becomes a place of freedom,
integration, understanding and self expression that carries us beyond death. As that pause of initiated change which
comes to all physically manifested beings Death is the equalizer on the physical plane.
It is also a door way to the integration of spiritual and physical. An opportunity to embrace our strengths beyond the
physical and integrate them more fully into the world of spirit. The World represents that place. A place where spiritual
beings express them selves in the play ground of the spiritual/physical where the true integration manifests fully and
completely within the context of the Major Arcana.
Strength (8) plus Temperance (14) = 22 The Fool
Strength seen as a symbol for all that has been gained in understanding and true perspective enters into Temperance
as the last crucible of refinement. As we abandon our thoughts of justice and judgment to travel the middle road, we
merge into the ultimate freedom of The Fool. In this place we are unburdened, carefree, and totally trusting in the truest
sense of the word. As The Fool, we unhesitatingly step off the cliff with the new understanding that the cliff was of our
making. As we now have the strength of understanding we take that one more step, which has now just become,
another step in a series of steps.
With our Strength, and through the forging of Temperance, we can now play the fool with love, joyous abandon and
compassionate expression with the universe as our play ground.
What happened to The Devil and The Tower you may be asking your self. Why don’t the Major Arcana cards in the
second row add up the them ? Other than the obvious reason that the numbers just don’t add up that way it’s just as
well. It may also be because we don’t really want to add Strength to The Devil. I feel we have enough problems with
him with out making him stronger. Or perhaps it was totally by design of the creators of the Tarot. In any case I really
can’t see any qualities of The Devil that I would want to strengthen.
As for The Tower, we already got blasted out of the building and are heading upside down for ground. I don’t think the
message could be much stronger than that. You do need strength to withstand The Devil and The Tower but you
already have that when you get there. You just need to stay strong, keep believing in yourself. Give up negative goals
in the name of justice. Try to see things from a broader perspective remembering that death comes to us all where the
Justice of a Higher Power is met. So all you need to do is stay the middle road of Temperance until the wheel turns
again.
I give many thanks to Rachel Pollack for her encouragement, insight and teaching, with out which this article would not
be possible.
CC