May Purchase

The Fool’s journey is going deeper into the realms of self-reflection and personal growth. At this stage, he encounters Strength, teaching him what it means to possess inner strength as opposed to the decisive actions of control and self mastery which he learned from The Chariot. Strength is all about the calm, even gentle inner strength that comes with some level of maturity being reached. If we are masters of self enough to have control over feelings like rage and anger, we have the qualities of perseverance, bravery, determination and serenity, which in turn make us able to be counted on by our friends and family. This card teaches the lessons of using patience, compassion in order to have the stamina to endure rough times. In Card number 8 of the Major Arcana, we see a woman’s gentle hands taming the strong lion. She is using love to guide and dominate the lion, which symbolizes that the greatest strength always coming from a place of love, rather than fear or anger. The woman’s face is gentle and calm, and she does not show fear, even though in the Rider Waite deck her hands are very near to the lion’s jaws. She has a lemniscate – or an infinity symbol above her head, and is surrounded by flowers, symbols of the natural world.

The next person The Fool encounters is The Hermit. Card 9 of the Major Arcana depicts an elderly, cloaked man carrying a staff and holding a lantern. This is a portrayal of the man who has abandoned traditional society in favor of a life spent wandering and searching in solitude, looking for the answers within in a deeply personal journey of introspection. We all face a phase of questioning everything at some point in our lives. We look beyond the base reality and search for the deeper meaning to our lives. This can be a lonely journey because the meaning of our lives and the answers to the questions we seek always lie within ourselves, and do not come from outside people or environments. Card 8 shows a bearded man holding a staff; and in his lantern in a six-pointed star. The Hermit is a wise guide and mentor who teaches The Fool to quiet his mind, so he can tap into its power and find the inner peace and understanding that only comes from spending time alone with yourself. Sometimes a retreat from the company of others proves to be very helpful in finding a sense of stillness. These are the moments when the clarity of one’s mind offers insight into a wide variety of deep matters. These are also moments when you are called to be a silent pioneer in life, lighting the way for others who will follow you.