Occult currents of our Strength year
psyche + magic
Jump over the hedge into Strength year energetics + magick with me on January 10th, when I will be hosting a virtual + live online workshop to Integrate the lessons of Chariot (2023) and attune to the magick of Strength (2024). Substack subscribers get 20% off registration with the code: HEDGE
Imagine finding yourself in an untouched landscape, approaching a wild beast. It is just the two of you, naked in your pure presence together. The hairs on the back of your neck are electric, not out of fear, but rather lit up by the deep attention you are receiving from the animal’s golden eyes. You have a deep desire to reach out and stroke its fur, to know the grain of its fiber, to smell the dust and heat in its hair. This electric desire holds you and the animal in an orobouric container. Together you are feeding a channel of energy, energy which can dispel fear, and generate connection. This is an esoteric current which runs through The Strength archetype of Major Arcana.Â
Ruled by Leo, Strength asks us to embody courage in the face of the unknown, the unconscious, the animal within us. Courage orbits around this idea of bravery, yes, but courage also takes a specific type of presence to embody. The presence that is illustrated within The Strength archetype is gentle, charged, and fluid. Pamela Coleman Smith’s illustration shows a woman softly grappling with a Lion’s jaws. The figure’s eyes are almost closed, suggesting that she is moving from intuitive instincts rather than classical senses. They are feeling into the relationship between their hands and sharp teeth, their body and another’s breathing body. They are asking permission to be in relationship with the Lion with every micro movement. They are listening, both to the unconscious animal wisdom at hand, and to the wisdom of their sheer will to be in the presence of something so powerful and wild.Â
The tarot archetype of 2024 that I will be working with is Strength, since I adhere to the Golden Dawn’s archetypal structure of the Major Arcana where Strength falls as the 8th arcana in the series. For those who work primarily with the Thoth tarot deck, they may choose to work with Justice, which comes as the 8th arcana rather than the 11th in Aleister Crowley’s sequencing.Â
For me, Strength has always resonated with the numerology of 8. Not only does it reflect the infinity symbol hovering above the figure in the card, the energy of eight is one of expansion beyond our known universe, of tempting order into chaos, of the alchemical powers of our own will power. By the time we reach the lessons’ of Strength in the Major Arcana story, we are asked to move beyond our egoic desires towards something more mystical. The figure of the Strength card has a deep awareness of their own power, the magic that is resourced from within.Â
Attuning to this tarot archetype is a challenge to develop deeper intimacy with our internal landscape. Occultism can be seen as one of the early developmental stages of psychology in many ways, and the Strength card from an occult perspective is asking that we as magicians do our psychological due diligence in order to befriend the wild within us. Strength teaches us invaluable lessons around how to tempt our shadows into greater awareness. 2024 is a year for the inner work that will have impactful manifestations on how we relate to and navigate through our external world. The work we do in the microcosm of our soul directly affects and empowers the actions we take out in the macrocosmic community. So much of the hate and division we are seeing play out in horrific ways in front of our eyes is due to our fear of embracing, and therefore healing, our shadows. What would happen if we all approached what we are scared of with kindness and compassion? What would our world be like if we tamed the beast with acceptance rather than violent rejection? These questions, and more, are what we will be exploring throughout 2024.
To learn more about how Strength’s magick may ripple through your life, join me on January 10th for a virtual workshop on our Yearly Tarot Archetypes. Half of the workshop will be an exercise on integrating the lessons of the Chariot (2023) and the second half will be spent unlocking the magick of Strength (2024). This workshop is part lecture, part guided exercises, part working hands on with our tarot decks. It is designed to be both educational and divinatory, in that you will leave with a greater footing on your energetic path. The workshop will be recorded and made available for future viewing. Substack subscribers get 20% off! Use code: HEDGE
