All Text, Music, and Illustrations, including Paintings, Photographs, and 3D models, Copyright © 2022 by Jim Robbins.
Strength: Path 19
ALLIES OF LEO
"Mr. M, is that woman petting a lion?" Claire inquires.
“This path, known as ‘Strength,’ reveals a profound simplicity, the kind that might take a lifetime to understand. The woman has apparently tamed the lion with her gentleness. The strength suggested by the title of the path is not physical strength but the spiritual strength of the higher self.
"On the Tree of Life, the 19th path is a horizontal path connecting spheres that are essentially opposite. Mercy, or Chesed, the sphere of Jupiter, represents creative, up building, organizing forces and is associated with love, mercy, harmony, magnificence, and abundance. Geburah, the sphere of Mars, associated with severity, power, and justice, represents destructive, restricting, disciplining forces; in other words, Mars destroys lies and injustice and tyranny to create or reestablish balance and harmony. On this path of Leo where we find ourselves now, we experience the primary creative and destructive forces, the path balancing the spectacular up-building energies of Chesed with the perfect discipline of Geburah, their harmony reflected in the Emanation of Beauty, or Tiphareth, below them on the Tree of Life.”
“The lion is really dangerous, isn't it, Mr. M? Are the energies of those spheres dangerous too?”
“Extremely dangerous if not handled properly. The three horizontal paths on the Tree of Life connect Emanations that are essentially opposite in nature. Understanding the law of polarity is the key to understanding how to handle the forces--the key, really, to survival and spiritual development. If you look around, you can find examples of polarity everywhere. Obvious examples are hot and cold, love and hate, spiritual and physical. In fact, you can find examples of polarity on all levels of being, and you can always move from one pole to the other by degree. For instance, you can move by degree from hot to cold or from hate to love, or vice versa. The universe is not caught in an eternal conflict between good and evil, God and the Devil. One pole is not absolutely evil and the other absolutely good. The spiritual is not better than the physical, just like cold water is not better than hot water. They are simply two poles of one thing.”
“Aren't some states better than others, Mr. M?”
“Essentially, the ability to polarize from one state to another to establish harmony reveals to a great extent the degree to which a person has evolved. Remember that everything is relative in context. Hot water is better than cold in some contexts. Severity is better than mercy in some contexts. Knowing what is needed and having the ability to polarize to the necessary state is the true strength. As a traveler on this path, your primary goal is to know how to polarize from one state to another, from the physical plane to the spiritual plane, for instance, or vice versa, depending on the circumstances. If you develop the discipline, you should ideally be able to move by degrees emotionally, mentally, or spiritually to attain the highest good in each situation, maintaining balance the way a person on a bicycle maintains balance. And, like riding a bicycle, once you learn how to do it, you never forget. Notice, though, the hill of attainment in the background behind the woman. Attaining that level of experience and knowledge is no easier than climbing a mountain. Just ask our friend the Hermit.”
“Is the woman in control of the lion?”
"Relatively speaking, the feminine, associated with love, gentleness, nurturing, and beauty, and the masculine, associated with will, courage, energy, and aggressiveness, are here combined in harmony. The infinity symbol floating above the head of the woman suggests a recognition of the infinitude within, revealing a spiritual knowledge that enables her to tame the masculine lion.
“But the control of energy also hints at another basic Hermetic law: The energy of the universe is essentially mental energy. With this knowledge, you can learn to deal with different energy levels. I’m sure you’ve seen a bright, cheerful person waltz into a room, making everyone feel happy, just as, conversely, you’ve probably encountered someone who can make everyone in a room feel glum. Living in your higher self, you are more aware of these fluctuations of subtle energy, which makes it easier to protect yourself and to help others who are seeking assistance. But do not, I repeat, do not ever forget another basic law: the law of karma. The energy you send out will come back to you, sooner or later. The vast majority of people send out mental energy unconsciously, unaware of the consequences, but the higher self is aware at all times--or at least most of the time.
“This woman is able to tame a lion because she is aware of spiritual laws and energies. The lion suggests not only great physical strength and power but also relates to the element of Fire, which corresponds to both the Emanation of Severity and the astrological sign of Leo. Since we all have masculine and feminine characteristics and contain the qualities of Severity and Mercy, we can use the law of polarity to balance these energies in order to live more harmoniously. If we are not aware of the subtle energies around us and inside of us, too much severity could lead to cruelty and too much mercy could allow terrible evil to run roughshod over us. The higher self uses spiritual laws to harmonize all energies in context for the highest possible good.”
“We have purified ourselves mentally on previous paths in order to polarize from the negative to the positive more easily, but remember that you often encounter negativity in the world, so I strongly recommend that we continue the practice of mentally purifying the self. In this day and age, even a master needs to cleanse his mind regularly."
Mars in Geburah (Severity)
"Look, Mr. M, those boys are still fighting! Can you believe it?" Claire exclaims.
"Boys are always fighting or competing over one thing or another, I'm afraid."
"Why are we seeing them again?"
"We are on the path of Leo now, but the boys are also influenced by Saturn. Remember that the Fire element can often cause impulsive or strong, vigorous behavior, and both Mars and Leo are fiery influences. Like the king of beasts, the lion, the Leo type is the most dominant and strong-willed of all of our friends in the zodiac. The Fire of spiritual will and the influence of Leo can lead to mere tussles for dominance, but the influence of Saturn helps them to gain the discipline required in battle, which is perhaps the most rigorous discipline of all. On the physical plane, competition occurs in many arenas, and physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual strength and discipline are great virtues that must be acquired through experience. Our friends are experiencing the serious play of those who must learn discipline and develop strength on the level of spiritual will. Once that discipline is mastered, it can be applied to all levels of being."
"Oh, I thought they were just being silly boys."
Six of Wands: Jupiter in Leo,
Sun in Tiphareth (Beauty)
"Mr. M, we just saw him!"
"No worries. In the process of education, you often encounter the same information more than once so that you are more likely to remember it. This, I think, should be especially true for something as complex as the Tree of Life. We encountered our friend recently because he is also associated with the path of Jupiter, which, you remember, we recently traveled. Here we are on the path of Leo. You might also remember that in grandeur of manner, splendor of bearing and magnanimity of personality, the Leo type is like a lion or a monarch, in attitude at least. Leo types are often self-confident, strong-willed, and independent. Together with the expansiveness and abundance of spirit characteristic of Jupiter, the qualities of Leo are beneficial in the process known as the "Great Work"--the transformation from the "lower" or "conditioned" personality to the Higher Self. As I mentioned earlier, this great work of transformation can result in a victory for both the individual and the community, for when one person wins through to the knowledge of the harmony and light and love of the Higher Self, then others in the community, because of our basic connection at the spiritual level, also find it easier to win through to higher awareness."
"Oh, yes, now I remember why I liked him so much, Mr. M!"
Seven of Wands: Mars in Leo,
Venus in Netzach (Victory)
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