The Force: arcanum represents mastery of the passions |

The arcane “The Force”, in the Tarot, is commonly represented by the figure of a lady surrounding a lion. We don’t know if she feeds him, caresses him, opens or closes his mouth. We know that the characters of Blade XI show themselves in an accomplice enigma. The lion is shown to be taken by the force of a woman. Or was it a mistake and the woman caught in the feline’s magnetic gaze?

Big cats are said to have hypnotic power. That physical contact with the predator takes place under conditions similar to a wide-eyed dream in a state of pleasurable deprivation. The human being then, captured by the feline’s eyes, cannot react. The brain anesthetizes the body and a complicity is established between prey and predator so that everything ends as quickly as possible. A numbing of the senses, almost a sensual pleasure takes hold of the victim – all that remains is to surrender.

We don’t know how the lady got to the animal, we don’t know what will happen next. Will she release the lion and he will circle her legs like a kitten? Or will we hear a growl, a fatal snarl showing the lion’s revolt against its fragile tamer?

A woman does not dominate a lion by brute force. So, we have to think about what kind of force is at play, since the opposite action, the lion dominating the woman, is more plausible in real life. That it is as real as the symbolic life, it is good not to forget.

Is it the power of gentleness that disarms the animal? I see delicacy and purity in the eyes of the lady from the Marseilles Tarot, but her hands seem very strong to me with the flesh-colored grip. Her foot is also well supported, appearing through the hem of the dress. Does the lady of strength subjugate the lion by sensuality? Yes, the lady is sensory. If she wasn’t, she wouldn’t be able to keep the beast captive.

Who dominates who? Is brute force or subtle force better?

When we talk about Arcanum XI, who are we thinking about? The lady or the beast? It can be associated with the astrological signs of Virgo and Leo. The Force is the result of the action of the two figures, intimately connected. In fairy tales, it’s “Beauty and the Beast”. In the cinema, “King Kong”, the brute gorilla, rendered by Ann, a beautiful blonde. Or Betty Ross, the girlfriend of the “Hulk”, who makes him shrink in size, something that the entire united North American army cannot do. Yes, because she also surrenders the lion through beauty and love.

The arcanum “The Force” puts us face to face with a common question, but also a very interesting one: the control of the passions. Are we victims of the action of the passions or do we place ourselves above them? Is it ideal to open the cage and release the beasts or keep them captive and fed?

Not so much to heaven, not so much to earth. By releasing the beasts we feel a great relief, but we harm those around us. By locking the beast in the cage we spare our friends, companions and family, but we are left with a frog (or a lion?) stuck in the throat.

Let the Force come like a big gust of wind. Let us breathe in its bright energy – it is ours. From the moment we interact with the Force, just as the lady interacts with the lion, we can absorb its power, integrate it into our body. The lion feeds us. We feed the lion. And we can thus distribute its intensity. This solution is useful for moments of anger, crisis situations, for moments when we are taken by a great passion and we run the risk of taking rash actions.

The Force teaches that passionate energy needs to be released within us before any other action. It needs to run through our veins. Needs to be lived and properly emanated. I wish that the Force provides all of us with a conversation with the nature of our inner lions, through the understanding of magnetism and the sense of dignity. That there is affection, intelligence, courage, sovereignty, vitality and a lot of motivation when the tamer opens the cage.

To continue reflecting on the topic

For those who haven’t watched it, I recommend the film “Rosaline and the Lions” (1989), by Jean-Jacques Beineix. It is possible to see the Lady of Strength in action very closely.