Strengthening our Spirit from the Inside Out

Astrologically, the month of August begins with the Sun in its own fiery sign of Leo and ends with the Sun in the grounding sign of Virgo. It thus makes the transition from Leo's energizing illumination to Virgo's healing focus.

The Tarot correlation of Leo energy is the Strength card, #XI in the Major Arcana. In traditional Tarot decks, the Strength card depicts a young woman wearing a garland of flowers around her brow. She stretches open the jaws of a lion who submits to her, depicting Spirit's dominion over our "animal" instincts.

In the Voyager Deck, which is my favorite version of the Tarot, several lions are also key figures in the collage-imaged Strength card. They are joined by orange-red rivers and a bird soaring with wings and beak spread wide, singing his own song for all to hear. At the center of the card is a mask that's half-lion and half-African, depicting our versatility through the diverse masks and roles we wear in our lives. Voyager Tarot creator James Wanless, Ph.D., writes about the Strength card as a reminder to "live in full accord with the undiluted multiplicity of your being."

I also like how the number 8–– August being the 8th month of the year––looks like an upright Infinity.

At this time of year, while the sun bakes the San Fernando Valley around me, I'm reminded that "what doesn't kill us makes us stronger." I constantly learn from my life's tests and lessons which ultimately make me stronger inside and out. Challenges strengthen my intuition and help it guide me with less effort all the time. And they show me that I can survive more than I think.

Strengthening our inner voice as well as our sensitivity to external energies are both key parts of what the Strength card and Leo energy embody. This makes August a great time of year to follow James Wanless' advice and tune into all our inner and outer facets with passionate determination so we can use them fully in the coming fall and winter months.

Since summer began, how have you gotten stronger inside and out? What tests, lessons, happy challenges and/or surprises have occurred to serve as "spiritual weights" to strengthen your intuition and inner fortitude?

Also, how have you nourished your body so it will stay strong and continue to support your spirit no matter how hot and steamy it gets outside, both literally and metaphorically?

Tuning into your inner strength as well as the outer strengths all around is an action we should take every day, not just in August. As you enjoy this last month of summer and prepare the cooler months to come, don't stop enjoying how strong you're becoming. Continue to tap into Leo's energy to help you stay strong, inside and out, all year long.

©2002 Barbara Schiffman

Barbara Schiffman, Life Design and Active-Intuition coach in Burbank, works with highly creative and spiritual people who seek deeper connections with their intuitive inner wisdom on practical actions to fulfill their unique life purpose. Barbara teaches in-person workshops and teleclasses on using Voyager Tarot to "Become Your Own Intuition Coach” and using the Horoscope as an evolutionary map of personal physics to "Quantum-Shift Your Life.” 818-623-7277 or 800-306-8290 • EvoLuminus@aol.com, or visit www.iNetCoaching.com/bschiffman.