Strength
I am watching Couples Therapy and find myself intrigued by the psychoanalyst Orna Guralnik and her approach with couples who often struggle with traumatic pasts marked by family and intimate partner violence. These couples work diligently not to impose old patterns onto their current relationships. Guralnik invites compassionate inquiry, curiosity, and understanding among those whose lives she witnesses. In doing so, she aims to foster togetherness, intimacy, and improved communication.
Her work reminds me of the figure in the Strength card. Dr. Guralnik’s dog, Nico, present in all of her sessions, does not nip at her heels as we see in the Fool, but is instead an integral part of her work, quietly reminding both viewers and patients of our intertwined human and animal nature.
In the Strength card, we see a feminine figure taming a lion. Like the Magician, this figure bears an infinity symbol above her head, reminding us that as we move into the second line of the Major Arcana, we undertake the ever-ongoing work of coming to terms with the untamed forces of the unconscious. Both Orna and the figure in this card embody “the role of the feminine as the mediating influence between human consciousness and the primitive psyche” (Nichols, 2019, p. 202).
The core of all psychoanalytic and psychodynamically informed approaches is to gain insight and make the unconscious conscious. We strive to name what lurks in the depths in an effort to tame it. I am watching Couples Therapy and find myself intrigued by the psychoanalyst Orna Guralnik and her approach with couples who often struggle with traumatic pasts marked by family and intimate partner violence. These couples work diligently not to impose old patterns onto their current relationships. Guralnik invites compassionate inquiry, curiosity, and understanding among those whose lives she witnesses. In doing so, she aims to foster togetherness, intimacy, and improved communication.
Her work reminds me of the figure in the Strength card. Dr. Guralnik’s dog, Nico, present in all of her sessions, does not nip at her heels as we see in the Fool, but is instead an integral part of her work, quietly reminding both viewers and patients of our intertwined human and animal nature.
In the Strength card, we see a feminine figure taming a lion. Like the Magician, this figure bears an infinity symbol above her head, reminding us that as we move into the second line of the Major Arcana, we undertake the ever-ongoing work of coming to terms with the untamed forces of the unconscious. Both Orna and the figure in this card embody “the role of the feminine as the mediating influence between human consciousness and the primitive psyche” (Nichols, 2019, p. 202).
The core of all psychoanalytic and psychodynamically informed approaches is to gather insight and make the unconscious conscious. We strive to name what lurks in the depths in an effort to tame it. Once we accept and name the untamed, primitive aspects of ourselves, we are liberated.
As Nichols writes, “The more each of us individually can become conscious of [our] animal nature, the less we will be compelled to live out this side in personal rages or mass wars” (2019, p. 204). Judith Herman, in her seminal work on trauma and recovery, also speaks to the connection between the public sphere of war and politics and the private sphere of domestic life—showing how deeply intertwined they are. Fear plays a central role here. Many people avoid self-knowledge because confronting the parts of ourselves we hate—or that disrupt our carefully constructed self-image—can be terrifying.
We often evade facing this inner beast through avoidance, projection, regression, or denial. This fear of grappling with our worst tendencies plays out on the public stage amongst the leaders of this current administration. Mass deportations, the construction of modern-day concentration camps, the stripping away of women’s rights over their own bodies, and the persecution of LGBTQIA communities are all manifestations of how those with power refuse the work of self-knowledge. Instead of confronting the parts of themselves they most loathe, they project that hatred outward in the form of sanctioned, “lawful” violence. Their unwillingness to understand their own vulnerabilities and chaotic impulses drives a desperate hunger for power and control. This insatiable desire, rooted in fear, leads to domination, cruelty, aggression, and, at times, quiet yet insidious manipulation.
In our private lives, these untamed forces reveal themselves in violence against those we are meant to love and protect. Such acts, aimed at achieving domination or a false sense of safety, are driven by the pursuit of power and control—rather than by a desire to understand ourselves. It is often too frightening to wade into the mysterious depths of our unconscious and discover that we are not so different from those we fear or despise. Yet the greatest gift we can offer each other is our own commitment to healing through the courageous process of truly knowing all parts of ourselves, even those we wish did not exist.
The Strength card calls us to action: do not fear your inner lion. “We need to confront feelings and desires long hidden from our conscious thoughts,” urges Pollack, and “try not to turn our backs on this beastly part of ourselves,” because whenever we do, “it becomes more ravenous and demanding” and will inevitably lead to destruction in both our private and public spheres (2019, p. 73). Each of us harbors a beast, and each of us is responsible for understanding it—so that we neither discard it nor cast it upon another.
As Nichols writes, “The more each of us individually can become conscious of [our] animal nature, the less we will be compelled to live out this side in personal rages or mass wars” (2019, p. 204). Judith Herman, in her seminal work on trauma and recovery, also speaks to the connection between the public sphere of war and politics and the private sphere of domestic life—showing how deeply intertwined they are. Fear plays a central role here. Many people avoid self-knowledge because confronting the parts of ourselves we dislike—or that disrupt our carefully constructed self-image—can be terrifying.
We often evade facing this inner beast through avoidance, projection, regression, or denial. This fear of grappling with our worst tendencies plays out on the public stage. Mass deportations, the construction of modern-day concentration camps, the stripping away of women’s rights over their own bodies, and the persecution of LGBTQIA communities are all manifestations of how those with power refuse the work of self-knowledge. Instead of confronting the parts of themselves they most loathe, they project that hatred outward in the form of sanctioned, “lawful” violence. Their unwillingness to understand their own vulnerabilities and chaotic impulses drives a desperate hunger for power and control. This insatiable desire, rooted in fear, leads to domination, cruelty, aggression, and, at times, quiet yet insidious manipulation.
In our private lives, these untamed forces reveal themselves in violence against those we are meant to love and protect. Such acts, aimed at achieving domination or a false sense of safety, are driven by the pursuit of power and control—rather than by a desire to understand ourselves. It is often too frightening to wade into the mysterious depths of our unconscious and discover that we are not so different from those we fear or despise. Yet the greatest gift we can offer each other is our own commitment to healing through the courageous process of truly knowing all parts of ourselves, even those we wish did not exist.
The Strength card calls us to action: do not fear your inner lion. “We need to confront feelings and desires long hidden from our conscious thoughts,” urges Pollack, and “try not to turn our backs on this beastly part of ourselves,” because whenever we do, “it becomes more ravenous and demanding” and will inevitably lead to destruction in both our private and public spheres (2019, p. 73). Each of us harbors a beast, and each of us is responsible for understanding it—so that we neither discard it nor cast it upon another.
References
Herman, J. L. (1992). Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence—from domestic abuse to political terror. Basic Books.
Nichols, S. (2019). Jung and tarot: An archetypal journey (30th anniversary ed.). Weiser Books.
Pollack, R. (2019). Seventy-eight degrees of wisdom: A tarot journey to self-awareness. Weiser Books.
