{"product_id":"strength","title":"\"Strength\"","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrints:\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eLimited edition of 50\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout The Artwork:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e“Strength”\u003c\/em\u003e is a black and white art piece that reinterprets the Strength card of the tarot. Two feminine hands rise from a rocky mountain and support the head of a lion, pointing softly toward a star. The lion wears a crown of flowers, and an infinity sign hovers above it. The power in the image comes from \u003cstrong\u003egentleness\u003c\/strong\u003e rather than force.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003elion\u003c\/strong\u003e is one of the most widespread symbols of \u003cstrong\u003epower\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003ecourage\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003erule\u003c\/strong\u003e. In ancient Egypt, the lioness goddess Sekhmet embodied both destruction and healing. In Hindu tradition, the goddess Durga is often shown riding a lion, fierce \u003cstrong\u003estrength\u003c\/strong\u003e directed by a calm will. In the Bible, the Lion of Judah stands for kingship and authority. In \u003cem\u003e“Strength,”\u003c\/em\u003e the lion is crowned with flowers instead of gold, its power softened rather than defeated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMountains\u003c\/strong\u003e stand for \u003cstrong\u003epermanence\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eendurance\u003c\/strong\u003e, and closeness to the \u003cstrong\u003esacred\u003c\/strong\u003e. In Hindu and Buddhist cosmology, Mount Meru is the axis at the center of the universe. Moses receives the law on Mount Sinai. In China, Mount Tai is so tied to \u003cstrong\u003estability\u003c\/strong\u003e that “as steady as Mount Tai” is a common expression. A mountain sits in the background of Pamela Colman Smith’s 1909 Strength card. Here it moves to the foreground, and the hands grow directly from the rock.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHands\u003c\/strong\u003e express \u003cstrong\u003ecare\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eprotection\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eintention\u003c\/strong\u003e. The hamsa, an open hand found across the Middle East and North Africa, is a sign of \u003cstrong\u003eprotection\u003c\/strong\u003e. In Buddhist art, the abhaya mudra, a raised open palm, signifies \u003cstrong\u003efearlessness\u003c\/strong\u003e. In Christian tradition, the laying on of hands conveys \u003cstrong\u003eblessing\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003ehealing\u003c\/strong\u003e. In \u003cem\u003e“Strength,”\u003c\/em\u003e the hands support the lion rather than restrain it, and they point toward a star, directing that strength toward something beyond force.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003einfinity\u003c\/strong\u003e sign, or \u003cstrong\u003elemniscate\u003c\/strong\u003e, represents the \u003cstrong\u003eendless\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eunbroken\u003c\/strong\u003e. The mathematician John Wallis introduced it in 1655, but the idea is older: the \u003cstrong\u003eouroboros\u003c\/strong\u003e, a serpent swallowing its own tail, carried a similar meaning in ancient Egyptian and Greek alchemical imagery. In tarot, the lemniscate appears above the figures on both the Magician and Strength cards. Above the lion in \u003cem\u003e“Strength,”\u003c\/em\u003e it marks a force that is lasting rather than spent in a single act.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eTogether, these elements describe strength as \u003cstrong\u003epatience\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003erestraint\u003c\/strong\u003e rather than domination. The tarot card shows instinct met with \u003cstrong\u003ecompassion\u003c\/strong\u003e instead of fear, and \u003cem\u003e“Strength”\u003c\/em\u003e follows that reading: rooted in the mountain, extended through open hands, steady in the face of raw \u003cstrong\u003epower\u003c\/strong\u003e. Moving the flower crown from the woman to the lion shifts the focus to what is changed by care. This black and white art piece is about power held steady rather than forced.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #808080;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Believe in a love that is being stored up for you like an inheritance, and have faith that in this love there is a strength and a blessing so large that you can travel as far as you wish without having to step outside it.\" ― Rainer Maria Rilke\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e","brand":"Karien Bredenkamp","offers":[{"title":"Limited Edition Print","offer_id":67899865170074,"sku":"EK22747172","price":39.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Original","offer_id":67899865202842,"sku":"EK11747172","price":390.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0488\/3375\/7338\/files\/Strength-1-Detail-On-Grey.jpg?v=1792347951","url":"https:\/\/www.karienbredenkamp.com\/products\/strength","provider":"Karien Bredenkamp","version":"1.0","type":"link"}