This week I’ve been mesmerized by Meggan Watterson’s book, Mary Magdalene Revealed. I was raised in a specifically secular home (more thoughts on this another time), and my Christian education has come to me in snippets here and there, from conversations with my priest buddy Erin, and my husband Chris, who has made the study of world religions a lifelong hobby.
In Watterson’s book, she tells the story of Thecla, the 2nd century woman who became a devotee of Paul after listening to him speak on virginity, much to the dismay of her friends and family, and especially her fiance. As the story goes, her devotion to Paul resulted in her ultimate salvation, quite literally, as when being burned at the stake for renouncing a worldly life, a downpour quashed it and she was free. Thecla left home to follow Paul, but in a new city the king tried to rape her, and she fought back with all her might, successfully I might add. Charged with assault, Thecla was thrown into a stadium to be eaten by wild animals. Miraculously, the female lionesses protected her from the males and she survived, baptizing herself in a pool of seals.
There’s more to this story but the point of intersection I couldn’t help but notice is the image on the eighth card in the Major Arcana, Strength, and the Thecla story. Thecla is nothing less than badass, fighting off a rapist, taming wild beasts, willing to leave safety and security to follow her beliefs. The woman on the Strength card, dressed in white, treats the lion as a pet, shows her strength but not in a violent way, emanates serenity. I love the way she is holding and stroking the lion’s head, and the look on the lion’s face reminds me of my Newfoundland, Freya. She reminds me so much of Thecla. Even though we know Thecla could be fierce if she needed to protect herself, her courage was rooted in love.
The infinity sign shows up on a few different cards in the Rider Waite Smith deck, most notably The Magician and the Two of Pentacles. Here there is a sense of the woman being somewhat otherworldly, as if there is a magic to her in her ability to tame wild beasts, matching their strength with love. I wonder if Pamela Coleman Smith knew the Thecla story. I wonder who she thought of when drawing this card.
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