Associating a story (whether myth, fairy tale or personal experience) with each Tarot card is a wonderful way to both remember the meaning of the card and also to add depth to your readings.
A week or so ago I was idly flicking through my deck while mulling over which tale I would like to tell for each card, when an image I seldom pay attention to leapt out at me: a beautiful woman gently, lovingly closing the mouth of a snarling lion with her bare and vulnerable hands.
Instantly my mind picked up on the similarities between the image and the story of Beauty and the Beast: I couldn’t ask for a more perfect illustration of this card than my favourite fairy tale.
Beauty and the Beast – Vogue
Once upon a time, a rich merchant became a pauper overnight when his ships were lost at sea. All, that is, but one, which could save him and his three motherless daughters from the workhouse.
Naturally jovial, he asked each daughter what gift she would like if he were to return home a wealthy man.
“Gorgeous dresses!” Gasped the first.
“Golden jewellery!” Cried the second.
But the youngest, whom her father called Beauty, said: “Only a white rose, and your safe return home.”
So off their father went to discover his family’s fate – alas, the ship was a ruin and his dreams were dashed like his fleet. He began his return journey home with a heavy heart and an empty pocket.
So lost was he in dark thoughts that he became lost in truth, and he wearily wandered until dusk fell. He stumbled in the gloaming until he discovered bright lights lit with an imposing mansion. Ashamed as he was, the father was not so proud that he couldn’t knock upon the door and beg shelter for the night.
The door opened to reveal the mansion to be eerily empty, peopled only by invisible servants who fed and waited upon the merchant without him ever perceiving them. The master of the house was conspicuously absent and so, after a night’s rest and a fine breakfast, the merchant resumed his journey without thanking his host.
As he was about to pass beneath the gate of the mansion’s gardens, the merchant noticed white roses twining around the stone arch. Pleased at the prospect of being able to satisfy the wish of one of his daughters, the merchant reached up and pulled a flower loose.
A dreadful howl shattered the unnatural quiet and thunderous footsteps approached the trembling merchant.
“Thief!” Bellowed the master of the house, a snarling beast who roared like a lion.
“I’m sorry!” The merchant blubbered and poured forth his tale of woe.
The Beast was intrigued by the merchant’s story; enchanted by the description of his loving daughter, Beauty, he offered the merchant a deal: if Beauty agreed to live with the Beast in the mansion, then the Beast would not kill her father for his theft.
The merchant hung his head and agreed.
When he arrived home, the merchant was ashamed of his bargain and he wept as he told his story to his daughters, who were horrified at Beauty’s fate.
Resolute, Beauty tucked the white rose into her chestnut hair, kissed her father farewell and began her journey to the home of the Beast.
No one greeted her upon her arrival, no one escorted her to her room; only invisible servants were her company: food appeared, dirty dishes vanished. Clean clothes hung neatly in wardrobes, soiled laundry discretely disappeared. At dusk a great bell tolled and Beauty felt fluttering phantom fingers plucking at her sleeves and hems, tugging her towards a hall and into a seat before the crackling fire. In the chair opposite her sat the Beast, and gentle Beauty couldn’t help but recoil from his monstrousness.
Slowly, haltingly, the Beast began to speak with her, as if overcoming the natural shyness inherent in all wild creatures. They spoke of books and music, of hopes and fears. The Beast told Beauty that the mansion was her home, not her prison, and that she was free to explore as she wished.
La Belle et La Bete by Jean Cocteau
The bell tolled again at midnight and when its echoes ended, the Beast looked Beauty in the eye for the first time. “Beauty,” he murmured so as not to growl; “will you marry me?”
Beauty was appalled. “No, Beast. I will not.” She hurried from the room, unaware of the tears he wept. That night, Beauty dreamt of a handsome, sorrowful prince who asked her why she refused him.
And so each day was the same: Beauty entertained herself until evening when she would talk with the Beast. She enjoyed the conversations they had until the bell struck midnight and again the Beast would propose, and again Beauty would refuse. But each night, her voice became softer and her refusal kinder. Each night her dream prince became a little less sad.
But dreams, phantoms and beasts aren’t suitable playfellows for bright young women, and Beauty became homesick. She begged the Beast to return her to her family, if only for a visit. The Beast had fallen in love with Beauty and could refuse her nothing; he only asked that she come back to him at the end of the season. Beauty agreed to return and when she began her journey, she left footprints in the snow as she travelled home.
Her father was overjoyed at her return, but her sisters were deeply jealous of her good fortune. They began to pour poison into her ears: “the Beast is cruel, a brute, a monster. Stay with us, we love you, we haven’t coped without you.” They rubbed onions into their eyes to make them water and Beauty was touched by their false love. She wavered as the snow began to melt. She missed the Beast as flowers pushed through the earth. She hesitated until she heard his loneliness echoed in the cuckoo’s call.
In her dreams the handsome prince faded away until she heard the crack of his breaking heart. Before she was fully awake her feet were running down the green path back to the Beast.
She found him in his chair as if he hadn’t moved; his fur thin, his eyes dull, his claws blunt. Beauty’s heart hurt to see him brought so low and she fell beside him, kissing his sheathed claws as she wept.
Beauty and the Beast – Vogue
One heavy paw was lifted and rested against her hair. “Beauty,” sighed the Beast; “Will you marry me?”
“Yes, my Beast. I will.”
Sunlight washed through the cursed mansion, chasing the shadowy enchantment away. The paw on her hair metamorphosed into a hand: the terrible beast had been transformed into the handsome prince of her dreams. He had been cursed by a wicked fairy and only when he found true love, despite his ugliness, would the spell be broken.
The couple were wed and all lived happily ever after. Well, except for the sisters, who were turned to stone by the wicked fairy until they could learn to see the good in others.
What does the story mean?
‘Beauty and the Beast’ is about the transformative power of love, compassion and tolerance. Beauty learns to love and accept the Beast exactly as he is without conditions: she is unaware of the curse upon him and therefore she doesn’t act with love out of hope for his redemption, but simply because through knowing him better she has come to love him, beastly or otherwise.
The sisters illustrate what happens when we are selfish, short sighted or unkind: because their characters lack the softness of empathy and understanding, they are cursed so that their bodies reflect their hearts: cold and unyielding. When they learn to look beyond the surface of a person and to wonder what has made them who they are, then their own curse will be broken. In fairytales such as this, the curses often become blessings later on: how many experiences would the sisters miss out on if they never learned the lesson to look within? Should they break the curse (which, if we’re honest, we’ve all been bespelled by at some point or other!) their lives and relationships will be richer, deeper and more serene.
Plato
What does the card mean?
The woman is tenderly holding the muzzle of the lion, as much to keep it from harming itself as from harming her – she doesn’t want to destroy the lion, but she hopes to keep it from being destructive. The pair together signify taking control of a situation by viewing it with compassion and courage rather than frustration and fear. The inner strength of the woman is matching the outer strength of the lion – it is integral to find a balance between the two, and to know when each is needed.
Strength – Ukiyo-e Tarot
When Strength appears in a reading, it signifies that the querent must learn to accept the limitations and faults of a situation, loved one, or even themselves. Self awareness is key, so that the querent can be sure of the motives behind their actions and emotional responses – are they acting from a place of frustration, anxiety or vulnerability? If so, why? This card is about the battle between our instinctual nature and our civilised mind; each has its place, but like a good craftsman knows what tool is needed for a job, we have to know which to rely on in any situation: our instincts or our intellect? Trust yourself, but never give up exploring your own heart. You have the strength you need to overcome any situation, but it might not be the sort of strength you expect!
“Give Me Strength” Spread
- The situation;
- The strength you need;
- The strength you already have;
- What you need to understand;
- The instincts you should trust.
May I have the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
Once upon a time…
…I wrote some other posts you might enjoy!
Disarming the Death Card with Snow White
The Lovers and the Golden Apple
