Strength
Strength
Strength (VIII) shows a woman gently closing a lion’s jaws, using the power of her spirit rather than the power of her arms. An infinity sign (∞) floats above her head, the same one the Magician wears.
What the card means in tarot
Strength is one of the most beautiful cards in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. A figure in white, crowned with flowers, rests her hands on the head of a huge lion, and he looks up at her with calm devotion. The card teaches that real strength is compassion that softens what is rough, which has nothing to do with domination. The Chariot (VII) wins through determination and control, and Strength wins through kindness and patience. The lion here isn’t an enemy. He’s your own animal nature: fear, passion, anger. You aren’t meant to kill it. You’re meant to make friends with it. This card tends to appear when you need the courage to face yourself.
Strength upright
Keywords: courage · patience · inner strength
Upright, Strength means inner courage that doesn’t need to make noise. You get past your fears by accepting them, and confrontation isn’t required. It’s a card for people who earn respect through character rather than volume. It recommends patience in a situation where a quick fix would only make things worse, and compassion for yourself in your weaker moments.
Strength reversed
Reversed, Strength warns of self-doubt, harsh self-criticism, or being too hard on yourself and others. It can mean you’ve lost touch with your inner strength and are looking for it in other people’s approval. It also signals suppressed emotion: the anger you learned not to admit hasn’t gone anywhere.
Strength in love and relationships
If you’re single
Strength tells single people that inner calm is attractive. People are drawn to someone who has their own “beast” in hand: the passions, the ego, the impulses. Work on yourself more than on your appeal. A partner tends to come toward a person who’s steady.
If you’re in a relationship
For couples, Strength is the card of patience in a hard stretch. If your partner is going through a rough time, be the steady hand that soothes, not the one that provokes. It also describes a relationship where each of you “tames” the other gently, never by force. Love here means working together, not ruling.
Reversed in love
Reversed in love, it signals passion out of control or, at the other extreme, burned-out passivity. One wants, the other doesn’t. Jealousy, blowups, aggression. Or lost confidence in a relationship that has made you smaller. Reversed, Strength says: inner work first, relationship second.
Strength in career and money
Work and career
Professionally, Strength belongs to leaders who stay composed in a crisis. It favors roles where you have to manage ego, yours and other people’s: management, therapy, negotiation, crisis response. Success here comes through persistence, not aggression.
Money and finances
With money, Strength means building slowly and surely. Years of quiet discipline tend to do more than any impulsive move. The card favors patience, steady habits, and the person who doesn’t panic when things get shaky.
Reversed in career
Reversed, it warns of burnout, angry outbursts, and lost self-control. At work, losing your temper with colleagues erodes relationships and reputation faster than it erodes income. With money: frustration purchases and decisions made in the heat of emotion.
Strength and personal growth
Spiritually, Strength teaches tenderness toward your animal nature: your fears, your desires, your pain. She doesn’t tell you to overpower them. She tells you to build a relationship with them. The lion in you calms down once he senses you aren’t going to condemn him.
Strength combined with other cards
Strength + the Hermit = quiet wisdom. Someone who knows their worth and has no need to prove it. Readers tend to see it around mentors, counselors, and mature leaders.
Strength + the Tower = a crisis that makes you stronger. It’s hard, and a more mature version of you comes out of it. A fall you get up from wiser.
Strength + the Sun = bright, grown-up confidence. Success earned through inner work, a charismatic leader with a clean heart. One of the most positive pairings there is.
Affirmation for Strength
“My strength is in my calm.”
Whenever a strong feeling hits (anger, fear, craving), pause for three breaths. Hold the Strength card or picture it. Don’t react right away. Let the emotion be there, and only then choose your response. The lion doesn’t leave. It settles under her hands because she doesn’t fight it.
Symbols on the card
- Infinity sign (∞) above her head: the limitless power of the spirit
- Hands on the lion: gentle control, with no force in it
- Flower garland: spring, peace, natural beauty
- White dress: clean intention, the innocence of true strength
- Calm lion: animal nature brought into harmony
- Mountain in the background: the heights that inner work leads toward
Common questions
What does the Strength tarot card mean?+
Strength points to inner courage, patience, and mastering your passions through gentleness rather than force. It’s a card for people who win through character. It advises meeting challenges with calm and compassion, including toward yourself.
What does Strength mean in a love reading?+
In love, Strength points to a patient, devoted relationship where partners stand by each other in hard times. Reversed, it can mean suppressed emotions, destructive outbursts, or self-doubt within the relationship.
What does Strength reversed mean?+
Reversed, Strength warns of doubt, self-criticism, or buried emotions. You’ve lost touch with your inner strength. The card advises coming back to self-compassion instead of looking for approval from outside.
Related cards· Major Arcana
All 22 Major Arcana cards
Try this card in a reading
Strength shows its full meaning only alongside other cards. Here are six of the most popular spreads where it can turn up:
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