StrengthTarot card meaning

What the Strength card shows

A woman in a white dress, crowned and belted with flowers, bends over a large red lion and holds its jaws in her hands. An infinity sign floats above her head, the same sign that hangs over The Magician. Behind them is a distant blue mountain under a yellow sky.

Readers disagree about whether she's closing the lion's mouth or opening it. Closing it would mean taming. Opening it would mean she's not afraid of what's inside. Either way, the lion lets her. A chain of flowers runs from her down to the lion, as if the two of them are tied together. Whatever the lion stands for, she isn't fighting it. It's part of her.

Why Strength is number eight

In older decks Strength was card eleven and Justice was eight. Arthur Waite, who designed the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, swapped them so the cards would line up with the astrological system his occult order used, which pairs Strength with Leo, the lion. Most modern decks follow his order, but some, especially those based on the Marseille pattern, still use the old one.

If you've ever seen a different number on this card, that's why. The meaning doesn't change.

Strength upright: gentle and unmovable

Upright, the card asks you to handle something hard with steadiness instead of force. Stay calm in the argument. Be kind to the part of you that's scared. Keep going on a long, slow problem without making it a battle.

It's also about courage in its least dramatic form. Getting through a rough season. Holding a boundary politely, again and again. Not reacting to the provocation. That kind of strength rarely gets noticed, which is part of why this card exists.

Strength reversed: when the lion takes over

Reversed, the lion is winning. Anger, anxiety, impulses or self-doubt are running things, and you know it. You might be snapping at people, avoiding something out of fear, or telling yourself you're not capable of a thing you've done before.

Be gentle with this one. The answer isn't to fight yourself harder. It's to get back to the calm that lets you handle the lion at all: rest, support, and smaller steps.

Strength in love

In love, Strength is patient, loyal affection. The kind of relationship that gets through a hard year without falling apart. If you're dating, it suggests confidence that doesn't need to perform. Being calm and yourself is more attractive than being impressive.

Reversed, insecurity or jealousy is getting in. Checking their phone, reading into every delay, losing your temper over small things. Ask what fear is underneath it, and whether it belongs to this relationship or an older one.

Strength and their feelings

Upright, their feelings are steady and real. They care, and they're the patient type about it, willing to wait or work through things. Reversed, they may feel insecure about where they stand with you, or be struggling with emotions they don't know how to show without overreacting.

Strength at work

At work, Strength favours the person who stays calm under pressure. Difficult clients, a tense team, a long project that needs stamina. You'll get further through persuasion than confrontation. It's also a good card for anyone who works with people in distress: carers, nurses, teachers, support staff.

With money, it supports steady discipline, the slow kind of progress that comes from not panicking. Reversed, watch for decisions made in fear or frustration.

Strength with difficult people

A lot of readers draw this card while dealing with someone hard to handle. A toddler mid-tantrum, a teenager slamming doors, an ageing parent who's frightened and lashing out, an angry customer. The lion doesn't have to be inside you.

The card's approach works on people too. Lower your voice instead of raising it. Don't take the bait. Hold the line you've set, kindly, as many times as it takes. You're not trying to win. You're trying to stay steady long enough for them to settle.

Strength as advice

Soften your grip and keep your ground. Whatever you're up against, meet it calmly and stay with it longer than feels comfortable. Most lions settle when they realise you're not going anywhere.

Cards to read alongside Strength

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  The Chariot. The card before. The Chariot controls by will. Strength calms by patience. Both reach the same place by different roads.

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  Justice. The card it traded places with. Older decks number Justice eight and Strength eleven.

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  Nine of Wands. Strength after a long fight: worn down, bandaged, still standing guard.

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  Queen of Wands. Confident warmth in person. A Queen of Wands often has the calm power Strength describes.