Strength
Courage that is gentle.
Quiet courage and gentleness handle what force cannot.
- courage
- patience
- compassion
Traditional association: Leo
What the card shows
A woman in white, with an infinity sign above her head, calmly closes the mouth of a lion. She wears a garland of flowers and mountains rise behind.
In this deck Strength is numbered eight (Justice is eleven). Eight is the number of steady effort. The picture shows strength as patience rather than force: the lion is not beaten but befriended. Leo, her usual sign, is the lion.
▲Upright
Quiet courage: meeting a strong feeling with patience and kindness instead of a fight.
What would patience look like here?
▼Reversed
Strength is drained, or force takes the place of gentleness.
What am I trying to force that needs gentleness?
Strength in a reading
In love
Staying steady and gentle when emotions run high.
Reversed: Strength is drained, or force takes the place of gentleness.
At work
Keeping calm under pressure; leading by example.
Its shadow side: self-doubt, pushing feelings down.
As a Major Arcana card
Life's big themes and turning points. A Major Arcana card points to a bigger theme than the everyday cards around it.
Related cards
The Minor Arcana cards that share the number 8.
Eight of Wands
Eight of Cups
Eight of Swords
Eight of PentaclesRead it with other cards
Questions about Strength
What does Strength mean in tarot?
Quiet courage: meeting a strong feeling with patience and kindness instead of a fight. Keywords: courage, patience, compassion.
What does Strength mean reversed?
Strength is drained, or force takes the place of gentleness. Fading: running low on energy. Blocked: self-doubt. Excess: trying to tame a feeling by force.
What does Strength mean in love?
Staying steady and gentle when emotions run high.
What does Strength mean for work?
Keeping calm under pressure; leading by example.
What question does Strength ask?
Upright: What would patience look like here? Reversed: What am I trying to force that needs gentleness?
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