Strength in Tarot: Inner Power, Sacred Patience and the Courage to Soften

TL;DR: Strength Quick Reference

Upright: Inner strength, compassion, patience, courage, emotional resilience, calm under pressure, soft power, integration of instinct, trust, discipline through love, spiritual endurance

Reversed: Suppressed emotion, reactivity, self-doubt, volatility, fear of vulnerability, avoidance of inner work, passive aggression, collapse under pressure, loss of trust, burnout

The Archetype of Strength in the Tarot

Strength is not brute force - it is power under control. It is the part of the psyche that can sit with intensity without being ruled by it. Not denial, not repression - but integration. Strength is not the lion - nor the maiden. It is their union.

This card represents the mastery of the self through presence, not pressure. It reminds us that real courage is not loud. Real control doesn’t require violence. This is the archetype of sacred containment - the ability to meet power, instinct, chaos, or pain without flinching or fighting it.

On The Fool’s journey, Strength marks a critical turning point: you’ve left behind external battles - now the trial is internal. It’s no longer about controlling the world, but learning to sit still in your own emotional fire. You don’t win this one with speed or logic. You win it with softness.

Related Cards to Explore

The Emperor in Tarot: Structure, Sovereignty and the Archetype of Order

The Hierophant in Tarot: Tradition, Transmission and Sacred Order

The Lovers in Tarot: Union, Choice and Sacred Alignment

The Chariot in Tarot: Willpower, Movement and the Path of Triumph

Symbolism and Imagery of Strength

In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, a woman in white gently holds open the jaws of a lion. Her expression is calm, unbothered. She does not restrain the lion - she communes with it. Above her head floats the infinity symbol - like the Magician - indicating divine guidance, spiritual mastery, and infinite capacity.

She wears a flower crown. The landscape is golden, bright, filled with light. The lion represents raw instinct, emotion, sexuality, fear, anger - the primal forces. The woman represents grace, patience, and trust.

There are no chains. No struggle. The power here is relational - not imposed. Strength is born from inner alignment. From having met your own shadow and stayed.

Meaning of Strength in a Tarot Reading

When Strength appears, it calls for grace under pressure. Not withdrawal, not aggression - but calm, conscious presence. You are being asked to meet a situation - or yourself - with soft power. To stay grounded. To respond, not react.

This card may indicate:

• The need for emotional regulation
• Courage to stay in vulnerability
• Inner fortitude during a long challenge
• The quiet strength to keep showing up without needing control

In relationships, it speaks to trust, patience, and non-reactivity. In personal growth, it reflects mastery over fear or habitual response. It suggests that power is best expressed through consistency - not domination.

Strength doesn’t need to prove itself. It holds - and in holding, transforms.

Reversed Meaning of Strength in a Tarot Reading

Reversed, Strength can signal that your internal equilibrium has been shaken. You may be feeling reactive, overwhelmed, disconnected from your capacity to regulate emotion or act with patience.

You might be:

• Lashing out when you need to lean in
• Collapsing inward when you need to stay steady
• Trying to force control over something that asks for grace

It may also reflect self-doubt - a lack of belief in your ability to hold what’s happening. This card reversed reminds you that power is not the absence of fear - it’s your relationship to it.

Are you resisting your inner lion - or learning to walk beside it?

The Evolution of Strength Throughout History

Strength has deep mythological roots - linked to both heroic trials and divine containment. Figures like Hercules (subduing the Nemean Lion), Inanna (descending into the underworld), or the Madonna (taming dragons through love) all echo the Strength archetype: taming what is wild not through force, but through presence and divinity.

Early Tarot Appearances – Fortitude and the Female Hero

In early decks like the Visconti-Sforza, this card was called Fortitudo - Fortitude. It often depicted a crowned woman breaking a column or wielding a club. The image was a blend of Christian and classical iconography: virtue made manifest through symbolic strength.

The inclusion of a woman (rather than a male warrior) was deliberate - Fortitude was considered a feminine virtue, one of the four classical cardinal virtues alongside Temperance, Justice, and Prudence.

Marseille Tarot – Taming the Beast

In the Marseille tradition, the image evolved into a woman prying open the jaws of a lion. The tarot card was called La Force, and the visual emphasis shifted from symbol to animal - from strength as virtue to strength as interaction.

This imagery foregrounded the relationship between the human and the wild - a dialogue, not a battle. Strength was not domination - it was communion.

Christian Overlay – Virtue and Submission

Christianisation reinforced the idea of Fortitude as a moral victory - the triumph of the soul over the animal passions. The lion became a stand-in for sin or temptation. The woman symbolised virtue conquering vice.

This narrowed the card’s meaning - but also preserved its depth: the inner war was real. The higher self could guide the lower.

Golden Dawn and Esoteric Revision

The Golden Dawn renamed this card Strength, assigning it to Leo - ruled by the Sun - and placed it on Path 19 of the Tree of Life (between Chesed and Geburah). Leo brought solar will, personal expression, and courage to the card’s core.

This revision centred creative power and emotional authority - not just moral virtue. The card became not about suppression - but radiance.

The 1900s and 2000s – The Renaming of Power

In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck (1909), Strength is card VIII - a change from its original XI placement in the Marseille system (where it followed the Wheel of Fortune). Waite chose to move it forward to better fit the sequence of internal development.

Pamela Colman Smith’s illustration - the maiden and the lion - became the definitive image. Her Strength was soft, solar, and psychologically nuanced.

Later decks, like the Thoth Tarot, renamed the card Lust and gave it to Babylonian imagery - exploring sexual, primal, and initiatory themes.

Modern Decks – Strength as Sovereignty

In contemporary decks, Strength is widely interpreted as a card of emotional maturity and nervous system regulation. It is about integration - not opposition.

Some decks restore its title to Fortitude. Others expand its message into trauma healing, spiritual embodiment, or the courage to remain kind in a cruel world.

But the message remains: real power is not loud. Real strength is not force.

Numerology and the Number Eight in Tarot

Eight is the number of mastery, repetition, and evolution through structure. It is often linked to karmic cycles, personal power, and the embodiment of lessons through lived action.

In Strength, Eight becomes the loop of discipline - the sacred cycle of holding, breaking, returning. It reminds us that power is not linear. It spirals. What you master, you meet again. But each time, with more grace.

Eight teaches: repetition is not failure - it is integration.

Astrological Resonance of Strength

Strength is ruled by Leo, a fixed fire sign governed by the Sun. Leo brings courage, heart, creativity, and radiant personal will. It governs the spine, the heart, and the ego - and asks us to shine from the centre, not the surface.

The Sun as ruler adds warmth, visibility, vitality, and self-awareness. It encourages expression - but authentic, not performative.

Strength embodies Leo’s highest frequency: sovereignty. Not domination. Not self-importance. But stable, loving selfhood rooted in purpose.

FAQs About Strength in Tarot

What does Strength mean in a love reading?

In love, Strength signals calm, trust, and emotional depth. It may reflect a partnership grounded in patience and mutual understanding - or a situation that calls for gentleness rather than control. It speaks to loyalty, grace, and the courage to stay open.

Is Strength a yes or no card?

Yes - if you're willing to show up with emotional maturity. Strength says yes to things that require consistency, inner resilience, and integrity. It’s not a quick win. It’s a path.

What does Strength mean when reversed?

Reversed, Strength suggests volatility, fear, or avoidance of inner work. You may be lashing out, collapsing inward, or trying to bypass emotional truth. The card invites you to rebuild trust with yourself - and soften the grip.

What archetype does Strength represent?

Strength is the archetype of the Compassionate Warrior - the one who has walked through fire and chooses to hold, not harm. It is the sacred container for instinct. The power of presence over pressure.