Tarot Card Meaning: Strength
A woman in a pure, white robe with roses around her waist and in her hair looks loving down at a lion. She pets it on its nose and chin, and it looks up at her, standing in submission with its tail between its legs. It may fear crossing her. There’s in the rolling countryside, with a blue mountain peaking out to the west. The sky behind them is gold. She has the infinity symbol above her head like a halo.
This simple but profound card is rich with symbolism. The woman wears roses, which symbolize magic, as does the infinity symbol. The lion is, of course, danger, but also both the untamed and the top of a hierarchy. The lion is “king of the jungle” (though it lives in the savannah) and male lions with large manes are at the top of their pride.
This isn’t a big, strong woman. She wears no armor and carries no weapons. Her strength comes from her will. She gently subdues the beast.
When the strength card shows up in a tarot spread, it indicates where a client or querent demonstrates inner strength, patience, self-control, and stamina. They can stay the course and calm any terror. They have patience and know that nothing lasts forever, and nothing is permanent. Just as the lion can be tamed, o can the querent reverse the hierarchy of power not through force, but through staying calm.
The Strength card is about winning the war, not the battle. If drawn, the querent is able to meet their ultimate goals despite set backs or problems that may occur on the way.
This card could also indicate that the querent is a guide, or has a guide, who helps them stay calm and sooth their inner beast. It’s to note that the woman on the card isn’t forcing the lion into submission, but rather that he is willingly submitting. This card can represent an area of life in which the querent has the power of gentle persuasion to make big things happen.
This card can also represent times in which silence is golden, and that staying calm and quiet is the key to overcoming obstacles.
When Reversed:
When The Strength card is reversed, the querent may feel helpless, weak, or cowardly. They may not feel able to handle the problems they have right now, and may fear the worst.
This card can also indicate where a querent uses force or imposes their will instead of letting things occur naturally. Frustration mounts and the efforts al backfire.
The reversed card could represent a situation in which the querent is terrified of the outcome but feels they cannot change, and therefore something the querent can’t bear to face.
This card reversed can also indicate a person who drains the querent of their own strength. That person may be a psychic vampire, or a soul who is so dependent on others that they spread the insecurity and bring others down to their level.