Strength

Strength is card VIII of the 22 major arcana of the tarot; in the Golden Dawn tradition it corresponds to Leo.

Strength is the quiet power of a gentle hand on a lion. It shows courage as patience and compassion, including towards your own wild feelings.

Symbols on the card

The lion

Raw passion, instinct and fear, not an enemy to defeat.

The gentle hands

Mastery through calm and kindness.

The infinity sign

Strength that renews itself when it is not forced.

The chain of flowers

A bond held by love, not by force.

The card's history

Marseille's La Force, number XI, shows a woman calmly opening a lion's jaws. The Golden Dawn moved Strength to VIII so the Leo card would precede Libra's Justice, and Waite added the infinity sign and a chain of flowers.

Upright meaning

Meet difficulty with steady patience. Soft strength will achieve what force cannot.

Love　Tenderness, trust and patience with each other's moods.

Work　Calm confidence; handling pressure or difficult people with grace.

Inner life　Befriend the feeling you are trying to suppress; it may become your courage.

Reversed meaning

Doubt or frustration is making you either shrink or push too hard. Return to patience.

Love　Insecurity or impatience showing up as jealousy or control.

Work　Losing confidence, or trying to win by force.

Inner life　Be gentler with yourself; harshness is not the same as strength.

In a three-card spread

Situation

A situation that needs patience and steady courage.

Challenge

Self-doubt, or trying to win by force instead of care.

Advice

Be gentle and firm at once; it will work better than pressure.

Often read with

• The Chariot　Will that leads both outwardly and inwardly.
• Nine of Wands　Resilience: still standing, still kind.
• The Hermit　Quiet strength drawn from inner reflection.

Tarot and astrology

Strength is Leo, the fixed fire sign ruled by the Sun: a lion's heart, warmth and the dignity to lead with generosity. Leo →

Questions to sit with

• What would courage look like if it were gentle?
• Which feeling of mine needs patience instead of control?

A small practice

When a strong feeling comes today, breathe three times and ask it what it needs before you act.

In the Fool's journey

Tarot here is a mirror for reflection, not a prediction. The meanings follow the Waite-Smith tradition and the Golden Dawn attributions, in our own words.