Patience, weakness, compassion, safety, trust, courage

Strength Card Meaning

The Strength tarot card is the eighth card in the major arcana, and doesn’t depict brute force like you might expect. It actually teaches us that compassion and patience lead us to true inner strength, not overpowering or fighting.

The symbolism of this card almost always includes a big wild cat (usually a lion) calmly enjoying the company of a human. They built their bond upon mutual trust and respect. Neither the lion or the person are in any danger.

Think of the lion as a symbol for every goal, relationship, situation, and/or hardship you’ve ever faced. The only way to tame the beast and integrate their energy into your own is to let them come to you, rather than you approaching them.

Through our patience and persistence, we build up all the strength and inner power we need to move forward methodically. The skills we need will come easily if we release resistance.

The person on the card represents us as we are learning how to move methodically. Our actions are very deliberate, carefully calculated, and based on sympathy.

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Strength Tarot Guide

The Strength tarot card is about knowing what our deepest desires are, and patiently working towards achieving them. It’s highlighting the balance between allowing things to unfold naturally and us co-creating with the Universe.

In a reading, Strength shows up when a calm approach is needed. Nothing can be forced. Now is the time to get very clear in your direction. Make a commitment, because once you start in your chosen direction, you’re in it for the long run.

The vision takes time and effort to realize–but we don’t always need to be in a hurry. In fact, it’s probably going to be much more successful if we focus on quality over speed.

Also, Strength could show up in a tarot card reading if someone is a natural intuitive leader. Someone who leads with intelligence, and is in the trenches with their people.

Strength Card Reversed

The Strength tarot card also represents our innate “fight or flight” response to potentially harmful situations. A reversed Strength card could show someone in the “flight” response to a situation.

Depending on the context, that may not be the best course of action. This card’s energy is prone to high doses of adrenaline, especially when dealing with a wild beast. Once that adrenaline fades away, where will you be?

Alternatively, a reversed Strength card could indicate a period of prolonged procrastination mistaken for patience. Remember, we are always co-creating with the Universe. Not being weighed on by the Universe.

We have to be careful not to be overly controlling or overly passive. Because the circumstance (represented by the big cat on the card) does not differentiate or discriminate. It simply responds to our own energy and demeanor.

Featured Tarot Deck – The Tarot of Dreams

Strength Card Tarot Guide

Strength definitely has the potential to be domineering if left to its own devices. It’s easily misinterpreted. People often think that in order to be strong, we must also be forceful.

But The Strength tarot card wants us to understand that power, strength, compassion, and success are not at all mutually exclusive.

Actual strength comes from our capacity to internalize the outside world and use those realizations to our advantage.

Strength wants us to ask ourselves–am I letting the lion approach me on its own free will, or am I forcing the lion to come closer when I want it to?