Strength
Major Arcana · VIII
- inner strength
- courage
- patience
- compassion
- gentle control
The strongest thing you can do here is stay gentle. Strength shows a woman calmly closing the jaws of a lion — not by overpowering it, but through patience, warmth, and quiet courage. It is a portrait of mastering your own fear, anger, or desire not by suppression but by befriending it. This card tells you that softness is not weakness: you have the inner steadiness to handle what feels wild, in yourself or a situation, without losing your composure. Lead with compassion and let persistence do what force cannot.
Your inner reserves feel low, and doubt has crept in. Reversed, Strength can mean courage giving way to insecurity, or emotions running the show — impatience, a short fuse, forcing what wants to be coaxed. It can also signal simple depletion: you have been strong for a long time and need to refill. Be as kind to yourself as you would be to the lion. Rebuild your steadiness slowly rather than demanding it all at once.
Symbolism & imagery
A woman in white gently holds — or closes — the jaws of a lion, an infinity symbol above her head. Mastery shown as tenderness rather than domination, the beast calmed rather than beaten.
| Element | Fire |
|---|---|
| Astrology | Leo |
| Arcana | Major Arcana |
| Number | VIII |