The Strength tarot card (VIII) is the 9th Major Arcana card in the standard Tarot deck. It represents personal strength and willpower. But, as always, this card holds a different meaning depending on the situation and other cards surrounding it. Read on to dive deep into the meaning and symbolism of the Strength card.
Strength Tarot Card Keywords
Upright: courage, bravery, inner power, compassion, control, self-confidence
Reversed: weakness, defeat, low self-worth, vulnerability, raw emotions, lack of confidence
Strength Card Description
The imagery on the Strength tarot card shows a woman cloaked in a white robe with a crown and an infinity symbol over her head, gently stroking a lion.
Although the lion is known for its aggressive nature, instead of being fearful, the woman has gently used her inner strength, confidence, and grace to tame the lion.
The lion often symbolizes raw, unbridled desire.
Taming the lion in this fashion represents controlling animalistic impulses and maintaining balance when you apply inner strength.
This is not control in the brute force sense of the word.
Instead, it’s an easy, graceful flow and a more subtle path to success.
The Strength Card as Feelings
Upright, the Strength card symbolizes courage, inner strength, and resilience.
It represents the capacity to conquer challenges and adversity head on.
Being able to maintain composure in difficult situations is a sign that you have true strength of character.
Reversed, it suggests insecurity, weakness, and fragility.
You may need time and space to tap into your inner strength, or help from others.
By looking inward and accessing the courageous lion within yourself, you can channel your own power and courage to become resilient in the face of adversity.
The Strength Card As How Someone Sees You
Upright, the Strength card can suggest that you are seen as a strong leader and respected for your self-discipline, courage, and determination.
Reversed, it can suggest that there is weakness in your character or outlook that people may take advantage of.
It’s important to remember that strength does not always have to be loud or forceful.
Sometimes, it takes gentle yet firm self-belief and confidence to stand in your own power.
It’s important to learn how to be assertive without being aggressive, and to understand that you are capable of handling any situation with grace, strength, and resilience.
Strength As What Someone Wants From You
Upright, Strength can suggest that someone wants you to be strong and assertive.
Perhaps they want your help in leading a group, or need somebody to handle a difficult situation with grace and poise.
Reversed, it can suggest that someone may be taking advantage of your strength, or is demanding too much from you and not listening to your boundaries.
It can also suggest that you may need to take a step back and reevaluate the situation before deciding how best to move forward.
Upright Strength Tarot Card Meanings
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When the Strength card shows upright in a reading, it suggests that your inner resources will help you to overcome any obstacles that may arise during a time of change or challenge in your life.
Furthermore, it shows that you have the ability to make decisions based upon what you want rather than what others expect from you.
Your actions will bring about positive results if they are done with conviction.
The Strength tarot card can be used for self-confidence and determination.
It also indicates that you should not let anyone discourage you from achieving your goals.
You must believe in yourself and follow through on whatever plans you set out to accomplish.
If you do this, then success will surely come to you.
Upright Strength Meaning For Love
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If you get the Strength card appearing upright in a love tarot reading, you could find yourself in a passionate relationship where you feel like you’re swept off your feet.
There are so many intense feelings and strong emotions, that you might feel consumed by the romance.
On the good side, this could mean that you are with your twin flame or soul mate.
This bond could stand the test of time and be filled with love, fun, passion, and adventure.
Or, it could be that this relationship is full of heightened emotion on both the positive and negative sides.
It could be exciting and fun and a whirlwind romance, but you could also have knock-down drag-out arguments, jealousy, and other emotional intensity that isn’t so great.
Another possible meaning is that this card symbolizes the qualities that are surrounding you or your partners in your relationships.
Remember, Strength symbolizes compassion, inner strength, grace, and acceptance of one’s self and of others.
If you are in a relationship and going through a tough time, the Strength card in the upright position is a reminder to approach your relationship with these qualities.
If you are single and manifesting a relationship and the Strength card shows upright, it could mean that you should look for someone who has these qualities.
Especially if you’ve had issues with attracting the opposite kinds of people in the past.
Upright Strength Meaning For Money & Career
The Strength tarot card can show that you’re going through some changes right now, but these changes aren’t necessarily bad ones.
In fact, they could even lead to new opportunities for growth.
It’s important not to let fear get in the way of making good choices though. If you do so, then you might end up regretting things later down the road.
Instead, focus on doing whatever feels best at this moment.
The Strength card upright symbolizes many qualities and traits.
Be conscious of these and how you can use them to manifest the change you want to see in your career or financial life and you’ll reap the rewards.
Here are some of the situations and qualities Strength can represent.
Take some time to reflect on how you’ve either already applied them or different ways you can apply them in the near future:
Achievement – You’ve worked hard at achieving success in some area of your life. Your efforts have paid off!
Creativity – The creative process has been applied successfully to an idea or project. It’s now ready to go out into the world.
Determination – You know exactly how you feel about things, and you won’t back down until you achieve your goal.
Flexibility – You’re willing to adapt as needed to reach your goals.
Hard Work – You put forth effort toward something worthwhile. This doesn’t always result in immediate rewards, but eventually leads to success.
Intelligence – You use logic and reason when approaching problems. You don’t just jump headfirst into situations without thinking them over first.
Leadership – You take charge of a situation and guide those around you towards their own successes.
Perseverance – You keep working at something long after everyone else gives up.
Therefore, when the Strength card shows upright in a tarot reading about career or finances, it is a sign of the qualities you need to continue bringing to the table in order to get what you want.
Reversed Strength Tarot Card Meanings
The Strength card in a reversed position means that you must be careful not to become too attached to material possessions.
They can also indicate that you’re being overly influenced by other people.
You might find yourself feeling like you’re losing control of your life because of outside forces.
However, there are still plenty of reasons why you shouldn’t give up hope. Instead, try to remain optimistic while taking steps to improve your current circumstances.
Let’s explore specific Strength reversed tarot meanings for different situations in your life.
Reversed Strength Meaning For Love
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When Strength is reversed in a love tarot reading it indicates that you will need to work on developing independence within your relationship.
There could be issues such as codependence stemming from insecurity which makes it hard for both partners to stand on their own two feet.
Both parties would benefit if they were able to develop self-confidence so that they could better express themselves individually.
Furthermore, this reversed strength tarot love message suggests that one person may be trying to exert influence over another through manipulation rather than persuasion.
If someone tries to manipulate you emotionally, then you should consider whether this relationship is truly serving you.
If there is lots of explosive, heightened energy, then this reversed strength tarot card meaning says that you’ll need to learn to channel all that passion into productive activities instead of destructive ones.
This reversed strength tarot love card can also mean that you’ve lost sight of your true purpose in life. And this could lead you to make poor relationship choices.
When you lose focus on who you really are, you end up wasting time pursuing meaningless pursuits.
It’s important to remember that even though you may be going through tough times right now, everything happens for a reason.
If you’re single and looking for a relationship and the reversed Strength card shows up, it means that you have an opportunity to meet new people but you need to be cautious.
It’s possible that you’re attracting negative influences into your life.
So, before making any decisions, think carefully about how these energies affect you.
Reversed Strength Meaning For Money & Career
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When Strength appears as part of a career spread, this indicates that you need to take charge of your situation and get things moving forward.
If you’re not making progress at work, then perhaps it’s because you haven’t been taking initiative.
It could mean that you’ve become complacent and don’t feel like doing anything new.
In order to move ahead, you’ll need to start thinking outside the box.
You might want to look for ways to expand your skillset or find opportunities where you can grow professionally.
You might also want to seek out mentors who can help guide you along the way.
The reversed Strength tarot money card can indicate that you’re being held back by others.
This includes bosses, colleagues, family members, friends, etc.
They may be preventing you from reaching your full potential.
So, when faced with obstacles, ask yourself what you can do differently next time?
And try to avoid getting caught up in petty arguments.
Instead, concentrate on finding solutions that will allow you to succeed.
As long as you keep working towards achieving your goals, eventually you’ll reach them.
However, if you give up too easily, then you won’t achieve much.
There’s no point in complaining about problems that aren’t within your control.
Rather, use those challenges as motivation to improve yourself.
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