Major ArcanaStrength Tarot Card Meaning
Inner strength, courage, and the power to overcome challenges through patience and love.
Reversed, the Strength points to lack of inner strength, being overwhelmed, or misuse of power.
- Upright
- inner strengthcouragepatiencecompassionself-controlgentle power
- Reversed
- weaknessoverwhelmlack of controlself-doubt
- Yes or no
- yes (reversed: no)
- Also known as
- La Force, La Forza, Fortitude, Lust, The Daughter of the Flaming Sword
Jump to: reversed, love, career and money, yes or no, symbols, FAQs
What Does Strength Mean?
Strength represents the triumph of the human spirit over adversity through inner fortitude, patience, and compassionate action. This card appears when you need to draw upon your inner reserves of courage, not to fight but to persist with grace under pressure. True strength is not about domination or force, but about the quiet confidence that comes from knowing your own worth and maintaining your principles even in difficult circumstances. Strength teaches that the gentlest approach often achieves the greatest victories, and that love and patience can tame even the most challenging situations or difficult people.
What the card shows
A serene woman in white robes gently closes or opens the mouth of a lion. Above her head hovers the infinity symbol, and she wears a crown of flowers. Her expression is calm and loving, showing no fear of the powerful beast. Mountains rise in the background beneath a clear blue sky. The scene depicts the triumph of spiritual strength over brute force, love over fear, and patience over aggression.
Health
Healing through inner strength, recovery from illness, and gentle approaches to wellness. Strength and health
Spirituality
Spiritual courage, taming the ego, and developing inner mastery through love. Strength and spirituality
Strength Reversed Meaning
The reversed Strength indicates a period where you may be feeling overwhelmed, lacking in confidence, or unable to tap into your inner reserves of courage. This card can represent being dominated by fear, anger, or other negative emotions that you're struggling to control. You may be using force where gentleness would be more effective, or conversely, being too passive when action is needed. The reversed Strength can also indicate self-doubt, harsh self-criticism, or the inability to persevere through challenges. Sometimes this card suggests that your strength is being depleted by external circumstances or that you're not honoring your own needs.
Love reversed
Relationship weakness, emotional overwhelm, or using force instead of love.
Career reversed
Professional weakness, workplace bullying, or misuse of authority.
Money reversed
Financial weakness, lack of money discipline, or being overwhelmed by financial pressure.
Health reversed
Health weakness, lack of self-care discipline, or being overwhelmed by health issues.
Full breakdown by life area: Strength reversed.
Strength in Love
Patient love, emotional courage, and the strength to work through relationship challenges.
In love, Strength represents the patient, nurturing kind of love that endures through difficult times. This card suggests having the emotional courage to work through relationship challenges rather than giving up when things get tough. You have the inner strength to love unconditionally, to be vulnerable, and to maintain faith in love even when tested. For singles, Strength indicates attracting love through authentic self-confidence and emotional maturity. In relationships, this card represents the ability to handle conflicts with patience and understanding, to tame your own reactive impulses, and to bring out the best in your partner through gentle encouragement rather than criticism.
Reversed in love: Relationship weakness, emotional overwhelm, or using force instead of love.
Read more: Strength love meaning, Strength as feelings, how someone sees you, Strength as a person.
Strength in Career and Money
Professional perseverance, leadership through example, and overcoming work challenges.
Strength in career contexts represents achieving professional success through perseverance, integrity, and leading by example rather than through force or manipulation. This card indicates you have the inner fortitude to handle workplace pressure, difficult colleagues, or challenging projects with grace and determination. Your strength lies in your ability to remain calm under pressure, to inspire others through your example, and to persist when others might give up. Strength suggests that professional recognition comes through demonstrating reliability, emotional intelligence, and the courage to stand by your principles even when it's difficult.
Money: Financial discipline, patient wealth building, and strength to resist financial temptations.
Reversed at work: Professional weakness, workplace bullying, or misuse of authority.
Read more: Strength career meaning, Strength and money.
Is Strength a Yes or No Card?
Strength upright is generally read as a yes; reversed it leans towards no. The surrounding cards and the question decide it.
Strength as a yes or no, by question · free yes or no reading
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Strength as Advice, Outcome and More
Draw upon your inner strength and face challenges with patience and love rather than force. True power comes from gentleness, persistence, and the courage to remain true to your highest self even under pressure. Tame your inner lions through compassion, not suppression, and remember that your greatest strength lies in your ability to love.
Strength with the cards beside it in the deck: Strength and The Chariot · Strength and The Hermit · any two cards together
Symbols in Strength
Woman with Lion
Gentle strength overcoming brute force
The power of love, patience, and understanding to tame wild nature
Infinity Symbol Above Head
Unlimited potential and divine connection
The eternal nature of spiritual strength and divine support
White Robe
Purity of intention and spiritual clarity
The clean heart and noble purpose behind true strength
Flower Crown
Natural beauty and growth through gentleness
The flowering of consciousness through compassionate action
Open Lion's Mouth
Confronting fear and taming inner demons
The courage to face what frightens us with love rather than force
Gentle Hands
Soft power and loving touch
The ability to influence through kindness rather than violence
Mountain Background
Spiritual heights achieved through patient effort
The steady climb toward enlightenment through persistent virtue
Blue Sky
Clarity of mind and peaceful consciousness
The calm awareness that comes from inner mastery
Strength and the Fire Element
Fire governs will, ambition, and creative drive. It is the primal energy of creation - the initial spark of life and the impulse to act. When dominant in a reading, it speaks to vitality, passion, and the burning desire to manifest.
Quality & Season
Hot and Dry · Summer
Amplified by
Air (amplifies - ideas fuel action)
Opposed by
Water (opposes - emotion dampens drive)
Cardiovascular and muscular systems. Excess fire manifests as inflammation, burnout, or impulsivity; deficiency as lethargy or low motivation.
Strength on the Tree of Life
Teth
Serpent, primal energy, coiled power
The Hebrew letter assigned to Strength in the Golden Dawn tradition. Each letter encodes a pictographic meaning that deepens the card's symbolism.
Path 19
Chesed to Geburah (Mercy to Severity)
This path on the Tree of Life represents the subjective experience of the soul moving between these two Sephiroth - the inner transformation Strength activates.
The Fool's Journey
After The Chariot's external victory through will, Strength teaches the greater victory of inner mastery through love. This is where the soul learns that true power comes not from dominating others but from conquering oneself with compassion.
Strength Affirmation
"I possess infinite inner strength and courage, approaching all challenges with patience, love, and unwavering faith in myself."
Reflection Questions
- 1What aspects of myself do I need to approach with more gentleness and patience?
- 2Where in my life do I need to show more courage and inner strength?
- 3How can I use love and patience instead of force to handle current challenges?
- 4What fears or negative emotions do I need to tame with compassion?
- 5In what situations do I need to trust in my inner strength more fully?
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Strength FAQs
Common questions answered
What does Strength mean in a tarot reading?
What does Strength reversed mean?
What does Strength mean for love?
Is Strength a yes or no card?
What zodiac sign is Strength associated with?
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