Strength

Strength

The Basic Meaning of Strength (Rider-Waite)

The basic meaning of the Strength card (Rider-Waite) is one of courage, endurance and inner strength. In the Rider-Waite deck, the card is depicted as a woman gently opening the jaw of a lion, symbolizing patience and control over our instincts and fears.

Strength – Upright Meaning

Strength is the eighth card in the Major Arcana and represents inner strength, courage, patience, and compassion. It symbolizes the ability to face challenges with grace, understanding, and emotional resilience. The Strength card encourages you to harness your inner power and to approach difficult situations with a calm and collected demeanor. Key aspects of the upright Strength include:

  1. Inner Strength: Harnessing your inner power, self-discipline, and emotional resilience to overcome obstacles and face challenges with grace.
  2. Courage: Facing your fears and standing up for what you believe in, even in the face of adversity or opposition.
  3. Patience: Remaining patient and understanding in difficult situations, allowing yourself the time and space to process emotions and make well-considered decisions.
  4. Compassion: Showing empathy, kindness, and understanding towards yourself and others, recognizing the importance of emotional connections in your life.
  5. Self-Control: Managing your emotions and impulses effectively, demonstrating restraint and maturity in your actions and decision-making.

Strength – Reversed Meaning

When the Strength card appears reversed, it can signify a lack of inner strength, self-doubt, impatience, or feeling overwhelmed. This card often represents a situation where someone is struggling to find the courage or emotional resilience to face challenges or overcome obstacles. The reversed Strength can also indicate a need to develop self-control, compassion, or patience. Key aspects of the reversed Strength include:

  1. Lack of Inner Strength: Feeling overwhelmed or powerless in the face of challenges, and struggling to find the emotional resilience to cope.
  2. Self-Doubt: Questioning your own abilities, confidence, or self-worth, which can hinder your progress and ability to face challenges.
  3. Impatience: Experiencing frustration or impatience in difficult situations, which may lead to rash decisions or emotional outbursts.
  4. Lack of Compassion: Struggling to empathize or connect emotionally with others, potentially causing misunderstandings or strained relationships.
  5. Poor Self-Control: Failing to manage your emotions and impulses effectively, leading to impulsive actions or decision-making.

The Strength card, whether upright or reversed, emphasizes the importance of inner strength, courage, patience, and compassion in your life. It serves as a reminder to cultivate emotional resilience, remain calm and composed in the face of challenges, and to develop self-control and empathy for both yourself and others.

Example Interpretation

An example of an interpretation would be if Strength appears in a reading where the querent is feeling overwhelmed by a difficult situation, the card could encourage them to find their inner strength and courage to handle the problem. If the card is surrounded by other positive cards such as The Sun or The Star, it could indicate that the person will succeed in overcoming the challenges and come out stronger on the other side.

Psychological Interpretation

Archetypal Meanings

The Strength card is a powerful archetype that represents inner strength, courage, and resilience. It depicts a woman taming a lion, symbolizing the ability to control our animalistic impulses and instincts. This card also embodies the energy of the Major Arcana card, The Chariot, which represents the triumph of will and determination. In the tarot, Strength is often associated with the astrological sign of Leo, representing qualities such as leadership, vitality, and passion.

Behavioral Patterns

When the Strength card appears in a reading, it may indicate that the individual is going through a period of inner strength and confidence. They have the ability to face challenges head on and overcome obstacles with their courage and determination. This card can also suggest that the individual is learning to control their emotions and impulses, finding a balance between their animalistic desires and their higher self.

Integration and Shadow Work

Psychologically, working with the Strength card can help individuals connect with their inner strength and develop a sense of resilience. It encourages them to trust in their own abilities and be confident in their decisions. This card can also invite individuals to explore any underlying fears or doubts that may be holding them back from fully embracing their strength. By facing these shadows and integrating them, the individual can fully embody the energy of Strength and use it to overcome any challenges they may face.


More Tarot Cards In "Major Arcana"

Temperance

The Tarot card Temperance symbolizes balance and harmony. It depicts an angel holding two vessels, one vessel of water and one vessel of wine, and mixing the two to create a perfect balance between the two. The card also symbolizes that one must find a good balance between different aspects of their life in order to achieve happiness and satisfaction.

Temperance

The Chariot

The Chariot tarot card symbolizes a journey or a quest that is facing a person. It stands for power, victory and success that can be achieved by balancing opposing forces and finding a way to unite them to create unity. It also represents the will to take control of one's own life and to realize one's dreams.

The Chariot

The Devil

The Devil tarot card symbolizes feelings of being trapped in a destructive pattern or situation. The card also symbolizes a call to take responsibility for one's actions and overcome limiting behaviors. It can also indicate that one should avoid allowing oneself to get caught in traps created by others.

The Devil

The Emperor

The Emperor is a tarot card that symbolizes authority and leadership. It stands for control, structure, and regulation. It also represents a fatherly figure who has the necessary experience and knowledge to lead others. It can also mean that one should be responsible, enterprising, and have a will to take control of their actions.

The Emperor

The Empress

The Tarot card The Empress symbolizes creation, possibilities, and refinement. It also represents female strength and courage, parenting and creativity. It stands for an abundance of energy, kindness and goodwill. It also strengthens the ability to create new situations and to fulfill dreams.

The Empress

The Fool

The Fool is a tarot card that symbolizes a new beginning, an adventure and unknown potential. It also represents a person who is willing to take risks and trust their intuition. It is a card that advocates for change, growth and new opportunities.

The Fool

The Hanged Man

The Hanged Man tarot card symbolizes a moment of stillness and surrender. It depicts a person hanging upside down from a tree branch, indicating that one must let go of control and allow things to happen. It can also mean that one must take a step back and look at the situation from a different perspective.

The Hanged Man

The Hermit

The Hermit tarot card symbolizes a person seeking self-reflection, after going within and searching for the answers that lie within. It stands for solitude and inner journey, and represents a person who is about to step out of their comfort zone and bravely take a step into unknown territory.

The Hermit

The Hierophant

The Hierophant tarot card symbolizes traditional teaching and religious instruction. It also represents a mentor who helps guide us to a better life. It can also represent a role model that we can look up to and learn from. The card stands for the transfer of knowledge, guidance, power, and authority.

The Hierophant

The High Priestess

The High Priestess tarot card symbolizes intuition, mystery and spirituality. It also represents the ability to seek out deeper meaning and knowledge. It symbolizes knowledge, secrets and the possibility of finding answers within oneself. It is a sign to trust one's intuition and follow it to find the right path.

The High Priestess

The Lovers

The Tarot card The Lovers symbolizes love, determination, and choice. It represents a powerful moment of infatuation and emotional closeness between two people who are facing an important decision. It reminds us that we all have the power to choose our own happiness.

The Lovers

The Magician

The Magician tarot card symbolizes the ability to transform and create something new. It stands for creativity, intuition and power. It also represents a person who has the ability to handle different elements to create something new. The card stands for the rebirth of ideas, solutions and changes.

The Magician

The Moon

The Moon tarot card symbolizes mystery, intuition, and dreams. It depicts a moon illuminating a forest-like landscape, with two dogs standing along the path and a turtle shell floating in the water. It represents uncertainty and that we may not always be able to see the whole picture. It can also warn of dangers that may be lurking in the darkness. It can mean it is time to listen to your intuition and follow your dreams.

The Moon

The Star

The Tarot card The Star symbolizes hope, optimism and renewal. It represents comfort and support after a difficult period, and encourages us to follow our dreams and never give up. It is a sign that we are protected on our journey and that we can trust that the way forward is bright.

The Star

The Sun

The Tarot card The Sun symbolizes the light, joy, and hope. It represents love, harmony, and success. It stands for enlightenment and positive energy and means that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It can also mean that you have reached a stage of personal growth where you are ready to take new steps.

The Sun

The Tower

The Tarot card The Tower often symbolizes a feeling of chaos and change which can be very frightening. It is a sign that there are big changes coming that will shake up our lives and make us look at things from a different perspective. It can also be a sign that we must leave behind what is familiar and comfortable to make room for new possibilities.

The Tower

The World

The Tarot card The World symbolizes the end of a cycle and is a sign of perfection, balance and realization. It represents feelings of joy, fulfillment and an emotional goal that has been achieved. It also symbolizes a new beginning and is a sign that one has overcome all obstacles and is ready to start anew.

The World

Wheel of Fortune

The Tarot card Wheel of Fortune often symbolizes a fate that follows a cycle of fortune and chance. It typically depicts a wheel-shaped circle with a number of symbols representing different aspects of life. The card can represent the constant change that occurs in life, that everything is ephemeral and that nothing is permanent. Wheel of Fortune can also symbolize the power to create one's own luck and to take responsibility for one's actions.

Wheel of Fortune

Death

The Tarot card Death symbolizes a change or a new beginning. It stands for transformation and renewal, and is a sign that it is time to let go of the old and welcome the new. It can also mean that it is time to leave old habits and patterns behind and create new ones.

Death

Judgment

The Tarot card of Judgment symbolizes a moment of awakening and renewal. It represents a moment of insight and understanding that leads to new levels of liberation and transformation. It is a sign that it is time to let go of the past and take the steps needed to move forward towards a new beginning.

Judgment

Justice

The Tarot card Justice symbolizes justice, balance and order. It represents the distribution of justice and the consequences of our actions. It can also symbolize that one must take responsibility for one's own life and stand by their actions and face the consequences.

Justice