VIII ◆ STRENGTH
Rider–Waite–Smith (1909)Key themes
Courage · Energy · Magnanimity · Steady action
Card meaning
Strength joins the capacity to act with the restraint needed to use power well. Courage can appear as patience, generosity and the ability to remain present without becoming harsh.
The card allows for achievement and recognition, but its image places emphasis on a force already moderated. Effective strength can work through a calm relationship with powerful impulses rather than a struggle to crush them.
Key themes
Abuse of power · Weakness · Discord · Loss of standing
Card meaning
Reversed, Strength suggests power moving towards domination, or an inability to sustain a measured response. Discord can grow when force substitutes for understanding.
Weakness and overcontrol can also reinforce one another. Notice where fear of losing influence is making a response harsher or less effective.
Image description
A woman in a white dress bends towards a lion, holding its jaws with both hands. Flowers crown her head and form a garland at her waist; an infinity sign floats overhead. The lion stands close to her in a green landscape, with a mountain in the distance.
Symbolism
- Lion
- — Passions and instinctive power in Waite’s discussion.
- Hands at the jaws
- — Power moderated through close and composed attention.
- Flowers
- — A gentle bond rather than an instrument of violence.
- Infinity sign
- — The spiritual source and continuity of fortitude.
- White dress
- — An editorial association with clarity of intention amid force.
Card advice
Respond with steady courage, and use the least force that will meet the situation responsibly.
Based on A. E. Waite’s The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910). Modern English adaptation — At Madame Shirley’s Table. Illustrations: Pamela Colman Smith (1909). Scan restoration: Steve P.