TAROT CARD MEANING
Strength: tarot card meaning
Major Arcana VIII
Inner strength, courage, persuasion, influence and compassion.
- Arcana
- Major Arcana
- Element
- Fire
- Astrology
- Leo
Look at the image
A woman gently holds a lion's jaws beneath an infinity symbol.
The central meaning
Courage expressed through patience and composure.
In practice
Firmness need not be harsh. In a difficult conversation or demanding project, notice an impulse before acting on it. This card offers a way to explore steady confidence rather than a promise that effort always wins.
Shadow and reversed
Force, stubbornness or suppressing every feeling. The opposite can be shrinking yourself because you mistake kindness for weakness. Pride.
In love
Intense passion and loyalty.
At work
Charismatic leadership.
Spiritual essence
The Tamer of the Beast. This strength is not physical but spiritual — the higher soul's power to calm and guide the animal instincts without destroying them. It is compassion subduing rage.
Practical imperative
Practice patience and gentle courage. Meet the problem not with aggression but with unshakable persistence. Master your lower impulses — fear, wrath, craving — through the breath.
Whisper of the shadow
The Beast Unleashed. Emotional loss of control, bursts of rage — or, inverted, cowardice. Take care not to repress your instincts until they turn against you as illness.
A question to reflect on
Where could I be firm without becoming hard?
Frequently asked questions
What does Strength mean in tarot?
Inner strength, courage, persuasion, influence and compassion. In the Oraculum texts, the central meaning of Strength is: Courage expressed through patience and composure.
What does Strength mean reversed?
In the shadow or reversed position, Strength points to: Pride.
What does Strength mean in love?
Intense passion and loyalty.
What does Strength mean for work and career?
Charismatic leadership.
