Strength
Major Arcana · VIII · Fire
Courage that persuades rather than overpowers — the lion tamed by compassion.
Upright meaning
A woman in white calmly closes the mouth of a lion, and above her head floats the lemniscate — the symbol of infinite cycling energy. This is not the strength of brute force but the strength that knows when gentleness is more powerful than power, when patience outlasts urgency, when the internal beast is neither suppressed nor allowed to rampage but is simply known and accepted. True courage here is the willingness to keep the heart open under conditions that recommend closing it.
Reversed meaning
Strength reversed speaks of a moment when the inner courage has genuinely failed — not the normal small failures of nerve but a more fundamental loss of confidence in one's own capacity to act from the center. Something that calls for patient, compassionate strength is receiving instead either suppression or capitulation. Return to the understanding that the lion is not the enemy; it is a resource.
At a glance
| Suit | Major Arcana |
|---|---|
| Number | VIII |
| Element | Fire |
| Yes or no | Yes |
Frequently asked questions
Is Strength a yes or no card?
Strength is read as "yes" in a yes/no reading. Reversed, its message softens or turns toward self-doubt and weakness.
What does Strength mean upright?
Upright, Strength stands for strength, courage, patience, compassion, inner power, persuasion.
Building an astrology app? 1,500 free API credits a month, no card
Tarot in your app
Fetch Strength and every other card with meanings, or draw a full spread, in one call.
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $LIFEASTRO_API_KEY" \
"https://api.lifeastroapi.com/v1/tarot/card/8"