What is Strength?

Strength is card number 8 in the Major Arcana. Unlike The Chariot's forceful willpower, Strength represents a quiet, inner resilience—the ability to tame raw instinct through patience, compassion, and gentle courage rather than domination.

Card Symbolism

In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, a woman in white gently opens (or closes) the jaws of a lion. Above her head floats the lemniscate—the infinity symbol—representing boundless spiritual power. The lion embodies primal instincts and passions, and the woman's calm, loving control illustrates mastery through grace rather than force.

Upright Meanings

• Inner strength and quiet courage
• Patience and endurance through challenges
• Influence through gentleness and compassion
• Mastery over impulses and raw emotions

Reversed Meanings

• Self-doubt and loss of confidence
• Being overwhelmed by emotions or impulses
• Inability to acknowledge inner vulnerability
• Exhaustion from excessive self-restraint

Reading Tips

Strength teaches that true power comes from within—through patience, love, and self-belief rather than aggression. When this card appears, approach your challenges with calm resolve. Trust your inner fortitude, embrace your vulnerabilities with compassion, and you will find a resilience that brute force could never achieve.