What Does Strength Mean in Tarot Reading?
In tarot, Strength means overcoming difficulty with patience, not force. Reversed: low self-confidence, patience running thin.
The Strength card shows a figure gently closing a lion's mouth — a scene of taming through calm, not brute force. The card carries the idea that real strength lies in patience, not harshness.
The traditional reading counsels facing a frightening or demanding situation with compassion and inner steadiness — getting through it without shouting or forcing.
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Did the strength come up upright or reversed?
- Upright
- Carries overcoming difficulty with patience and compassion, a calm but resolute inner strength.
- Reversed
- Points to low self-confidence, patience running thin, or being harsh with yourself.
If another symbol sits beside it
- The Magician
- Strength with The Magician: mental drive and emotional resilience active at the same time.
- The Hermit
- Strength with The Hermit: an outward patience supported by an inward-facing wisdom.
Frequently asked questions
Is Strength about physical power?
No. The card is about inner strength, patience and getting through something with compassion — not raw force.
Does Strength reversed mean weakness?
Not exactly — it points more to a moment where confidence is shaken or patience is tested, not a lasting flaw.
Related symbols
More symbols: Major Arcana
Wheel of FortuneJusticeThe Hanged ManDeathTemperanceThe Devil