“Gentleness places a calm hand upon the wild.”
Tarot Encyclopedia
Strength
“Meet your fiercer feelings with patient courage. You can be tender while holding your ground.”
Upright keywords
- Strength
- courage
- persuasion
- influence
Reversed keywords
- Inner strength
- self-doubt
- weakness
Summary
Strength points to strength, courage, persuasion, and influence.
Upright meaning
Upright, Strength highlights strength, courage, persuasion, and influence.
Reversed meaning
Reversed, Strength can indicate inner strength, self-doubt, and weakness.
Symbolism at a glance
Strength
courage
persuasion
influence
Reflection questions
- Where is strength, and courage showing up for me now?
- What would help me work with inner strength, and self-doubt?
Visual description
depicted in the same hand-coloured woodcut style, with bold black outlines over warm parchment and a restrained palette of earthy reds, deep blue, olive greens, and tawny gold. A calm woman in a red gown and blue cloak stands slightly bowed toward a lion, gently holding its jaws or muzzle with steady, unforced hands—her expression serene rather than strained, emphasizing inner control over brute force. The lion sits obediently at her side, mane rendered in flowing carved lines, while the background remains simple and symbolic: rolling green ground, a few rounded trees, and a distant mountain peak under the textured sky. Traditionally this card is associated with Leo, embodying courage, compassion, self-mastery, and strength expressed through patience rather than domination.