Strength tarot card from the Simply Tarot deck

Strength Tarot Card Meaning

The Lionheart

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Courage • Restraint • Resilience

You won’t change a situation by being pushy or demanding and avoid being arrogant or proud. Harness feelings of anger or resentment and channel them into something more constructive that can better your situation. There is a difference between assertion and aggression.

Strength is very much related to the Subject’s ego and, when this card appears, it is likely they have an internal struggle on their hands. They may feel that they have been badly treated, or misunderstood, but the situation needs careful examination to see whether any of the Subject's behaviours are contributing to the issue. For now, they should work to contain their extreme emotions and act appropriately to achieve what they really want.

It is likely the Subject has an over-inflated opinion of them self, or even misplaced pride. They may feel that they are the centre of a situation which is not actually about them, or they feel they have greater influence than they actually do, so the resultant realisation that they are not, and they don't, may have a negative impact on their self esteem and confidence. It is those battles with ourselves, our own faults, weaknesses and mistakes that are most difficult for us to recognise and face.

The Subject should master negative emotions of anger and resentment. Even when we think we are right, we should have the strength of character to control ourselves, and the way we behave.

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Love & Relationships

Softness becomes far more powerful than domination here. A relationship deepens through patience, emotional restraint and the quiet decision not to wound each other simply because you can. Trust grows slowly, like something hand-fed rather than conquered.

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Material Life

Endurance carries this card more than force ever could. Stability is maintained through patience, emotional regulation and the quiet refusal to collapse under pressure simply because life has become difficult. Resilience often looks softer from the outside than it truly feels within.

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Notes from the Artist

This picture shows a man in a bare-hand battle with a lion. He has driven his sword into the ground beside him. This man is clearly courageous and confident in his abilities, and he seems to have chosen to battle with the lion in this particularly dangerous way, instead of killing, or maiming, it with his sword outright.

Courage, strength and fortitude are admirable traits that should be encouraged. However, situations can be misread, or underestimated, and an aggressive and over-confident reaction can be entirely inappropriate and damaging. The man is not winning or losing the battle, in this image, and his over confidence may have led him into unnecessary difficulty.