8 – Strength

A woman, most often clad in white, is near, or subduing, a lion. Often they are in an outdoor, or garden-like setting, and the woman may have a crown and/or garland of plants/flowers. She usually has the symbol for infinity above her head (like the Magician) signifying higher thought. The lion (Leo) is quiescent from her touch and the firmness of the control she exerts over him.

Strength is a card of bringing intense feelings, passions and fires under control. It is the card of controlling oneself so that a greater goal might be achieved. The Lion (fiery power and energy) is being held under control by a seemingly frail female, who symbolizes higher thought and intelligent planning. The Maiden controls the Lion, not because she is overpowering him, but because he is allowing her, because he realizes that combining his physical energy and her mental/spiritual energy will make both of them stronger as a result. If Strength appears in a reading, it usually is advising control, either of oneself or one’s situation; a recommendation to harness wild passions and gently bring them under control. The women in Strength doesn’t try to make the Lion not be a lion (by destroying it or harnessing it), she simply persuades the lion that they are greater as a team than as two single forces of energy. In the same way, often those things that are frustrating or defying you may be used and combined with your energy to provide more power and drive to move forward towards a goal.