Strength – The Grace of Power, the Power of Grace
Strength in the Major Arcana
Numbered VIII, Strength is an archetype of inner power, gentle resilience, and spiritual sovereignty. Unlike the brute force of the Chariot's forward momentum, Strength reveals itself through softness. It is the quiet courage of presence, the taming of instinct, and the fusion of divine will with human compassion.
Traditionally, the card shows a woman calmly closing or opening the jaws of a lion, her expression serene, her posture relaxed. She wears a white robe of purity and an infinity symbol above her head, indicating divine connection and spiritual mastery. The lion, symbol of primal instinct and wild emotion, does not resist her. Instead, it surrenders to her touch. This is not a struggle. It is a surrender to higher love.
Strength reminds us that gentleness is not weakness. It is power refined. It is the capacity to endure without hardening and to meet life with both heart and backbone.
Personal Reflection: Archangel Gabriel and the Lion
When I first began reading tarot, Strength was a card that both comforted and challenged me. It would appear during difficult moments, not as a promise that everything would be easy, but as a mirror showing me what I already had within me. It is a double-edged sword: you have strength when this card appears, but you also need it.
Over the years, I came to associate the woman in the card with Archangel Gabriel. Gabriel is often seen as the messenger of God, the one who speaks truth into being, and who delivers profound spiritual annunciation. But in my personal visions and meditations, Gabriel was also the one calming the beast within me—reminding me that my voice, like Gabriel's trumpet, could both awaken and soothe. I imagined the lion as the raw, roaring parts of myself that needed guidance, not suppression.
In the Bible, Gabriel appears not only to Mary but to Daniel, and always in moments of spiritual initiation. The angel's role is to announce transformation—a fitting parallel to the moment of taming that Strength represents.
When I see Strength in a reading for a client, I often say: "Your strength is already here. But now you must choose to live it."
The Deep Symbolism of Strength
The symbolism of Strength is layered with mystical and alchemical meaning:
The Woman: Represents divine feminine energy—compassion, patience, receptivity. She shows that true power does not dominate but invites.
The Lion: Symbol of passion, rage, sexuality, and the lower instincts. It is not evil, but raw. It is energy that must be harnessed through love, not fear.
The Infinity Symbol (∞): The eternal dance between spirit and matter. It marks her as initiated, one who walks with divine understanding.
The White Robe: Signifies purity of heart, soul-centered action, and alignment with higher will.
The Landscape: Often a blooming field or mountainous background, indicating both the growth and challenge that accompany true strength.
The Role of Strength in the Soul's Evolution
In the sequence of the Major Arcana, Strength comes after the Chariot. If the Chariot is about outward conquest, Strength is about inward mastery. It asks us:
Can you be still in the face of fear?
Can you embrace your wildness without being devoured by it?
Can you respond, not react?
The soul cannot evolve through force alone. We must learn to temper, to listen, and to honor the wisdom of our instincts without letting them rule us. Strength is the point in the journey when power becomes sacred.
Carl Jung and the Strength Archetype
Jung spoke often about the integration of shadow and the taming of inner beasts. In his process of individuation, the lion is a powerful symbol of the unconscious, particularly the untamed instincts and emotional energies that reside beneath the surface. Jung believed that these forces should not be repressed, but brought into conscious relationship.
The woman in the Strength card, then, is the Self—the integrated soul who has made peace with her shadow. She does not slay the lion; she befriends it.
In Jungian terms, this card symbolizes the moment in the individuation journey where we develop ego strength not by dominating the unconscious, but by entering into dialogue with it. The taming of the lion is the alchemy of courage, compassion, and conscious will.
Jung might say that Strength is the flowering of wholeness: when the wild parts of us are no longer exiled but embraced.
Conclusion: Strength as a Sacred Ally
Strength does not shout. It whispers. It does not crush. It cradles. And when it shows up in your life, it is both a gift and a challenge.
You are strong enough. But now is the time to prove it—not to the world, but to yourself.
This card asks:
Can you walk through fire with your heart open?
Can you hold the tension without collapsing?
Can you lead with softness instead of force?
Strength reminds us that we are never alone. Archangel Gabriel walks beside us, calming the lion with one hand and blowing the trumpet of truth with the other.
In the quiet courage of Strength, we become who we truly are: bold, tender, sovereign, and whole.
