Meaning of the Strength Tarot card

Strength that triumphs over the “brutes”, man triumphing over nature, intelligence that dominates impulses.

The image represented on the Strength card is very familiar to most people, and has become part of the so-called collective unconscious: a woman who keeps a lion tamed effortlessly, holding its jaws open.

In some cards, especially the older ones, Hercules might be represented instead, engaged in one of his 12 labors, namely the task of defeating the fearsome Nemean lion.

In other cases instead, there is a clear iconographic reference to Samson, who smashes the columns of the temple of the Philistines, killing them.

But whatever the image depicted on the card, the meaning remains clear: strength, which allows us to dominate circumstances.

General interpretation of the card

It can represent the conflict between moral righteousness, which has a very precise direction, and what instinct tells you, what you are naturally inclined to do, what you naturally tend to want to do.

Or the situation may be at a stalemate, with forces opposed (diametrically) without any easy reconciliation on the horizon, unless the parties are willing to compromise.

It may mean that right now you have the skills to overturn what appears to you as an unfavorable situation. You just need to become aware of your capabilities and potential, which you tend to underestimate.

Another interpretation is an internal conflict within the querent. In this case, the two souls of the Strength card are within the querent. Basically they don’t know their own mind, or the situation itself presents several solutions, each with pros and cons.

Finally, Strength, in the sense of Samson destroying the columns of the temple, represents a situation that is obstructing you, which you may soon find the means to overcome.

Specific examples of possible meanings:

• “Nature”, instinct, what we feel, all lead us to a very specific situation. We must use all our force to keep them under control and ensure that this does not happen. For example, for a romantically committed person: a man attracts you deep down, you really have to summon all your will power to resist his temptation.
• You want something very specific, but the other party is not offering it to you at the moment. There is a tense situation, and no easy solutions in sight, unless one of the two parties is willing to change their minds.
• You have everything you need to get what you want, but you insist on underestimating yourself. One man in particular interests you? If you start out thinking you don’t deserve him, that’s where the real problem is.
• You don’t know if you should end a relationship, or you don’t know which of the two people interested in you is the right one for the person you are today.
• A colleague who is holding you back. A colleague who dumps tasks and responsibilities on you. Or a pre-existing relationship of another woman with the man that you like. A limit imposed on a relationship. The Strength card can represent the end (ruinous, definitive, immediate, total) of this situation.