You arrive at the path of taming the lion…
The path of Strength represents the inner strength of your spirit, and the time to face an unpleasant situation: the ferocious lion.
Lady Strength has tamed the beast that roars inside of her.
She controls her fears by relying upon the inner strength of her spirit, and not her muscles.
Astrologically, Leo, the zodiac sign of independence, courage, dominance, spontaneity, leadership and self-confidence, rules the Strength card.
The Major Arcana Represents Major Life Lessons: If Strength comes out on the first card of your reading, you might be in a hurry because you are ready to face an unpleasant situation. You might challenge someone that you feel is wrong, but you might end up making a mistake if you do not think things through. If Strength comes out on the outcome card, in the positive position, you are respected as a leader because you show the courage and determination to succeed. You view obstacles as new opportunities because fear does not hold you hostage.
The Story Of The Strength Tarot Card
The Strength card is enumerated eight in the Tarot and represents victory over inner temptations and fears through self-control, self-discipline, inner strength, and control over environment. The Strength card shows a woman who has calmly tamed the lion. Fear cannot touch her because her inner strength exceeds her physical strength. She controls both the situation and the beast that roars at her.
She stands in a green valley with trees and seedlings that symbolize growth. A small blue nearby mountain peak represents her thoughts (blue) and indicates that her goal will soon be within her grasp (size and proximity). The mountain symbolizes achievement, courage, accomplishment and her immense challenge in taming the lion. The cloudless yellow sky represents her strength, creativity, enlightenment and optimism.
The lemniscate symbol of infinity above her head represents her thoughts and never-ending power. Her wreath symbolizes infinity and completion, and her crown indicates victory to be claimed in the battle against her primal urges.
A vine of red roses with thorns crowns her head, and a belt-like sash covers her white gown. The roses symbolize passion since red indicates the element of fire. The thorns of the rose suggest a few stinging events along the way. Her white gown is symbolic of innocence, thought, religiosity, and purity of spirit.
She is calmly petting the lion with one hand on top of his head, the other below his mouth. His tail dangles between his legs, indicating his non-aggression. Her dominance meets with his submissiveness, and she has infinite, innate courage to face her fears and control the situation.
The lion symbolizes the beastly fear inside of her and the inner fire that represents the intense blaze of her desires. The lion further represents the level of her courage and her faith to overcome her most stubborn obstacle of fear and to protect herself by controlling her environment.
My Interpretation Of The Strength Tarot Card
The Strength card represents the lion’s energy and the woman’s will to succeed. The lion is connected to fire: a fearful symbol, hot and burning, easily raging out of control.
In this lifetime the woman has lost her fear, but not her respect for fire or her knowledge of how to tame the lion. In seeking to gain control on your road of life, you may be burned or scratched a few times, but the important message of the Strength card is not to give up. Muster the courage to keep going until you succeed.
There are times when everyone faces paralyzing fear. Fear of failure prevents you from succeeding and isolates you from the world. You must confront your fear with courage in order to solve your issues. With determination you can conquer almost any fear, for it truly exists in your mind.
Positive Position: Your inner strength is stronger than your outer strength. You are in control of fear and your surrounding environment. Fear does not control you because you found the courage to face your fears head on. You are brave, self-disciplined, and able to face something unpleasant. You are confident and in control of your personal impulses.
Negative Position: Your fears and worries control you. Your inner strength is weaker than your outer strength, and you are not in control of your environment because it controls you.
The lion is dominating the woman, who does not know how to control him. He tears her to pieces because she is too timid and unwilling to fight. Her surrender to fear allows the beast to be victorious.
Timing is 1 – 30 days.
Source: Lotus Tarot
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