Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings. Today’s post is about the Strength card in Tarot, but first a little backstory as to why I chose to write about this card now! So, there was much said by astrologers and Tarot experts that last year aligned with the Chariot card because the Chariot is numbered seven and if you add the digits of 2023 together they equal 7. By that same logic, if we add the digits of 2024 together they equal 8, which is the number of the Strength card! I definitely felt the forward momentum and achievement energy of the Chariot card last year, and that is why I wanted to write about the Strength card at the beginning of the year in hopes of helping others plan out how to embrace the energy of this card during the coming year.
The traditional imagery of the Strength card is a young woman with a wild animal, most often a lion. This lion actually relates to the fact that the Strength card is astrologically aligned with Leo, the lion of the zodiac. As an interesting side note, as a Leo ascendant, I have a special connection to this card in an astrological sense. In other iterations, the animal is often a wolf, but I have also seen the animal be a badger and a boar in some of my favorite Celtic Faery decks! Although in two decks I love, they chose to have the human figure on the card be male, the most common variant is to have the human be female. I think having a woman on the card with a wild animal is one of the best ways to represent the energy of the card itself.
That is because the energy of the Strength card is all about the balance of many types of strength. Although we most often think of strength to mean physical brute strength, true strength is so much more complex than that. Strength is also emotional strength, best represented in most Strength cards as a woman. Strength is mental strength and fortitude to be able to plan out and execute the devised plan. Finally, strength is spiritual strength, the ability to embrace your beliefs and not allow yourself to be swayed by naysayers! All of these varied forms of Strength are seen as of equal importance in the Strength card. When we combine all the various forms of strength, we can become the most self-actualized version of ourselves to date! When this card comes up for me in a reading, I am warned that I will need to rely on my inner strengths, but it is also an assurance that I have the strength necessary to complete the tasks I need to complete!
As for how I think we can use this energy to make the most of 2024, it all boils down to self-confidence. Self-confidence is another important aspect of this card, for when we embrace our strength we also increase our self-confidence. Therefore, we have to have the self-confidence to pursue our goals and dreams this year, with the assurance that we have what it takes to succeed within us already! I think that is a beautiful way to follow up all the built-up forward momentum and successes of 2023 into an even brighter 2024.
I hope you have enjoyed this short post about the Strength card’s meaning and how we can use it to have a great 2024. What is your favorite aspect of the Strength card? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is a beautiful image of the Strength card. I found the image on https://www.deviantart.com/zen-master/art/Tarot-Card-Strength-515307411.
Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services! I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon! Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/
Further Reading
- The Only Tarot Book You’ll Ever Need by Skye Alexander
- The Llewellyn Tarot Companion by Anna-Marie Ferguson
- The Arthurian Tarot by John and Caitlin Matthews