Major Arcana · 9 of 78
Strength
A woman in a white robe calmly closes — or opens — the jaws of a golden lion, a garland of flowers at her waist and the infinity symbol above her head. There is no struggle in her posture; the lion's tail is tucked like a dog's.
★ Upright
Strength is power that never raises its voice. Upright, it favors patience, compassion, and steady nerve over force — taming a situation, an appetite, or a temper by staying present with it rather than fighting it. It is also simple endurance: the quiet capacity to keep going that others eventually mistake for luck.
♺ Reversed
Reversed, either the lion is loose or you've forgotten you can handle it. This inversion shows raw emotion overpowering judgment — outbursts, cravings, panic — or a collapse of confidence in the face of something you have beaten before. The strength is not gone; you have just stopped believing in the gentle grip.