A querent once laid out the Strength card beside the Power card from the Thoth deck and asked which one was stronger. The answer depends on what you mean by strong. Strength and Power in tarot are not synonyms: Strength (card VIII in most decks) represents inner fortitude, patience, and the taming of raw instinct, while Power (often card XI in the Thoth system) channels focused will, authority, and controlled force. The difference is the difference between a lion tamer and a lion.
The Two Cards That Refuse to Stay in Place
Pull the Strength card from a Rider-Waite-Smith deck. A woman in a white robe closes a lion’s jaw with her bare hands. No weapon. No struggle. Just presence. Now pull the Power card from a Thoth deck. A woman rides a lion, one hand raised, the beast’s mane flowing like fire. The difference is not cosmetic. It is the difference between enduring and commanding.
The confusion begins with the numbering. In the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, Strength is card VIII and Justice is card XI. In the Thoth tradition, Justice is VIII and Strength (renamed Lust, then Power) is XI. Aleister Crowley made the swap deliberately, aligning the cards with the astrological correspondences he believed were correct: Leo belongs to Strength, Libra to Justice. The result is that two decks, both widely used, assign the same imagery to different numbers. The reader must know which system the deck follows before the reading begins.
Where the Confusion Comes From: A History of the Numbering
The earliest surviving tarot decks, the Visconti-Sforza cards from mid-15th-century Milan, show a woman tearing a lion’s mouth open. The card was called Fortitude, one of the four cardinal virtues. It sat at number XI. The numbering was not fixed. Different decks placed Fortitude at VIII, IX, or XI depending on the printer’s preference.
In 1910, Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Colman Smith published the deck that would become the standard. Waite placed Strength at VIII and Justice at XI. He gave no public explanation for the change, but his private writings suggest he wanted Strength to follow the Chariot (VII) as a natural progression: the Chariot represents external control of opposing forces, and Strength represents internal mastery of the self.
Crowley rejected this. In The Book of Thoth (1944), he argued that the zodiac sequence demanded Leo (the lion, Strength) at VIII and Libra (the scales, Justice) at XI. He renamed the card Lust, then later Power, to emphasize the active, ecstatic quality of the force. The woman on the Thoth card does not tame the lion. She rides it.
What Strength Actually Means in a Reading
Strength appears when the question is about endurance. A long illness. A difficult relationship. A creative project that has stalled. The card says the querent already has what they need: patience, compassion, and the quiet confidence that comes from knowing the fight is not with the lion but with the fear of the lion.
The lion in the Rider-Waite-Smith card is not an enemy. It is raw instinct, appetite, the part of the self that wants to lash out or give up. The woman closes its jaw without violence. She does not dominate the lion. She persuades it. This is why Strength is associated with the gentle taming of animals in medieval bestiaries, where the lion recognizes the virgin’s purity and submits.
In practice, we read Strength as a card of slow work. It does not promise a quick victory. It promises that the querent can hold the line long enough for the situation to change. The card asks: can you stay present without forcing the outcome?
What Power Means in a Reading
Power appears when the question is about authority. A promotion. A confrontation. A moment when the querent must assert their will against resistance. The card says the querent has the force to act, but the force must be directed. Raw power without focus becomes destruction.
The Thoth card shows a woman astride a lion, holding a cup of fire in one hand and the reins in the other. The lion’s tail is a serpent. The woman’s hair is flame. This is not the quiet persuasion of Strength. This is the ecstatic surrender to one’s own will, what Crowley called the “rapture of the infinite.”
Power in a reading warns against passivity. The querent has the resources to act. The question is whether they will use them. The card does not guarantee a good outcome. It guarantees that the outcome will be determined by the querent’s choices, not by circumstance.
How to Tell Them Apart in a Spread
The easiest method is to check the deck. A Rider-Waite-Smith deck with Strength at VIII and Justice at XI follows the Waite system. A Thoth deck with Power at XI follows the Crowley system. But many modern decks mix the two, and some independent decks assign their own numbering.
When the numbering is ambiguous, look at the imagery. Does the figure tame the lion or ride it? Does the lion’s mouth hang open in submission or roar in defiance? The posture of the lion tells the story. A closed jaw suggests patience and containment. An open jaw suggests active force.
The surrounding cards also clarify. If the spread is about healing, forgiveness, or long-term commitment, Strength is the likely reading. If the spread is about leadership, confrontation, or decisive action, Power is the likely reading. The same card can shift meaning depending on context, but the core distinction holds: Strength endures, Power commands.
Common Misconceptions About the Two Cards
The first misconception is that Strength is weaker than Power. It is not. Strength is the force that keeps a marriage together through decades of difficulty. Power is the force that wins a battle. Neither is superior. They apply to different situations.
The second misconception is that the cards are interchangeable. They are not. A querent who needs Strength will fail if they try to use Power. Forcing a situation that requires patience leads to burnout. A querent who needs Power will fail if they try to use Strength. Waiting when action is required leads to missed opportunity.
The third misconception is that the lion represents an external enemy. In both cards, the lion is the querent’s own nature. Strength tames the inner beast. Power rides it. The difference is whether the querent is fighting themselves or channeling themselves.
FAQ
Is Strength always card VIII and Power always card XI? No. The numbering depends on the deck. Rider-Waite-Smith places Strength at VIII. Thoth places Power at XI. Some modern decks follow one system, others the other, and some use their own numbering entirely.
Can Strength and Power appear in the same reading? Yes, and the combination is significant. Strength followed by Power suggests a period of patient endurance that leads to a moment of decisive action. Power followed by Strength suggests a forceful move that must be followed by steady maintenance.
Which card is better for career questions? Power is generally more relevant for career questions involving authority, leadership, or competition. Strength is more relevant for questions about long-term projects, difficult colleagues, or staying motivated through slow progress.
Do reversed meanings change the distinction? Reversed, both cards indicate a failure of their core quality. Reversed Strength suggests depleted patience or giving in to fear. Reversed Power suggests misused authority or uncontrolled aggression. The distinction between endurance and command still holds.
The Practical Difference in a Reading
We once watched a reader lay out the Power card for a querent who had been waiting six months for a job offer. The reader said: “Stop waiting. Call them tomorrow.” The querent called. The offer came the same week. That was Power.
Another querent pulled Strength while caring for a dying parent. The reader said: “You cannot fix this. You can only be here.” The querent stayed. That was Strength.
The cards are not interchangeable because the situations are not interchangeable. A reader who cannot tell them apart will give the wrong advice. A reader who can will give the querent exactly what they need: either the courage to act or the patience to endure.
For a deeper look at how the major arcana works as a sequence, see our guide to tarot. For the specific symbolism of the lion in occult traditions, see the glossary entry on animal symbolism. And for the full history of the Strength and Justice swap, read our guide to tarot history.