Strength (Reversed) | Tarot Card of the Day
"Overcome self-doubt.”
When the Strength card appears reversed, it usually comes at a time when you are starting to doubt your courage, personal power and abilities.
Don’t let this happen! A good way to remind yourself of your strength is to keep a “Courage Journal.” This is invaluable little book is where you will record your victories, great and small, each time you faced your fear and prevailed. Every time you meet a challenge you are afraid of, and persevere, write it in the Courage Journal. Every time you make a huge life achievement, write it in the Courage Journal. This special little book can be taken off the shelf any time you are facing a frightening challenge. It will immediately remind you of your personal power.
The Courage Journal is written proof that you can accomplish what you once thought “impossible.” It will be a repository of hard evidence, proving that you can handle the issue confronting you. To begin your journal, start with the five most pivotal turning points in your life where you kept going, even when you thought you couldn’t. That is where your courage and character are found. Write about who you were before the event, and who you became after. Remember that you have come so far and can go even further. Add pages to your Courage Journal each time you choose bravery instead of fear. In time, you will see written proof of your excellence. Your record book of strength will be there to pull off the shelf any time you need it.
When do you feel at your strongest?
Do you sometimes forget that you are capable of great strength? Perhaps you need to start standing up to your inner weaknesses, which have been holding you back in life.
The Strength card represents the essential nature of fortitude that helps us confront and overcome life's challenges. Inner strength is not something that is bestowed upon us, rather it must be continuously cultivated. Just like our physical muscles require regular exercise to maintain their strength, our inner strength needs to be habitually reinforced through daily choices. Each time we choose to act in our own best interest despite our fears and weaknesses, we develop strength. Strength is a choice, and we can either succumb to our inner demons or choose to pursue excellence.
The woman depicted on this card does not possess great physical power, yet she exudes confidence and inner strength. The lion in the card represents her "lower" impulses, such as fear, anger, bad habits, and other behaviors that can be detrimental to our growth. She confronts her lion by gently closing its mouth, thereby keeping it from consuming her. The infinity symbol above her head represents her perpetual battle with the lion. Her strength is not an innate ability, but rather something she has cultivated over time by consistently confronting and overcoming her weaknesses.
Strength reversed can indicate that you are being too hard on yourself in the quest for self-improvement.
The woman on the card is making gentle self-corrections. She isn’t beating the lion up. Today, be kinder to yourself when taming the unruly parts of your experience. It is important that you aren’t just courageous, but that you are also respecting who you are and what makes you strong.
True strength is not demonstrated through grand displays of power, but rather through small, compassionate self-directed corrections in the form of good decisions. Strength is not a one-time achievement, but rather a daily routine that becomes easier with practice and time. It's also crucial to remember that self-corrections should come from a place of self-love and compassion rather than guilt or shame.
Looking to learn more? Click on the card names below:
Discover the Strength (Upright) meaning.
Learn what the Strength card means in matters of love, as part of my ‘Tarot in Love’ series.