Tarot Card Combination
Strength+The Devil
力量 & 惡魔
This pairing reveals the profound tension between conscious mastery and unconscious bondage. Strength's fiery will confronts The Devil's earthly chains, creating a crucible where liberation emerges through confronting one's deepest compulsions. The numerology of 5 suggests this struggle catalyzes necessary transformation toward authentic freedom.
The Strength card (Fire, 8) represents the conscious application of will through compassion and inner fortitude, while The Devil (Earth, 15) symbolizes unconscious bondage to materialism, addiction, or limiting belief systems. Their conjunction creates a dynamic where one's highest virtues are tested against their basest attachments. In the Marseille tradition, Strength's woman taming the lion mirrors the need to gently master the beast of The Devil's illusions. This is not a battle of good versus evil, but of integrated consciousness versus fragmented desire. The outcome hinges on whether Strength's compassionate discipline can illuminate and dissolve The Devil's shadowy contracts.
Elemental Analysis
Fire (Strength) acting upon Earth (The Devil) creates the potential for forging and transformation. Fire's purifying energy can bake Earth's raw material into something durable, or it can scorch it to barrenness. The interaction suggests willpower applied to material circumstances or ingrained habits. The danger is that Earth can smother Fire if attachments are not willingly released, leading to frustration and burnout.
Numerology Insights
The sum 8+15=23, and 2+3=5. Five is the number of dynamic change, crisis, and freedom. It disrupts the stability of 4, forcing movement. Here, it signifies that the confrontation between mastery and bondage will inevitably catalyze a period of upheaval, adventure, and liberation from old structures, leading toward a more authentic state of being.
Reversal Meanings
Strength Reversed
Strength reversed indicates a lapse in inner fortitude—weakness, self-doubt, or the misuse of power as coercion rather than gentle mastery. The lion of passion or anger may be uncontrolled, or one may feel incapable of taming their own impulses, leading to a sense of powerlessness.
The Devil Reversed
The Devil reversed points to the conscious recognition and beginning of release from bondage. It is the moment of questioning illusions, breaking addictive patterns, or rejecting material or societal chains. However, the initial stage of release can be tumultuous and frightening, as old securities are shed.
Both Cards Reversed
With both cards reversed, the dynamic flips. The weakness or insecurity of Strength Rx meets the breaking of chains from The Devil Rx. This suggests liberation is occurring, but from a place of collapse or crisis rather than mastered will. One is freed from bondage not through strength, but because the structure of the bondage itself has failed. The challenge is to avoid falling into new patterns of powerlessness.
Spiritual Guidance
Spiritually, this is the alchemy of confronting the shadow self. Strength's fire seeks to purify and elevate, while The Devil's earth grounds this process in the reality of your attachments. The path involves using compassionate awareness (Strength) to illuminate and integrate, rather than repress, the parts of yourself you deem 'base' or 'sinful,' thereby transforming bondage into conscious choice.
Yes/No Reading Guide
The presence of The Devil heavily skews this toward 'No,' or 'Not in its current form.' Strength suggests the potential for a positive outcome exists, but only after confronting and transforming a binding or unhealthy element of the situation. The answer is conditional upon profound inner work.
Historical & Mythological Context
In the Visconti-Sforza deck, Strength depicts a woman easily closing a lion's mouth, symbolizing virtù (virtue/power) over ferocity. The Devil derives from medieval depictions of Saturn/Baphomet, representing the bondage of the material world. Their juxtaposition explores Renaissance humanist tensions between virtuous self-mastery and earthly limitation.
Daily Affirmation
"My conscious will compassionately transforms bondage into chosen freedom."
Practical Advice
Do not fight your chains with brute force. Use Strength's compassionate awareness to understand why you accepted them. Shine the light of conscious choice on your compulsions. True power lies not in denying your desires, but in understanding their roots and choosing your attachments wisely.
Things to Watch
Beware of mistaking a comfortable prison for a kingdom. The Devil's chains are often pleasurable or familiar. The greatest danger is refusing to see the bondage because it is gilded with temporary power, security, or passion.
Individual Card Meanings
Strength
力量
The Strength card shows a woman gently closing a lions mouth—not through force, but through patience, love, and inner power. This card represents the strength that comes from compassion rather than aggression. It speaks of courage, but the quiet kind—the bravery to face our fears, tame our inner beasts, and handle difficult situations with grace. When Strength appears, you are called to approach challenges not with brute force but with patience, understanding, and gentle persistence. Your inner strength is greater than any external obstacle. Trust in your ability to overcome through love rather than fear.
View full meaning →The Devil
惡魔
The Devil shows two figures chained at the feet of a horned beast, yet their chains are loose—they could leave if they chose to. This card represents the bondage we create for ourselves through attachment, addiction, materialism, or unhealthy relationships. It asks you to examine what holds you captive. What patterns, beliefs, or desires have become your prison? The Devil is not about external evil but about our shadow self—the parts of ourselves we deny or project onto others. When this card appears, it is time to honestly face your attachments and ask whether they serve your highest good or keep you in chains.
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