Tarot Card Combination
Strength+The World
力量 & 世界
The alchemical union of Strength's primal fire with The World's perfected earth signifies the mastery of inner nature required to achieve worldly completion. This pairing reveals that true victory emerges not through domination, but through the compassionate integration of all aspects of self, culminating in a state of wholeness where personal power and universal harmony become indistinguishable.
In the Marseille tradition, Strength (La Force) represents the virtue of fortitude, the taming of the lion not by force but by moral courage. Combined with The World (Le Monde), which depicts the culmination of the Fool's journey, this pairing suggests that ultimate achievement requires the integration of one's animal nature with spiritual purpose. The World's dancer, enclosed in the wreath of completion, has mastered the lessons of Strength—channeling raw passion into disciplined expression. This is not mere success, but the embodiment of cosmic order through personal integrity. The cards together speak to achieving wholeness by embracing both shadow and light, transforming base instincts into enlightened action.
Elemental Analysis
Fire (Strength) acting upon Earth (The World) creates the alchemical process of calcination followed by coagulation. The transformative fire of will and passion purifies and energizes the dense matter of worldly manifestation. This interaction suggests that lasting structures (Earth) are built through sustained creative energy (Fire), but require the tempering of raw flame into focused, enduring warmth to avoid burnout or rigidity.
Numerology Insights
Strength (8) reduces to The World (21→2+1=3), creating a hidden 8-3 sequence. However, their sum (8+21=29→11) reveals the Master Number 11, the number of spiritual revelation and intuitive illumination. This suggests the integration achieved is not merely personal, but carries archetypal significance—a personal victory that resonates with universal patterns.
Reversal Meanings
Strength Reversed
Strength reversed indicates the lion untamed—raw power misapplied as aggression, or courage devolved into fear. It speaks of inner resources depleted, willpower fractured, or the failure to integrate one's shadow. The virtue of fortitude becomes vice, suggesting either tyrannical force or paralyzing self-doubt.
The World Reversed
The World reversed signifies incompletion, stagnation at the threshold of achievement. The dancer is trapped within her own wreath; success is delayed or feels hollow. It may indicate a failure to synthesize experiences, or an inability to step into one's rightful place in the world due to fear or attachment.
Both Cards Reversed
Both reversed create a potent warning: the failure to master oneself leads directly to the failure to complete one's destiny. Unchecked passions (Strength Rx) sabotage worldly fulfillment (World Rx). This suggests a cycle where potential is squandered through lack of self-discipline or integration, leaving one feeling both powerless and unfulfilled.
Spiritual Guidance
Spiritually, this combination represents the Great Work completed—the integration of the animal soul with the divine spark. Strength's lion symbolizes the purified instinct, while The World's dancer embodies the liberated spirit. Together, they depict the alchemical marriage of spirit and matter, suggesting enlightenment is found not in transcending the physical, but in fully inhabiting it with conscious grace.
Yes/No Reading Guide
A resounding yes, but one that demands integrity. This combination suggests affirmative outcomes are not only possible but destined, provided you approach them with the compassionate strength and wholeness these cards embody. The answer is conditional upon your mastery of self.
Historical & Mythological Context
In early Tarot, Strength was often numbered XI and Justice VIII, swapped in the Rider-Waite system. This historical variance highlights Strength's connection to spiritual fortitude (XI as a master number) over mere physical power, deepening its resonance with The World's cosmic completion.
Meditation & Reflection
Visualize the lion of Strength resting peacefully within the wreath of The World. Contemplate how your raw instincts and passions can be harmonized to create not conflict, but the graceful dance of a completed self in a realized reality.
Daily Affirmation
"I master my nature with compassion to manifest my destined wholeness."
Practical Advice
Approach your goals with the gentle firmness of Strength—lead your passions, do not suppress them. Synthesize all parts of your experience into the cohesive whole symbolized by The World. Your power lies in compassionate integration, not forceful conquest.
Things to Watch
Beware the temptation to achieve external completion while neglecting inner integration. A hollow victory awaits if you conquer the world but remain a stranger to yourself. True success requires both fortitude and wholeness.
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 World
世界
A figure dances within a wreath of victory, holding two wands, surrounded by the four fixed signs of the zodiac. The World represents the successful completion of a cycle, the integration of all you have learned, and the fulfillment that comes from achieving your goals. This is the final card of the Major Arcana—the triumphant conclusion of the Fool's journey through all the lessons of life. When the World appears, celebrate your accomplishments. A chapter is coming to a satisfying close, and you stand at a place of wholeness and completion. Yet the World is also a doorway—as one cycle ends, another begins. What new journey awaits?
View full meaning →Want a personalized reading?
Start a free tarot reading and get insights tailored to your situation
