Strength is a woman with a lion. She is not killing it and she is not afraid of it. Her hand is on its mouth, gentle. The card is the moment you understand that the real power is the one that does not need to perform.
Upright
Upright, Strength is the quiet courage to stay open in a situation that would justify closing. To stay kind when you have the right to be hard. To love a person who is being difficult because you can tell what they are made of.
Reversed
Reversed, the card is power performed instead of held. The loud voice. The bigger threat. Or the opposite: the version of softness that is actually fear. The card asks you to find the real one and stop the act.
When it shows up
Strength tends to show up when you are about to lose your temper, or about to abandon a person right before they would have changed.