Leo: Strength/Lust

AstrologyTree of Life / QabalahZodiac SignsTarot CorrespondencesTarot Color BreakdownGreat Work BookMajor Arcana / Trumps

Jul 23

Written By M Fortune

VIII. Strength and XI. Lust from The Rider-Waite, Thoth, and Golden Dawn tarot decks. — *VIII. Strength and XI. Lust from* *The Rider-Waite, Thoth, and Golden Dawn tarot decks.*

Strength/Lust, whose esoteric title is “The Daughter of the Flaming Sword, Leader of the Lion,” symbolizes successfully overcoming a situation through courage and strength with a passionate will. Fortitude, an older title for this card, is defined as the strength of mind or spirit to face adversity without giving in. Bravery, endurance, resiliency, and magnanimity are keywords for Strength/Lust.

In this article, we will examine the Strength/Lust card’s connection to astrology and the Tree of Life (Qabalah). This includes information about this card's zodiac, planetary, and elemental attributes, along with color and other magickal correspondences, and how these aspects shape Strength/Lust’s unique characteristics and aesthetics.

For those using The Great Work Book to log their tarot studies, this is an excellent opportunity to add details about Strength/Lust. Example pages featuring Strength/Lust are included at the end of this article.

The Astrology of Strength/Lust

The Great Work Book showing journal pages for Strength/Lust, the tarot card associated with Leo. — *The Great Work Book* *showing journal pages for Strength/Lust, the tarot card associated with Leo.*

Zodiac Sign: Strength/ Lust’s Sign is Leo.

Element: Strength/Lust’s element is Fire.

Ruling Planet: Strength/Lust’s ruling planet is The Sun.

Modality: Strength/Lust’s Modality is Fixed.

Dates: July 23 - August 23

The Strength/Lust card is associated with the Zodiac sign Leo. The Sun governs this fixed Fire sign, which rules the heavens from July 23 to August 23. Leo expresses these traits through a confident, charismatic nature with a tendency to seek attention. Leos can also be loyal and generous, but dramatic at times.

Each zodiac sign is categorized into three modes: Cardinal at the start, Fixed in the middle, and Mutable at the end of a season. Fixed signs—Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius—appear mid-season, suggesting a reliable, steadfast, and dependable nature, but one that is also resistant to change. Leo marks midsummer, when the sun is at its brightest, symbolizing a time of abundance, vitality, and peak energy.

As a Fixed sign, Leo is the most immovable among the Fire signs, with a strong will and determination—traits symbolized by the taming of the lion.

Leo’s Minor Cards

Strength/Lust card from the Thoth Tarot is pictured with its associated Minor Arcana cards, the 5, 6, and 7 of Wands. — *Strength/Lust card from the* *Thoth Tarot* *is pictured with its associated Minor Arcana cards, the 5, 6, and 7 of Wands.*

Each Zodiac sign is split into three sections of about ten days, called Decans. Each Decan is ruled by a different planet, providing additional influence to each Zodiac sign. As a result, a person's Zodiac traits can be expressed in three distinct ways, based on the Decan of their birth.

Each Decan is associated with a Minor or Pip Tarot card, marking the distinct qualities of each ten-day period. Consequently, every Zodiac Trump card has three corresponding numbered cards representing the initial, middle, and final phases of the Sun’s journey through that sign. Leo, and therefore Strength/Lust, has the 5, 6, and 7 of Wands as assigned as Minor cards.

Decan 1: Saturn • 5 of Wands, Strife

The Five of Wands is assigned to the First Decan of Leo and is ruled by Saturn from July 23 to August 1.

Decan 2: Jupiter • 6 of Wands, Victory

The Six of Wands is assigned to the Second Decan of Leo and is ruled by Jupiter, August 2 - 12.

Decan 3: Mars • 8 of Wands, Valor

The Eight of Wands is assigned to the Third Decan of Leo and is ruled by Mars, August 13 - 23.

Leo on the Tree of Life

The Great Work Book’s Qabalistic Journal featuring Teth, the path associated with Leo. The Lust and Strength tarot cards from Rider-Waite, Thoth, and Golden Dawn decks are pictured. — The Great Work Book’s Qabalistic Journal featuring Teth, the path associated with Leo.

Infographic of the Tree of Life (Qabalah) showing the path Teth and its connecting Sephiroth Chesed and Geburah. Teth is the path of Leo and the Strength/Lust tarot card. — Teth, the path of Leo, and its connecting Sephiroth Chesed and Geburah.

All tarot cards can be mapped to the Tree of Life (Qabalah). Exploring tarot on the Tree of Life offers students new ways to study the connections not only between the cards but also in life itself. The Qabalistic system is an excellent way to learn the underpinnings of divinatory meanings by making associations with astrology, color, and many other correspondences.

On the Tree of Life, Strength/Lust is mapped to Path 19, Teth. Teth means “serpent” and is located between Sephiroth (spheres) 4 Chesed and 5 Geburah, Mercy and Strength, respectively. Chesed is known as the Architect of Manifestation and is home to Jupiter. Geburah is home to Mars and has a secondary title of Severity. Their connecting path, according to Qabalistic teachings, is titled the “Intelligence of All Activities of Spiritual Being” because “of the affluence diffused by it from the most high blessingand most exalted sublime glory.”

Looking closely at these three components of the Tree—namely, the path from Jupiter to Mars— it becomes clear that the path Teth requires great strength to balance the opposing forces of Mercy and Severity. The depiction of a woman gently opening the mouth of a great lion illustrates the care and confidence required on this path.

Leo’s Colors

Strength/Lust from the Rider-Waite, Thoth, and Golden Dawn Tarot decks is shown with the card's color palette for comparison.

Infographic showing the color palette of the Stregth or Lust tarot card, along with planetary and elemental references. — The color palette of the Strength/Lust tarot card.

Behind the Tree of Life lies an intricate system of color associations. Developed by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, this system begins by assigning colors to the planets, elements, and zodiac signs and extends to 128 colors that correspond to the spheres and paths of the Tree of Life across its four elemental worlds: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth.

Known as the Color Scales, this system associates specific colors with locations on the Tree of Life and has been used by many tarot artists to create a color palette for each card. Below are the color associations of Leo and its tarot card Strength / Lust.

Leo’s Astrological Color

ELEMENT: Leo’s Element is Fire, which is represented by Red.

ZODIAC: Strength/Lust’s sign is Leo, which is represented by Yellow.

PLANET: Leo’s ruling planet is The Sun, which is represented by Orange.

Leo’s Color on the Tree of Life

Unlike the Minor Arcana, which are categorized into only one of the elemental worlds based on their suit, the Major Arcana are seen as expressing all four elemental worlds simultaneously and therefore have colors from all four worlds assigned.

FIRE: In the King Scale of Color (Fire, Atziluth), Leo’s path is colored Yellow, Greenish.

WATER: In the Queen Scale of Color (Water, Briah), Leo’s path is colored Deep Purple.

AIR: In the Emperor Scale of Color (Air, Yetzirah), Leo’s path is colored Grey.

EARTH: In the Empress Scale of Color (Earth, Assiah), Leo’s path is colored Reddish Amber.

Summary of Correspondences for Leo

Often described as a filing cabinet for the forces of nature, the Qabalah is a free-association system that encourages individuals to map their own connections to the image known as the Tree of Life. Mapping tarot to the Tree is only one way to use this system. In fact, learning to make other associations on the Tree can improve your tarot studies by forming links to ideas, events, behaviors, and various other concepts related to a card.

Below is a summary of the correspondences covered in this article, along with several notable associations with Leo’s path, Teth. A full list of correspondences can be found in Crowley’s 777 or the Thelemapedia website.

VIII. STRENGTH	CORRESPONDENCE	COLOR
ASTROLOGY
Zodiac Sign	♌︎ Leo	● Yellow
Element	🜂 Fire	● Red
Ruling Planet	☉︎ The Sun	● Orange
Modality	Fixed	---
TREE OF LIFE
Tree of Life	Path 19: Teth, Serpent	● ● ● ● Yellowish Green, Deep Purple, Grey, Reddish Amber
Esoteric Title	The Daughter of the Flaming Sword, Leader of the Lion	---
Golden Dawn Number	Sixty-five	---
Yetziratic Text	Intelligence of All Activities of Spiritual Being	---
Plants	Sunflower	---
Stones	Cat's Eye	---
Perfumes	Olibanum/Frankincense	---
Gods	Demeter, Venus (representing the fire of Vulcan)	---
Magical Weapons	The Discipline	---
OTHER ASSOCIATIONS
Sound	E Natural	---
Alchemical	Exaltation / Solution	---
DIVINATORY MEANINGS
Successfully overcoming a situation through courage and strength with a passionate will. Fortitude, an older title for this card, is defined as the strength of mind or spirit to face adversity without giving in. Bravery, endurance, resiliency, and magnanimity are keywords for Strength/Lust.

Leo in The Great Work Book

Traditional tarot decks such as the Rider-Waite and the Crowley Thoth incorporate astrological and qabalistic symbols, often requiring detailed note-taking to interpret these connections. The Great Work Book helps tarot students track this info efficiently. It begins with exercises for logging a card’s astrology and progresses to activities on the Tree of Life. Additionally, the book includes journaling pages for each Zodiac sign, Tree of Life location, and all cards in a standard 78-card tarot deck. Together, these pages become a personalized, DIY encyclopedia for your tarot journey.

Below are a few examples of the activity and journaling pages in The Great Work Book, featuring those related to Leo and the Strength/Lust tarot card.