The Strength, Moon, Sun and Lovers tarot cards: what they ask of you

The 22 cards of the Major Arcana describe the big lessons of a life. When one of them turns up in a reading, I don't only want to explain it. I want to give you a way to live it for a week or a month, so the card becomes a practice rather than a prediction.

Here are four cards I work with often, and the simple exercises I pair with each.

Strength (VIII): quiet power

The Strength card usually shows a woman gently closing the jaws of a lion. She is not fighting it. Her power comes from calm, patience and compassion. The lion stands for our instincts, fears and strong emotions; the woman shows that they can be tamed with softness, not force.

These are the affirmations I use to embody the card:

• I lead my life with calm confidence and inner courage.
• My true power comes from compassion, not force.
• I trust myself to handle challenges with grace and patience.
• I am emotionally strong and spiritually grounded.
• I balance my instincts with wisdom and love.
• I face my fears gently and transform them into strength.
• I remain steady, even when life tests my resilience.
• My heart is stronger than any obstacle before me.
• I choose softness without losing my power.
• Every day, I grow more confident in who I truly am.

Choose one or more that match what you are feeling now. Repeat them daily and notice how weaker, scattered emotions begin to feel steadier and more focused.

Strength journaling

Strength journaling is a way of meeting your own lion on paper. Many of us only remember our struggles and forget how we came through them. Writing them down reminds you of the strength you already have.

1. Sit quietly with a notebook and, if you have it, the Strength card in front of you.
2. Write about one situation you once thought you could not handle, and how you got through it.
3. Write down the qualities that carried you: patience, faith, humour, stubbornness, love.
4. Write one fear you are holding now, and how those same qualities could help you meet it.
5. Close with one of the affirmations above.

I first shared this around the Lion's Gate portal on 8 August, when the Sun is in Leo, the sign of the lion, which makes Strength a natural card for that season. But you can do it any time. When you finish, notice how you feel. Many people describe a sense of release, lightness or quiet empowerment.

Do it to believe it. Journaling only works when you actually pick up the pen.

The Moon (XVIII) and Lord Shiva

In tarot, the Moon is the card of the subconscious, intuition, dreams and illusion. A path winds between two towers under a moonlit sky; a dog and a wolf howl, and a crayfish climbs out of the water. Things are not fully visible. The card asks you to trust your intuition while staying alert to fears and confusion that can distort what you see.

In Indian tradition, the Moon has a beautiful connection with Lord Shiva, who wears the crescent moon in his hair and is called Chandrashekhar, "the one who holds the moon". In astrology the Moon rules the mind and emotions, and Shiva is the one who brings the restless mind to stillness. Placing the Moon on his head is a way of saying that the mind is calmest when held in awareness.

To work with the Moon card, try sitting quietly on a Monday evening, chanting Om Namah Shivaya, and writing down any dreams or gut feelings you have had that week. You are learning to tell intuition apart from anxiety.

The Sun (XIX): shine without ego

At the end of August 2025 the Sun card came up as the energy for the week ahead. The Sun is one of the most joyful cards in the deck: a child on a white horse under a blazing sun. It speaks of new beginnings, creativity, confidence and self-worth.

The message I shared for that week still holds whenever the Sun appears:

• Be innovative and creative, and don't operate from ego in personal or professional life.
• For work and studies, guidance is around you. Upskill, learn something new, and believe in your own charm.
• Reclaim your power, and use it to guide and help others.
• Be the leader who grows and helps others grow along with them. That is the secret of the Sun's energy.

The Lovers (VI): art therapy for balance

The Lovers card is about union and choice: two figures under an angel, the masculine and feminine, the logical and the emotional, coming into harmony. It is not only about romance. It is about aligning the different parts of yourself.

A simple practice for this card is bimanual art, drawing with both hands at the same time:

1. Take two coloured pens, one in each hand, and a large sheet of paper.
2. Draw anything at all, using both hands simultaneously: mirrored shapes, circles, waves or flowers.
3. Don't aim for a pretty picture. Notice which hand feels awkward and keep going gently.

Using both hands together engages both sides of the body and brain, and many people find it brings a feeling of balance between their "he" and "she" energies, their thinking and feeling selves.

What these practices are not

Tarot cards, affirmations and journaling are tools for reflection and self-awareness. They don't replace therapy or medical care, and if you are going through something heavy, please also reach out to a professional. For a broader look at how tarot differs from astrology, see tarot or astrology: which one do you need?

If you'd like guidance

If one of these cards keeps appearing for you, a reading can show what it is pointing to in your own life. You can book a tarot reading or send me a message.