2024: The Year of Strength - A Reflection

Did you know that each year can be associated with a tarot card?

I find this to be an interesting way to frame each year because it can be relevant, not only in terms of what it the card can teach us, but it can also teach us something about the card itself too.

The Card of The Year is calculated by adding together the digits of the year, so 2+0+2+4 = 8.

This makes 2024 an interesting year, because the 8th card of the tarot deck is the subject of debate. Historically, the 8th card of the tarot deck has been Justice, with the card Strength at number 11. You will see this in decks such as the Tarot de Marseille. However, when the Rider Waite Smith deck was introduced, the deck upon which most modern decks are based, they switched the ordering, to make Strength number 8 and Justice number 11. Based on my personal relationship with the cards, Justice as card 11 and Strength as card 8 makes a lot more sense to me than the reverse. I could do a whole post as to why this is (let me know if you’re interested in hearing about that) but the simplest reason for me is that Justice is a card of balance and fairness - is synonymous with the symbol of the scales, and at 11, Justice becomes the exact midpoint of the Major Arcana of the tarot deck. For this reason, in this post, I will be operating on the basis that card 8 is Strength, and this forms the foundation for this reflection.

The Imagery

Strength is a multi-faceted card, and I don’t think we can fully understand it without first looking at the imagery, because it really is the root of all of the various elements to the card. One of the things I love most about it is the fact that the term ‘Strength’ is so overtly masculine, and yet, the card itself expresses a feminine energy. We often associate the word with force, endurance and physical strength, which has very masculine associations, but the beauty of this card is that it encourages us to question that narrative. The woman in the card is clearly no match for the physical might of a lion, and yet, she is able to open the lion’s mouth.

She has not attempted to capture and dominate the lion, forcing it to open its mouth. Rather, she has befriended the lion, and he is allowing her to open his mouth. To dominate the lion is to operate from a place of fear and create a powerful enemy. To befriend the lion is to operate from a place of compassion, despite the vulnerable position it puts her in, and create a powerful friend. So, which approach is really ‘stronger’, after all?

Redefining Strength & Weakness

In this way, Strength calls us to examine the things we are defining as our strengths and weaknesses and redefine them. 2024 may have been the year you began to change your narrative in some way.

Perhaps you gained greater understanding of something you’ve previously believed held you back, or made you feel inferior, and through that understanding, you’ve come to realise that, actually, you can use it to your advantage. Or perhaps you’ve always told yourself that you ‘can’t’ do something, that it is not your strong point, only to find in 2024, that you can, and that you have. You may have simply surprised yourself in the strength you have shown.

I know a lot of people had a tough year last year, but most of those people appear to have finished 2024 better than they started it. While it doesn’t erase struggles you have endured, or difficulties you have encountered, it certainly sheds a light on just how strong you really are, which is fundamental to our sense of self-worth, our levels of confidence and faith in the self, which ultimately all leads to a greater sense of self-compassion, another aspect of this card.

Self-Compassion, Self-Care, Self-Control

If we look at the card imagery once more, we can view the lion as a wild, untamed, primal aspect of ourselves. Even the most disciplined among us are human, after all. But in the productivity-focused, beauty-obsessed world of the 2020s, we seem to have a skewed perspective on this. Flaws and imperfections are not reasons to punish ourselves. Self-punishment is not going to fix your problems. In fact, it may even make them worse - because there’s nothing more dangerous than an angry lion, right?

This being said, self-compassion is not all light and fluffy. It is not about creating excuses. Self-compassion can involve preparing yourself the healthy dinner, when it really would be easier, cheaper (and tastier) to just order the pizza. It can also involve doing the laundry instead of watching another episode in your latest Netflix binge. The key is doing it from a place of compassion rather than punishment. Self-control becomes easier, when we are doing it from this lens.

It makes sense that we would be seeing something like this in the context of 2024. The illusions of impossible-to-meet standards are becoming more and more apparent with every piece of data or research that is published. How can you punish yourself for spending so much time distracted by your phone, when there is evidence that it is literally designed to capture your attention? How can you be so hard on yourself about how much money you’re saving, when the cost of living is skyrocketing? Instead of punishing and blaming ourselves, the Strength card asks for acceptance and grace, taking responsibility for and action on what we can change, and surrendering what we cannot.

Fear/Dominance vs Love/Compassion

Something I haven’t thought about too much before, but really jumped out of me as I was writing this, was this distinction between operating from a place of fear and dominance, and operating from a place of love and compassion, which is incredibly relevant to the collective energy for 2024. Certainly, the world was an incredibly divided place in 2024, and quite frankly, it still is, and one of the key factors in this divide is perhaps the core motivation.

When we operate from a place of fear, we seek to dominate, to gain the upper hand, because we desire safety, and we believe that power will grant us that safety - just like the masculine approach to ‘dominating’ and capturing the lion. However, as we learned from the lion, when we do this, we create a powerful enemy. In essence, this creates an even bigger divide, and more fear, and so the cycle continues.

Whereas, when we operate from a place of love, we seek to understand, because we desire connection - just like the feminine approach to ‘befriending’ the lion. It puts us in a vulnerable position, and that’s a scary place to be for anyone. However, if we can successfully do this, we bridge divides, creating a culture of compassion, empathy and acceptance on both sides, and trust. The lion may not want the woman to open his mouth, but he allows her to do so, because he trusts her motives are coming from a place of compassion.

Challenging The Status Quo

Going back to something I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the ways in which the masculine *cough* patriarchal *cough* expectations are redefined in favour of the feminine in this card. I must admit, I had to ponder this one a little bit, because the year ended feeling like the ‘status quo’ was very much in favour.

But then I remembered that, if we seek to dominate the lion, we do so out of fear - fear of the lion’s power.

And so, while it may feel like that dominant, hate-fuelled, masculine energy ended the year victorious, we have to ask ourselves why the push back occurred. The metaphorical ‘lion’ in this situation has immense power.

And so, as we navigate The Year of The Hermit in 2025, if we are feeling disheartened, disempowered and dominated, it’s important to remember the power we hold, the strength that lies within us all.

Because the greatest Strength comes not from fear and hatred, but from love and compassion.

How do you feel Strength showed up for you in 2024? Let me know in the comments!