Tarot and the zodiac · Leo
Leo in the tarot: Strength, and the lion that lets itself be tamed
Leo is the reason Strength became card VIII. Its decan cards are a three-act play: the fight, the parade, the stand.
Urania's Mirror, London 1824 · Library of Congress
At a glance
The Leo tarot card is VIII Strength. Its decan cards are the 5 of Wands, 6 of Wands and 7 of Wands, and the Sun crosses them Jul 22 to Aug 23, 2026.
- Major Arcana
- VIII StrengthHebrew letter Teth · Thoth: Lust (XI)
- Decan cards
- 5 of Wands, 6 of Wands, 7 of Wandsruled by Saturn, Jupiter, Mars
- Court cards
- King of Wands (0° to 20°), Knight of Pentacles (20° to 30°)Book T's spans
- Sun in Leo, this cycle
- Jul 22 to Aug 23, 2026enters Jul 22, 2026, 19:13 UTC
- Ruler's card
- XIX The SunSun rules Leo
Find your exact decan cardBirthday in, five Golden Dawn cards out.
The card
Why Leo is Strength
Try this today
- Think of a time you got your way by being gentle instead of loud. What made it work?
- Notice where you're performing confidence today versus where you actually feel it.
- If you have a Leo rising, read Strength for how you meet the world: big presence, soft hands.
Leo walks into a room and the room adjusts. It isn't arrogance, usually. It's warmth at full volume, the kind of person who remembers to hype everyone else up too, as long as they get a turn in the spotlight.
Book T gives Leo to Strength, "The Daughter of the Flaming Sword," with the Hebrew letter Teth, often read as "serpent." Leo has a special place in tarot history because of this card. In older Marseille-pattern decks Strength was number XI and Justice was VIII. The Golden Dawn swapped them so the cards for Leo and Libra would fall in zodiac order, and the 1909 Waite-Smith deck printed Strength as VIII. Almost every modern deck based on Waite-Smith still does.
The picture is pure Leo with a twist. A lion, yes, but it's not roaring. A woman in white is gently closing its jaws, an infinity sign floating over her head. Real strength, the card says, is the lion and the gentleness working together.
The sky behind it
Book T calls Strength "The Daughter of the Flaming Sword" and gives it the Hebrew letter Teth. In older Marseille-pattern decks this card is number XI; the Golden Dawn moved it to VIII so that the Leo and Libra cards fall in zodiac order, and the 1909 Waite-Smith deck printed it that way.
On the 1909 card
What Strength shows, and what it asks a Leo
A woman in white, a garland of flowers at her waist and the infinity sign over her head, gently closing the jaws of a red lion.
For a Leo, Strength is a mirror and a challenge. The lion is your pride, your courage and your appetite for life. The woman is your ability to direct all that without crushing anyone, including yourself.
When this card shows up for a Leo, it often means a situation will respond to patience better than to force. It can also be a reminder that you don't have to roar to be heard. People already notice you.
The three decans
Leo's three minor cards: the 5, 6, 7 of Wands
Leo is fixed fire, so its cards are the middle Wands: the 5, 6 and 7. Book T actually starts its whole list of decans here, with the 5 of Wands, saying the decans begin "from the royal Star of Leo, the great Star Cor Leonis."
5 of Wands, Lord of Strife · Saturn in Leo, 0° to 10° Leo · Jul 22 to Aug 2, 2026
Five young men wave wands at each other in a scuffle that looks more like a game than a battle. Saturn's decan is Strife: competition, rivalry, the group project where everyone wants to lead. It's also where Book T begins counting the 36 decans.
6 of Wands, Lord of Victory · Jupiter in Leo, 10° to 20° Leo · Aug 2 to Aug 12, 2026
A rider crowned with laurel parades on a white horse, a wreath tied to his wand, a crowd walking beside him. Jupiter brings Victory, the most Leo card in the minors. Recognition, applause and the people who helped you win, walking beside your horse.
7 of Wands, Lord of Valour · Mars in Leo, 20° to 30° Leo · Aug 12 to Aug 23, 2026
A man on high ground fends off six wands rising from below with a seventh in his hands. Mars closes Leo with Valour. You won, and now you have to defend the win. It's the card of standing your ground when others want your spot.
The sky behind it
5 of Wands: 10.5 days. 6 of Wands: 10.4. 7 of Wands: 10.4. Longest this cycle, the 5 of Wands; shortest, the 7 of Wands.
The court cards
The King of Wands and the Knight of Pentacles
The King of Wands ("The Prince of the Chariot of Fire", 20° Cancer to 20° Leo, Sun Jul 12 to Aug 12, 2026) holds Leo's first twenty degrees; the Knight of Pentacles ("The Lord of the Wide and Fertile Land", 20° Leo to 20° Virgo, Sun Aug 12 to Sep 12, 2026) has the last ten.
The King of Wands, Book T's "Prince of the Chariot of Fire," holds most of Leo. He is the visionary fire of the court cards, the one who makes a plan sound so exciting that everyone wants to join.
In Leo's last ten degrees the Knight of Pentacles takes over, Book T's "Lord of the Wide and Fertile Land." Grand plans meet harvest time and the practical work of Virgo season ahead.
The ruler
Sun, Leo's ruler, and The Sun
Try this today
- Lay Strength and The Sun side by side. Plan one thing this week that is pure joy, and one where you lead gently.
- Find the house your Sun sits in. Astrologers read it as where you most want to shine.
The Sun rules Leo, and the Sun's Major Arcana card is XIX The Sun. In the Waite-Smith deck a child rides a white horse under a huge, smiling sun, sunflowers behind a wall. It's one of the happiest cards in tarot.
With Strength in front and The Sun behind, Leo's pairing is all light. The Sun is joy without effort. Strength is the effort it takes to keep that joy generous. Leos who hold both are the friends who make every room warmer without needing every room to be about them.
Find your card
Which Leo card is yours?
Strength belongs to every Leo; the 5 of Wands, 6 of Wands, 7 of Wands split them three ways. Your birthday picks one.
Clock: UTC.
First decan · 0° to 10° Leo
5 of Wands
Lord of Strife. Saturn in Leo. This cycle: Jul 22 to Aug 2, 2026.
Second decan · 10° to 20° Leo
6 of Wands
Lord of Victory. Jupiter in Leo. This cycle: Aug 2 to Aug 12, 2026.
Third decan · 20° to 30° Leo
7 of Wands
Lord of Valour. Mars in Leo. This cycle: Aug 12 to Aug 23, 2026.
A three-card Leo reflection
Strength · 5 of Wands · King of Wands
Lay out VIII Strength, the 5 of Wands and the King of Wands. One question:
Where could I lead more gently and still be heard?
More to read
Shorter reads. Each opens in place.
When it comes up hard
Strength reversed, or on a bad day
Reversed, Strength can look like self-doubt or its loud cousin, bluster. For a Leo, the shadow is often needing applause to feel real. The cure isn't hiding. It's remembering that the woman in the card isn't watching the crowd. She's watching the lion.
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Either side
Between The Chariot and The Hermit
Cancer hands over VII The Chariot; Virgo picks up with IX The Hermit once the Sun leaves Leo, on Aug 23, 2026, 02:19 UTC.
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Plan ahead
Leo's cards in the 2027 cycle
Jul 23, 2027, 01:05 UTC: Leo opens again. The 5 of Wands runs Jul 23 to Aug 2, 2027, the 6 of Wands Aug 2 to Aug 12, 2027, and the 7 of Wands Aug 12 to Aug 23, 2027.
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Leo tarot cards and their dates
Both cycles, all seven Leo cards.
| Card | Book T title | Span | 2026 cycle (UTC) | 2027 cycle (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIII Strength | The Daughter of the Flaming Sword | 0° to 30° Leo | Jul 22 to Aug 23, 2026 | Jul 23 to Aug 23, 2027 |
| 5 of Wands | Lord of Strife | 0° to 10° Leo | Jul 22 to Aug 2, 2026 | Jul 23 to Aug 2, 2027 |
| 6 of Wands | Lord of Victory | 10° to 20° Leo | Aug 2 to Aug 12, 2026 | Aug 2 to Aug 12, 2027 |
| 7 of Wands | Lord of Valour | 20° to 30° Leo | Aug 12 to Aug 23, 2026 | Aug 12 to Aug 23, 2027 |
| King of Wands | The Prince of the Chariot of Fire | 20° Cancer to 20° Leo | Jul 12 to Aug 12, 2026 | Jul 12 to Aug 12, 2027 |
| Knight of Pentacles | The Lord of the Wide and Fertile Land | 20° Leo to 20° Virgo | Aug 12 to Sep 12, 2026 | Aug 12 to Sep 12, 2027 |
| Mark | 2026 cycle | 2027 cycle |
|---|---|---|
| 0° Leo | Jul 22, 2026, 19:13 UTC | Jul 23, 2027, 01:05 UTC |
| 10° Leo | Aug 2, 2026, 06:23 UTC | Aug 2, 2027, 12:10 UTC |
| 20° Leo | Aug 12, 2026, 16:47 UTC | Aug 12, 2027, 22:35 UTC |
All times are UTC. In the Americas the local date can be a day earlier; in Asia and Australia a day later.
Quick answers
Why is Strength number 8 in some decks and 11 in others?
Older Marseille-pattern decks number Strength XI and Justice VIII. The Golden Dawn swapped them so Leo (Strength) would come before Libra (Justice), matching the zodiac. The 1909 Waite-Smith deck used the swap and most modern decks follow it. The Thoth deck kept the old numbers.
Is The Sun card a Leo card?
It's the card of Leo's ruler. The Sun rules Leo in astrology, and The Sun is the Sun's card in Book T. The sign itself is Strength.
What is Leo's tarot card in the Thoth deck?
Lust, numbered XI. Crowley renamed Strength and kept the older numbering, but it's still the Leo card, with the Hebrew letter Teth.
Which decan card is a late-July Leo?
Most late-July Leos get the 5 of Wands, the Saturn decan from 0° to 10° Leo. The Sun usually enters Leo on July 22 or 23 and the first decan card lasts about ten days.
When is Leo season in 2026 and 2027?
Jul 22, 2026, 19:13 UTC to Aug 23, 2026, 02:19 UTC, then Jul 23, 2027, 01:05 UTC to Aug 23, 2027, 08:14 UTC.
