Tarot History Explained: The Strength and Justice Number Switch

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Ever notice Strength and Justice “swap” numbers in tarot decks

If you’ve ever compared decks and thought, “Wait… why is Strength VIII in one deck but XI in another,” you’re not imagining it. And it’s not a printing error.

Here’s the short version:

  • In many Tarot de Marseille style decks, Justice is VIII and Strength is XI.

  • In the Rider Waite Smith tradition, those two cards flip: Strength becomes VIII and Justice becomes XI. That switch is deliberate, and it comes from the Golden Dawn’s esoteric structure, especially the way they wanted tarot to align with astrology.

Quick answer (for the “featured snippet” win)

Strength and Justice swap numbers because the Golden Dawn system assigns Leo to Strength and Libra to Justice, and the swap helps the zodiac correspondences run in a clean sequence through the Major Arcana.

The traditional order in Tarot de Marseille

A lot of older European traditions keep the virtues in a long established order where:

  • Justice = VIII

  • Strength (Fortitude / La Force) = XI

If you’re using a Marseille deck (or a deck heavily inspired by it), this numbering will feel “normal.” It’s also why you’ll still see experienced readers treat Justice as 8 and Strength as 11 as completely valid today.

What the Rider Waite Smith deck changed

When A. E. Waite and Pamela Colman Smith published the Rider Waite Smith deck, they introduced a handful of intentional structural choices that reflected Golden Dawn teaching. One of the most famous is the swap:

  • Strength becomes VIII

  • Justice becomes XI 

You can see Waite’s numbering directly in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, where Strength is labeled VIII and Justice is labeled XI.

The Golden Dawn logic behind the swap

This is where the “it’s deliberate” part really clicks.

Golden Dawn teachings use a system of correspondences linking tarot trumps to astrology and Hebrew letters. In sources tied to Golden Dawn material, Strength and Justice are explicitly associated with Leo and Libra in a way that favors the swap.

Strength aligns with Leo

Strength features the lion imagery, so assigning it to Leo is one of those “of course” correspondences once you notice it.

If Strength is meant to land on Leo in the zodiac flow, it makes sense (in that system) to place it as VIII, so it sits in the right spot in the sequence.

Justice aligns with Libra

Justice is the scales. Libra is the scales. This correspondence is practically built into the symbolism.

So in the Golden Dawn framework, Justice slots naturally into Libra, and the numbering follows the same logic as Strength Leo.

“Keeping the zodiac sequence flowing”

The point of the swap isn’t “because Waite felt like it.” It’s because the Golden Dawn correspondence structure aimed for a clean astrological progression through the Majors.

You’ll even find Golden Dawn source material noting the need to counter change the two cards to resolve the mismatch between Leo and Libra placements.

So which one is correct

Both, depending on what tradition you’re working in.

This is the part I wish more tarot content said plainly: tarot isn’t one single standardized system across all history. The “right” numbering is the one that matches the deck’s underlying structure and the tradition you’re using.

If your deck follows Marseille style ordering, Justice VIII and Strength XI is historically normal.

If your deck follows Rider Waite Smith or Golden Dawn derived ordering, Strength VIII and Justice XI is intentionally normal.

Does the swap change the meanings of the cards

Not the core meanings. But it can change how you connect the card to your “system language.”

If you read with astrology

If you like using astrological correspondences in your readings, the RWS numbering makes it easier to keep Strength Leo and Justice Libra aligned the way that tradition intends.

If you read with historical structure

If you prefer older ordering (Marseille tradition), you may keep the virtues in their traditional places and read them that way without “fixing” anything.

How to tell which numbering your deck uses in 10 seconds

  • Find Strength in your deck.

  • Look at the Roman numeral.

    • If it’s VIII, you’re in the RWS / Golden Dawn influenced lane.

    • If it’s XI, you’re likely in the Marseille / older ordering lane.

If you want the grounded version of tarot history (and how to actually read it)

A lot of tarot education either goes full theater or full textbook. The tarot academy lives in the middle: real history, real structure, real reading skills, minus the costumes.

If you want a step by step way to learn tarot without the fluff, check out the Academy of Divination course, it’s where it all began for me 10+ years ago. 

Recommended decks and resources (Amazon picks)

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you’re building a small working collection, here are two options that match what we talked about in this post:

Rider Waite Smith deck (for the RWS numbering system)

This is the baseline deck most English language tarot content assumes.

CBD Tarot de Marseille book (for Marseille structure and history)

If you want the Marseille lane to actually make sense, this is a solid companion resource.

FAQ

Is Strength VIII and Justice XI a printing error

No. In Rider Waite Smith style decks, the swap is intentional and linked to Golden Dawn correspondences.

Why do some decks keep Justice as VIII

Because many decks follow Marseille style traditions where Justice VIII and Strength XI is the long standing order.

Did Waite invent the swap

Waite popularized it through the Rider Waite Smith deck, but the logic comes from Golden Dawn teachings and related source material.

What about the Thoth deck

The Thoth tradition labels Strength as Lust (and uses a different structure overall), which is part of why “tarot history” gets messy fast if you treat all decks like they’re the same thing.

Final Look at the Spread

When Strength and Justice swap numbers, you’re not looking at a mistake. You’re looking at a deck’s lineage.

Marseille keeps the older order. RWS flips the two to fit a Golden Dawn correspondence system that ties Strength to Leo and Justice to Libra.

That’s the kind of tarot detail I love: not mystical fog, just structure, history, and a reason behind the design.

Sources and Further Reading

  • A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910). Primary text for Waite’s Rider-Waite-Smith structure and numbering (including Strength and Justice in Waite’s system).

  • Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn — “Fourth Knowledge Lecture” (tarot trumps + zodiac correspondences). Useful primary Golden Dawn material showing the zodiac alignment framework behind the “swap” logic.

  • S. L. MacGregor Mathers & W. W. Westcott (GD), Book T: The Tarot (manuscript). Core Golden Dawn reference text for tarot correspondences used in the tradition.

  • Yoav Ben-Dov, CBD Tarot de Marseille (deck + materials). Modern Marseille resource that preserves the traditional Justice VIII / Strength XI structure.

  • Ronald Decker & Michael Dummett, A History of the Occult Tarot. Scholarly history of modern occult tarot development, including Golden Dawn influence and later systems.

  • C. LaVielle, “The Strength-Justice Tarot Controversy.” A focused discussion of the swap debate and how different traditions justify their order.

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