Symbols for Strength: Traditional Signs and Our Own
The best-known symbols for strength are the lion, the oak tree, the Celtic Dara knot, the Akan symbol Dwennimmen and the Chinese character for strength. Each comes from a tradition that saw strength in a different place: in courage, in roots, in humility or in the body. Below you find each one, followed by the universal signs of Sacred Signs that carry strength, courage and inner power.
Traditional symbols of strength
The lion
From ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia to European coats of arms, the lion stands for courage and the strength of a ruler. In astrology it is the animal of Leo, the sign of the summer sun.
The oak and the Dara knot
For Celtic and Germanic peoples the oak was the strongest tree in the forest. The Dara knot, an interlaced Celtic design, takes its name from the Irish word for oak, doire, and is read as the strength of deep roots.
Dwennimmen
In the Adinkra symbols of the Akan people of Ghana, Dwennimmen shows the horns of a ram. It stands for strength together with humility: the ram fights hard, yet bows its head.
The character for strength
The Chinese character 力 (lì, in Japanese chikara) means strength or power and is said to come from the drawing of a plough or an arm. It is a popular choice for calligraphy and tattoos.
These meanings belong to the traditions that hold them. They are beliefs and customs.
Our signs for strength
Astaran sees, observes and feels the geometry and draws it as a universal sign, with a few words from Ayana and Astaran. These signs carry strength in their name or their text:
- Still Power, released in July 2026. It came to Astaran when he met a praying mantis in Serbia: an animal that waits, watches and then acts without hesitation. Its strength is stillness.
- Inner Strength, released in November 2024, written in a time of letting go of control and trusting that choosing purity leads to the right outcome, however long it takes.
- Inner Power, with the affirmation “I am powerful, strong and wise beyond words.” This sign is also card 16 of the Sacred Signs Oracle Deck.
Symbols of courage
Courage is strength in the face of fear. Traditions often show it as the lion, the warrior or the eagle. Our sign Showing up courageously starts from a plain definition: courage is the ability to face fear, pain or uncertainty while still feeling afraid. Its text lists what that looks like in daily life, such as saying no when you know you have to.
Confidence belongs here too. It links confidence to water, which keeps moving without forcing, and to the West, the place of endings and thresholds in the medicine wheel.
Symbols of power, and inner power
Power symbols in tradition are often symbols of rulers: the crown, the sceptre, the thunderbolt. Inner power is something else, and Sacred Signs speaks about it most. In Inner Power it sits in the heart: breathe into your heart until your mind is calm, and notice what is there. In Still Power it is the ability to wait until the right moment.
Working with a strength symbol
- Choose the symbol or sign that you keep coming back to, and put it where you see it in the morning.
- When a hard moment comes, look at it for one minute before you act. What changes in your body?
- Write down when you showed strength this week, however small. Strength is easier to see afterwards than in the moment.
More intentions, from love to grounding, are on spiritual symbols by intention. If you are looking for symbols that traditions use to keep harm away, read protection symbols. Our page on how to read a sacred sign explains the directions, elements and colours.
If you feel supported by this work, you can return energy through a donation from the heart. The donation page explains how, and every sign on this page is in the Universal Signs library.
The meanings on this page are belief and tradition. They do not replace medical, psychological or other professional care. Read how we write.