Studying the Cards: Eight-- Strength

Interpretation given by my Everything Tarot book states:
When Strength appears in a reading, you are exhibiting moral courage and fortitude. You  have learned to work in harmony with your own instinctive nature, to listen to it and hear its whisperings. As in tales of the hero's journey, the seeker often meets with animals, representative of the instinctive realm, who guide and help him on his way. Strength indicates that you have come through difficulties and learned to rely on inner strength to solve your problems.
This is a time when faith in yourself will pay off, when your position is strong because you have made yourself strong through suffering trials and tribulations without being defeated by them. It is a time to let people around you know who you are--especially anyone who has been dominating you.
The indication is that it is the feminine principle that does the work of reconciling the mental-rational facility with that of the intuitive-instinctive nature. The feminine is always in closer touch with nature than the masculine. Whether the reading is for a man or a woman, the same principle applies. The lesson is that we do not conquer our animal natures by brute force (which is the typical masculine mode of approach to obstacles) but by gentleness and feeling our way into rapport with the instinctive side of our nature.
Depending on the placement of the card in the spread and the question that is being asked, Strength is an indication that what is required in the situation is for spiritual strength to replace or overcome physical strength.

In a reading:
You have come through severe trials and triumphed. You have found your deep inner strength, and it will from now on see you through whatever comes your way. You are firmly connected to the instinctual world (represented by the lion) and you are able to make friends with it and control it for your own benefit and that of others. Emotionally, at a gut-level, you are connected positively to your animal self, and this will protect and care for you. Your inner drives are in harmony with your outer needs and your instinctive nature is supporting all that you do or hope to do. At this time, your logical mind--if it is in conflict with your intuitive knowingness--is not as important in making decisions as is what you feel to be right for you. Whatever decisions you make, or actions you take, will be successful.

Description:
My books states that Strength is depicted with a woman and a lion. There does not appear to be a struggle between them, and the woman seems to be in complete control and is even being gentle and loving. A few decks show it being a young man wrestling with the lion, but more often than not it is a woman. In my deck, it is a young woman kneeling behind a lion. In the Waite deck, the woman is bent over the lion and has her hands on his jaws, gently closing them. She does not expect him to fight back or give resistance at all. She is being very affectionate and caring with him. On my card she is kneeling behind the lion, with one hand reaching down and resting on his jaw, as if softly holding it shut. In the Waite deck she has a flowing garment and a ring of flowers in her hair; in my deck she is wearing a more physically-allowing outfit, with knee-high boots and a staff. She does not have flowers in her hair, but the card does show sunflowers surrounding the cliff that her and the lion are resting on. Many times she has the symbol for infinity above her head, though in my card that symbol is atop the staff she carries, as well as a clear crystal ball.
My books says that many people interpret this card to mean a struggle with one's animalistic nature, though he sees it as a symbol of self-confidence, inner strength, and being in harmony with instinctive nature. He sees the woman as taming or befriending the lion, with the lion representing animal nature and instinct in humans. My books says, "Though the lion is clearly the more physically powerful of the two, the woman represents human courage and will power that masters the instinctive realm not by force but by cooperation."

Details I've noticed:
On my card, Strength is represented by a woman, clad in powerful red, kneeling behind a lion. She has one arm over his shoulder, her hand gently holding his jaw closed. The lion is laying down, resting in the position that most cats lay in when relaxed and at ease. The woman is looking over the lion into the distance, in much the same direction that the lion is facing. I believe this stands for a continuation of the Lovers and the Chariot cards: after having realized your opposites and inner conflicts, and after having brought them together in reconciliation and mastering their respective power, you now are at peace with your inner strength and can control it with ease and care. No longer struggling with your conflicts, you have overcome obstacles and are now in command. You are confident and self-assured, and you have come to trust your intuition and animal instinct, allowing it to guide you. The eagles from overhead in the Chariot are present here in Strength, representing (as the card represents itself) strength, confidence, and protection. The lion IS stronger than the woman, and so not only does the lion represent that she is in control of her intuitive-instinctual side, but that it also guides her and protects her. There are sunflowers surrounding the cliff they are on, representing (to me) more confidence and surety.
I find it interesting that the woman holds a staff with the infinity loop and a clear crystal ball. She has a firm grasp on it, showing that she is in control. The crystal ball is completely clear, and you can see straight through it. I see this to mean that since she has the confidence and the power and is working together with her intuition and animal instinct, things look clear and it is easy to see both the current situations and the future ones. Intuition guides her, telling her what she needs to know without having to search for it. The infinity loop represents that her intuition will continue to guide her through all times and for as long as she continues to have a firm grasp over her "lion."
Strength is represented by the number eight. Eight represents "material prosperity, worldly power or influence." It stands for leadership and authority, a strong trait in the Strength card. The eight is the infinity symbol turned on its side, representing "cosmic consciousness" and the idea of spirituality and all ends meeting together in the cycle of life. Eight talks about skills of organization and management, which you must have to master the instinctual lion within yourself.

Update:
Today is February 9th, 2014 and I am reviewing the cards that I have already studied. The Strength card still has a lot of similar meanings to me that it did before, although now I can see that it is not just a card of strength and instinctive intuition, but as the number 8 and representing infinity it is also a card of abundance. I see the sunflowers now as being a symbol of this abundance. This card mostly represents being at one with your instinct and intuition; a continuation from the Chariot card. You have learned to master your conflicts, and are now confident and assured in your endeavors with your new strength. Using our instinctive animal intuition, we are able to feel what we must do with our hearts, rather than our logic.