Welcome to our Tarot Tuesday series where we spotlight the meaning of a specific card each week. Today, let’s talk about the Empress.
The Empress card is numbered 3, and depicts a golden-haired woman in repose, enjoying the natural beauty all around her. She’s relaxed and comfortable, basking in the green trees and rivers behind her, illustrating her connection to Mother Nature. Sometimes she wears a green dress, symbolizing growth, or a dress of pomegranates, symbolizing fertility. The symbol of Venus is carved into a heart by her feet, showing her connection to the goddess of beauty & love.
The keywords associated with the Empress are abundance, fertility & growth. She represents femininity, beauty and creativity. In many ways, the Empress is a personification of Nature, expressing her fecundity as she bestows us with the abundance of food that grows from the ground and the fertile source from which we all originate.
When the Empress comes up in readings, it’s generally a happy card, signaling growth and a season of plenty. Creativity is promised, whether you are trying to create a garden, a musical masterpiece or a family. The Empress shows that there will be expansion in the family and more than enough resources to satisfy all needs. It bodes well for your career, too, signaling a profusion of work, business and money.
The Empress can signal pregnancy & birth, too, so if you’re not looking for a bundle of joy, make sure to take the necessary precautions. Be sure to look to the surrounding cards to confirm a pregnancy, and don’t just rely on the Empress alone.
The connection to Nature in this card encourages us to spend time in the out-doors. The rejuvenating power of Mother Nature is unparalleled. She is our source, our home, and retiring to the woods or by a river or lake can be like going home to our family.
When the Empress is reversed, she represents scarcity, co-dependence and creative blockages. A reversed Empress could symbolize writer’s block, tight financial times, or miscarriages and infertility. Again, look to the surrounding cards for absolute confirmation on such dire predictions. When the Empress is reversed, you need to consider downsizing or shrinking down your plans within more reasonable limits. It’s not the time to be overly ambitious because resources may not appear when you need them. Proceed cautiously when the Empress is reversed.
If the Empress arises in a challenge position, this could refer to someone with a lot of resources working against your interests. As a negative stereotype, the Empress can resonate with the classic mean girl archetype of the queen bee who rules over all within her orbit. A challenging Empress can be a bit of a princess: someone who subtly manipulates behind the scenes and abuses the power of her reputation.
There will of course be an Empress candle in our Major Arcana candle line. Use the Empress candle to call in more abundance, fertility and creativity in your life and imbue yourself with the expansive energy of the Empress. For an added boost of power, perform your ritual when Venus is visible in the sky—usually around dawn and dusk. And if you can perform your spell in the great outdoors, even better!