The Empress is the third card of the Major Arcana deck in the tarot. It represents the archetype of the Mother, the Divine Feminine, and symbolizes the creative spark.
The Archetype of the Mother
Geraldine Amaral in her book Tarot Celebrations: Honoring the Inner Voice, explains the Jungian concept of archetypes. According to Jung, archetypes are inherited behaviors and images that portray universal human events and situations. They can otherwise be known as “cultural imprints” and are ‘images and ideas which have been reinforced by the thoughts and actions of humans throughout time’.
Archetypes are universal in that their meanings transcend cultural divides. For example, every culture has a concept of the villain, hero, patriarch, or damsel in distress.
Amaral points out, however, that while the concept of an archetype is collectively understood, the way in which it manifests or expresses itself, and the responses it engenders varies according to the individual’s interpretation and experience. The Mother, for instance, might be associated for some with nurturance and kindness, but with others criticism or neglect.
Associations and Symbols of the Empress Card
In its purest expression, the Empress card is thought to represent the source of all creation, and can be associated with the various personifications of the divine feminine that appear in different cultures and traditions, such as the Mother Mary, Mother Nature, Gaia, Kali, Shakti, Aphrodite, or the Roman Ceres.
The symbols that appear on the Empress card are representative of this creative aspect and usually depict a full-figured woman amidst lush scenes of nature, waterfalls, and ripe landscapes that emphasize a sense of abundance and fertility.
When the Empress Card Appears in a Reading
As the seasons of nature and life are understood to be cyclical, the Empress is thought to represent the fullest point in the cycle of life – when creativity and potential is at a peak and ready to be fulfilled and expressed. The Empress is the creative force,and she is said to bring whatever area we are working on prosperity and abundance.
When the Empress card appears in a reading we should pay attention to:
- Motherhood
- Sensuality
- Productivity
- Feminine influence, our relationships with our mother figures
- Creative imagination
Gifts of the Empress Card
Working with the Empress card can reveal to us if we have issues around the mother or feminine within us that need to be addressed. Perhaps we are feeling creatively blocked and need her divine spark of inspiration. We may need to nurture our ideas more, and nurture ourselves in order to see our vision come to reality. We may still have unresolved issues with the mother figure in our lives that need healing. Are we being called to play more of a mother-role to someone or something in our lives? Perhaps it literally is time for us to give birth to a child.
Harnessing the energy of the Empress brings nourishment to any creative project or situation, and when she appears in a reading, it is clear signal that something is about to be conceived and that the time is right.
Source:
Amaral, Geraldine. Tarot Celebrations: Honoring the Inner Voice. Samuel Weisner Inc. 1997
Join the Conversation