The Empress card, the number three card in the Major Arcana of the Tarot, represents internal balance and our nurturing nature. She signifies the benefits of giving selflessly and reflects our natural creativity which tends to shine when we are in the right place.
Upright Tarot Card Meanings – In Brief
The Empress card dealt upright highlights the feminine side of our nature, which encompasses our sensuality, nurturing nature, and creative side. These are all things that we give and project into the world, but we also nourish ourselves through giving. The Empress suggests that we can be confident in our giving because we are exactly where we are meant to be.
Reversed Tarot Card Meanings – In Brief
The Empress card reversed suggests that we are suffering from a disconnect. Perhaps we are out of sync with our surroundings, or we are in a community that does not nourish us. It is possible that we are putting the needs of others above our own, and that we are developing hangups about our physicality.
Number – 3
The Empress is the number three card in the Major Arcana, which is the number of balance between mind, body, and spirit. No person is complete unless all three parts are whole. When one part is out of balance, we suffer from imposter syndrome. When they are in balance, our creativity tends to flourish.
Element – Earth
The Empress is the first card associated with the element of earth, which is a symbol of grounding and balance. It also highlights the importance of place and surroundings. We do not tend to flourish when we feel like a fish out of water. But we can adapt both ourselves and our surroundings so that they can nourish each other.
Planet – Venus
The Empress is associated with the planet Venus, which represents love and creativity. Love is not necessarily sensual love; it is the nurturing love that we provide when we selflessly care for the people that surround us. This nurturing tends to feed our self-love. When we love and trust ourselves, our creativity tends to explode.
The Empress – Tarot Card Description
The Empress, as she appears in the Rider Waite deck, is a beautiful woman with a feminine figure and a strong aura. She wears a dress with a pomegranate pattern, which represents her fertility, and a crown with 12 stars. The crown represents her affinity with the mystical realm and her synchronization with the cycles of nature.
She sits on luxurious cushions and is surrounded by flowing red velvet. This represents comfortable surroundings. They are not necessarily decadent, but she is comfortable where she has chosen to place herself.
The lush forest and winding stream surrounding her show her connection with nature and her role as a nurturer. The golden wheat that grows in front of her shows the results of her nurturing approach.
Read our profile of Isis, the great mother in Egyptian religion.
The Empress – Upright Tarot Card Meaning
The Empress card upright reminds us of the importance of the feminine side. This is the side of us that is empathetic, sensitive, and nurturing. The appearance of this card in a Tarot reading can remind us that this part of us does not represent weakness and can be a source of great power.
The Empress upright suggests that we are occupying the role of a nurturer and that this is a good thing. When we give of ourselves selflessly, we not only help others but feed ourselves. This nourishes our self-love and self-understanding. When we give of ourselves in the right way, then we also grow.
The appearance of The Empress card upright also suggests that we are where we should be. We are comfortable in our surroundings, and this allows us to let the more creative parts of ourselves find expression. Use the comfort that we have in our surroundings to explore discomfort in other parts of our being.
The Empress can also be a symbol of pregnancy or birth. This could be a literal pregnancy or the birth of a new idea that is taking shape. She is often a harbinger of a period of challenging growth finally coming to fruition.
The Empress – Reversed Tarot Card Meaning
The Empress card reversed can suggest that we are not where we are supposed to be. Something about our surroundings of the people that we have surrounded ourselves with is disconnecting, and this is stifling our creativity and our natural inclination to nurture.
The Empress reversed can also be a warning that the way we nurture is harming rather than helping. It may be that we are being too controlling and not allowing others to find their own way. It could also be that we are giving too much and leaving ourselves diminished. This is hurting us and will diminish our capacity to support others.
The presence of this card in a tarot reading can also signal problems in our material world. Insecurity in work or finances can drain our energy. Sometimes giving these issues attention can also boost our emotional and spiritual states.
These issues often manifest as self-esteem problems, such as poor body image. Sometimes the work that we need to do on ourselves is not in the most obvious area of our lives.
The Empress in Relation to Other Tarot Cards
When delving into The Empress in relation to other cards in the Tarot deck, her presence often accentuates themes of fertility, creativity, nurturing, and the abundance of nature. As a symbol of the Earth Mother archetype, The Empress embodies the generative forces of the universe, urging the querent to embrace growth, sensuality, and the care of oneself and others.
Relationship with the Major Arcana
Within the narrative of the Major Arcana, The Empress serves as a beacon of creativity, prosperity, and the tactile pleasures of the physical world. Her interactions with other Major Arcana cards can elucidate various aspects of this nurturing and creative path:
– The Empress and The Emperor: This pairing explores the dynamic between the nurturing abundance of The Empress and the structured authority of The Emperor. While The Empress encourages growth through care and creativity, The Emperor provides the order and stability necessary for that growth to be sustained and protected, highlighting the balance between the feminine and masculine principles.
– The Empress and The Magician: Together, these cards emphasize the manifestation of desires into reality. The Magician, representing the will and the ability to initiate action, coupled with The Empress’s energy of creation and material abundance, suggests that the querent has the resources and the fertile ground necessary to bring their visions to life.
– The Empress and Death: This combination represents the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The Empress’s association with life and fertility juxtaposed with Death’s themes of endings and transformation reminds us that growth often requires letting go of the old to make way for new life and opportunities.
Relationship with the Minor Arcana
The Empress’s connection with the Minor Arcana cards illuminates how themes of nurturing, creativity, and abundance manifest in more concrete, daily experiences:
– The Empress and Ace of Pentacles: This combination underscores the potential for new financial or material opportunities that can lead to abundance. The Ace of Pentacles represents a new venture or offer, which, under the auspices of The Empress, is likely to flourish and bring prosperity.
– The Empress and Queen of Cups: When appearing with the Queen of Cups, The Empress emphasizes the importance of emotional care and compassion in nurturing relationships and creative endeavors. This pairing suggests that empathy and emotional intelligence are key components of the querent’s ability to foster growth and harmony in their life.
– The Empress and Ten of Wands: This pairing can indicate the need to balance the creative and nurturing impulses of The Empress with the responsibilities and burdens represented by the Ten of Wands. It serves as a reminder not to overextend oneself and to maintain a healthy balance between giving and receiving care.
The Empress Tarot Reading
The Empress is the most nurturing card in the Tarot. She represents both self-care and the way that we care for the people around us. She is our emotional self, and this is often where we are most blinded and, therefore, where we need to focus our attention during a Tarot reading.
The Empress can represent our willingness to do the required work that led us to a Tarot reading in the first place.
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