The Empress

The Empress tarot card
 
 

The Empress Tarot Card Meaning

She stands tall and proud, her eyes filled with the wisdom of ages, her hands holding the moonlight in an eternal embrace. Her dress is adorned with ribbon, a reminder of the wrapped up gifts she offers. The forest behind her whispers of secrets to be revealed - if one listens closely enough. Crows fill the air as they have for centuries because she is the empress; she embodies nature, motherhood and all things creative. She is a reminder that life is precious and can be found in even the smallest of moments. By her side stands a guardian to protect and watch over us in our journeys ahead. Her aura is one of elegance, power, beauty and love - an invitation to explore the possibilities of life. She is the Empress and she stands ready to nurture us all.

The Empress represents mothering love, an authority figure that is looking out for you and is often a kind guardian. She is wise and has attained her place in the hierarchy of the older tarot through her own missteps and finding her way. She has learned her lessons and is now in a position to bestow her wisdom upon you. This is usually a motherly representation in one way or another indicating that you need to look out for someone around you or that someone is looking out for you. She can be represented as an older woman with authority in her own right that has come from wisdom and experience.

The Empress also represents a pure form of extroverted abundance. If you have received this card in your reading, you are going to be well taken care of. You will get everything that you desire and more. The Empress sits on her throne made of cushion and revels in luxury and her station in life. She is depicted in the tarot with a field of wheat outstretched before her which is sacred to the Egyptian Goddess Isis. She wears a crown of twelve stars with six points, illustrating her control over the cosmos.

The Empress card symbolizes the Land of Milk and Honey after a long journey of hard labor and introspection. She is the Universal Goddess: Isis Unveiled, fertile, strong and dynamic. She is also Venus, Goddess of love: plump and curvy, attracting wealth like a magnet. This woman is the epitome of female strength as well as a symbol of ultimate abundance. Your needs will be fulfilled with joy and satisfaction. There is no need to fear. Having the Empress on your side is like having a fierce mother, protecting you always. Receiving this card in your reading means that you are making the right decision, that you are supported, and that there is a vast array of possibility for abundance currently transiting around you. Many rewards are coming your way.

The Empress, governed by so many feminine energies is pure emotion and deep intuitive understanding. The lessons that you have learned in your life will now continue to benefit you. As apply what you learn, you will reap the benefits of emotional rewards. She encourages you to express unfiltered emotions because you have earned the right to do so.

The Empress In Love

When the Empress shows herself in a reading about Love, be prepared to go through a cycle of being worshipped. Love is in the air when you are the Empress; everyone wants to be close to you because you are The God/Goddess of Love. How can they resist you? It is practically impossible. This is your time to say what you want exactly the way that you want it and have others rush to your side to provide it. Take this time to be a little selfish; do not compromise your beliefs or your integrity for anyone that isn’t similar to you. Take this opportunity to attract someone fantastic, that matches your energy, and let it happen. Now is the time.

The Empress As Feelings

If someone feels the empress towards you they adore you. They are going in with an open heart and generous spirit, the Empress tarot card speaks to us of a connection that is deeply honest and honoring. She means to “feel adored” and accepted by another person on a soul level - as if they hold you thought dear, respect and care for each of your needs. Regardless of circumstances or external factors, this tarot card can serve as a powerful reminder to show respect for others. As long as we do not attach any strings, requirements, or conditions to our love, we become an incredible force for healing.

The Empress has meaning that extends beyond just pregnancy, but also the earth by extension and the act of lovemaking, too. In your enquiry of feelings, it points to clear and obvious physical attraction that pulls the person you ask after towards you like a moth to a flame. Tread carefully, lust clouds the head like fog – physical love doesn’t guarantee feelings beyond the surface level. If the attraction is shared, take small steps forward to see if you are also compatible in terms of opinion and lifestyle before going any further with the relationship. 

The Empress Love Reconciliation

Love burning as hot as a welder’s iron and shining as bright as a star, emotional satisfaction permeates your relationship so that your romantic bond is solid and unbreakable. Your life is flooded with the best elements of love: commitment, beauty, happiness, and, of course, the starting of a family. There’s a deepening of feelings, like a submarine sinking into the ocean – now is the time to move towards a new level of commitment, and - yes! - pregnancy. If you are single, a new romance is likely to blossom as beautiful and fresh as pink petals on an apple tree. Keep your eyes open and enjoy every minute, this next love may well be “the one” you’ve always waited for. Remember to stay in tune with the emotional side of any fledgeling relationships, it is not just the physical attraction that matters, but emotional compatibility, too.

The Empress in Health

When the Empress comes up with a reading where health is mentioned, she is telling you that you have been working too hard and it is time stop and smell the roses. You likely are in a place where you can enjoy the rewards of your hard efforts and look upon them from a comfy chair overlooking the ocean and be pleased with what you have been able to accomplish. The act of healing from a busy time is just as important as any other preventative measure one to protect their health.

When stress is allowed to eat at the body, it begins to disintegrate. The Empress informs you that you need to give yourself the time off that you deserve so that you can have the perspective of a job well done. The Empress also weighs in on reproductive health. If you are trying to get pregnant or are pregnant, this card bodes well for you because you have her support. If you are trying to increase circulation or need to focus on feminine issues, the Empress will help you.

The Empress in Work, Money, Business, Career, and Wealth

Now is the time to invest, to perpetuate stock, and to place a bet on a horse. Anything that brings you peace and relaxation where you can enjoy the fruit of your labor is going to coincide with the energies of the Empress. If your reading is work related and you are trying to figure out whether or not to take your business to another level, the Empress tells you to not make a decision now. In fact, this may be a time to step away from work. Take or plan a vacation and enjoy the moment rather than constantly trying to find ways to make more money.

Often this card will come up when you are at risk of spreading yourself too thin. Do not make large decisions regarding change of employment or financial issues. If you are seeking work, the Empress says that it is going to take time. Even in the most dire situations, there are solutions that can be found and likely others that are willing to help you get on your feet until a more productive air is around you. As the empress is connected to the earth element in work she brings with her a nurturing move on the part of an employer or employee. Something is delicate, almost born. It can mean that you might be aiming high but you need time to develop yourself. The empress also indicates that one must be guided firmly but surely if contemplating a new career path.

The Empress Advice

Arms outstretched, reaching for the stars – it seems starlight might just fall into your hands directly, because opportunities are about to shower down upon you. Womanhood, fertility, rebirth – these are the aspects of the feminine which are bound to come to the forefront of your life with the drawing of The Empress. Where does this beautiful card direct you? Towards the light, where life reigns like royalty – now is the right moment to foster a family, whether literally with your partner or metaphorically with your friends. On the tree of experience, your fruits swell with ripeness, ready to be plucked – it could be your career which is ready to take off or a new love or friendship. See how the empress keeps her eyes closed, these rich opportunities may not be obvious to the naked eye but you’ll be able to sense them with your intuition. Lean into the news aspects of your life and discover the adventures of a life full of prosperity; now is a time to sew your seeds - the harvest is likely to be plentiful. 

The Empress Yes Or No

The question on your lips, you wonder – is your answer yes or no? And this card looks towards the affirmative, just like a call with good news, it seems the answer is ‘yes’. The Empress abounds with positive outcomes and new beginnings which is why she dwells in this positive meaning, now is the time to act on your answer. In questions regarding fertility or pregnancy, this card carries extra conviction; your answer is steadfast, and there is very likely to be a baby in your future. 

The Empress Past

The Empress highlights a significant female figure from your past, she walked through the pages of your history like a leader, leaving her mark and paving the way for you. She might have been maternal, she might have been an equal – whatever the case, she shaped you with the confidence of a sculptor. Did she teach you lessons that you are now ignoring? This card may also appear in your past position when an opportunity you seized in the past has come good in the present. Seeds do not grow overnight but instead, they must be nurtured and watered in order to become something more. The card reminds you that hard work is worth it, even when the rewards lie further down the road than you’d like. 

The Empress Present 

A new start, as fresh as a daisy and as vitalising as the sun, comes your way. This life-changing opportunity, it is like the tide going in and out, gradual, but consistent – don’t doubt its existence in moments of speculation, have faith and hold out. Often when a different chapter in our life is just finishing, we don’t realise a new part of our life is on its way. Taking on a new direction in life is frequently challenging and even scary, considering the maternal strength of this card, now is the time to draw love from the strong female figures in your life and revel in your own feminine aspect; be both gentle and strong, like a beautiful oak tree. This manifestation of womanhood will provide you with the wisdom needed to take the right direction. Remember that variety is the spice of life, and discovering this new period is likely to shape your worldview and make you a better, more confident person in the long run. Welcome this change with open arms and you’re much more likely to get the best out of it. 

The Empress Future and Outcome

The harvest glows golden in the sun, abundance is the headline of the feast, prosperity and reward; your future is adorned with opportunities come to fruition. Just think, pregnancy and new life is linked with joy and self-discovery. Even when the card does not highlight literal pregnancy, it still carries the weight of those positive emotions. You will blossom into something much, much more; it could be a personal ambition about to take flight, a new relationship or stage of commitment with a loved one, or simply a change in location and lifestyle. Whatever the transformation, be happy that you have it all to come - the results will be as beautiful and distinct as a peach coloured sunset over a crystal blue sea.

The Empress As Friendship

Communication flows as freely and transparent as water, cleansing and nourishing – this is the foundation of all great friendships. If you are a woman, you may find you have become the mother of your group of friends, regularly dispensing advice and wisdom to others just like your mother did for you as a child. It can also indicate a sense of harmony within friendships, a delicate balance has been achieved - you and your companions are finding the dynamic emotionally rewarding and beneficial. Certainly, if you are seeing this card, you are an important part of that balance so keep on doing what you’re doing and the happiness within your friendships will continue to fill each of you with gratitude and joy. 

Empress Tarot Reversed

Reversed Empress In A Reading

The Empress in the reversed position is symbolic of infertility, inconclusiveness, lack of abundance and confusion as well as instability and sometimes financial issues. This happens when one is too caught up in attempting to make everything perfect and there is never any rest to gather perspective. This also means that you need to use caution in your spending habits so as to not flitter away financial resources.

Take care to set up a nest egg for yourself so that you might be prepared should something go wrong. Question your poverty mindset and your feelings toward money or abundance. Do you feel worthy of relaxation? Of reaping the benefits that you have sewn after hard work? Do you feel as though it is impossible to catch up? Ask the Empress to help heal your poverty mindset so that you can reap the benefits of the abundance that she has to offer you.

The Empress Reversed - Love and Romance

Aggression reigns, resentment brews, the smallest things tumble into chaotic battles – sound familiar? The Empress reversed carries warnings of a love sourced by hardness and lack of empathy. You and your partner may have been arguing or ignoring opportunities to be tender and loving with one another. This card has feminine energy, and it may be reversed when the delicate balance of masculine and feminine attributes have become unbalanced.  Have you forgotten you are partners, not enemies? You can each counter this by reconnecting with your patient, nurturing side (this applies to both man and woman, as every gender has these qualities within them). If you are single, this reversed card sees promiscuity and a lack of emotional attachment in the dating world - take the time to consider whether you lack emotional availability and how this might be impacting your prospective relationships. 

The Empress reversed - Family and Home

Home is where the heart is, but The Empress and her emotional sensibilities became inverted when reversed and she sings a warning lullaby; there is a loss of harmony and balance in your family, like a ship rocked in a stormy sea. A greater level of conflict than normal and a general sense of unease infects the family relations, this often happens when family members feel that they can’t be honest about their feelings (causing repressed emotions and subsequent anger to go with it, all bubbling up like an overheated pot). It also might occur when the maternal figure of the family has been too busy or occupied to take on her normal role as the carer and nurturer of the family. If this figure is usually you, then it is worth refocussing your attention and lending the other members of the family your ear so that they can work through any problems they are experiencing (via your guidance and advice). Remember that communication and affection are two of the most important things in any happy, healthy family – talking is the oil that keeps the machine working correctly. 

The Empress Reversed - Work and Finances

Your career has become dull and unfulfilling, it may not be terrible, but like bread without butter, it’s far from ideal. Perhaps the pay is good, but the emotional side of things are lacking and leave a hole in your life. The Empress asks if you have put money and status above what you’re truly passionate about? Or maybe you are working hard and enjoying your tasks but not feeling the benefit of appreciation from your colleagues or boss. Now is the time to reassess what you have and see if you can’t find some opportunities that may be hidden to the naked eye. See if there are small adjustments you can make before rushing to jump overboard! Sometimes we can improve things without making huge changes, we just need to look at things in a new light and keep an open mind to see the possibilities before us. 

The Empress Reversed - Health and Wellness

Your body is a temple, it needs an empress to rule it – but where is your monarch? The throne is dusty, the floor is cracked; it seems your health has fallen to the bottom of your to-do list. Remember that the best way to break out of a lull of energy is to force yourself to get more active and reignite your passion for life, through movement and the great outdoors. This card has a connection with nature, and when reversed it may highlight that a person is spending too much time indoors and away from the natural world – are the four walls closing in? For women trying to conceive, this card reversed often suggests complications or issues with infertility. Go to your doctor for a check-up to see what your situation is.  These complications may appear both for women who do want to conceive and for those who may unknowingly be pregnant and so it’s better to be safe than sorry.  

The Empress Reversed - Personal Spirituality

A fork in the road, a signpost which has been switched – The Empress reversed points to a divergence from your true spiritual path. You may have allowed yourself to disconnect from your spiritual journey, sometimes the daily bustle of life gets in the way of the deeper meaning that sits behind everything. This card reversed urges you not to get caught up in the mundane things in everyday life. When upright, this card speaks to the power of the world that surrounds us and is strongly associated with mother earth - you should consider using nature as a route to enlightenment so that you can recentre yourself on your spiritual journey.

The Empress Upright Meanings in Keywords

  • Romance
  • Pregnancy 
  • Birth
  • Growth
  • Motherly

The Empress Reversed Meanings in Keywords

  • Delay
  • Domestic problems
  • Family problems
  • Stuck feminine energy 

By Flo Saul
Jul 9, 2012