The Empress

The Empress tarot card
 
 

The Empress Tarot Card Meaning

The Empress is so caring but also hard, she has had to be, she has been through the washing machine of life, the stress cycles and stands there as the person who is adored. This is a woman who sits on that throne because she created the throne and the kingdom around her, she needs no permission. The most important thing I want to say to you, is this women does not need it validated. She does not need anybody to tell her she's doing fine. She KNOWS. She is really fucking powerful. And here is the bit nobody talks about. The Empress raises life. That is her power! But this is not soft. When this card appears in your reading she isn't saying "just chill and enjoy the abundance." She isn't saying YOU ARE THE ABUNDANCE. She is saying stop looking outside yourself for something you already are. Stop letting someone else give you what you built. And, that now, in this moment the harvest is ours. You grew it, and more importantly it is about making sure you stop apologising for taking up space.

If anyone has made you feel stressed out over the last few weeks - like your work isn't important, your body isn't enough, your creativity is pointless - the Empress has a message for them. She barely looks at them. Because, she does not need to. She keeps growing things. That is the most devastating response anyone can ever give, in the face of stress, even failure she keeps building and she keeps growing. You don't fight them, you don't argue, you keep creating. So one day they are in YOUR garden wondering how it got so big.

What does the Empress represent?

The Empress represents mothering love, an authority figure that is looking out for you and is often a kind guardian, it could also represent you, that you are now on the higher levels of spirituality, that you have learned your lessons. 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 give her wisdom to 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.

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.

As I have said above the Empress also represents a pure form of 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. 

She symbolizes the Land of Milk and Honey after a long journey of hard labor and stress. She is the Universal Goddess: Isis Unveiled, fertile, strong and dynamic. She is also Venus: plump and curvy, attracting wealth like a magnet. This woman is represents female strength as well as a symbol of ultimate abundance in your life. I want you to know that her 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 you 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 whoever you are thinking about ADORES you. So be prepared to go through a cycle of being worshipped. 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

As I have said above 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

Yes, you will likely get back together this is commitment, beauty, happiness, and, of course, the starting of a family. There’s a REAL feeling here, and pregnancy. If you are single, a new romance is likely to blossom. 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 asked, 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

All I can say here is HARVEST time is coming, this 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

The advice of this card is to be who you are and stop asking for permission. That's the message. Pulling the Empress into advise mode, she looks you in the eye and says WHY ARE you WAITING? And you know what to do, you know this for weeks. But the Empress doesn't check, she creates. She chooses and then builds and if someone does not like what she built they do not tear it down - they plant something else next to it. Whatever decision you are circling now, there is no information shortage going on right now. The Empress in advice is like your grandmother telling you to just do it.

The Empress Yes Or No

The question on your lips, you wonder – is your answer yes or no? And this card the answer is ‘yes’. The Empress is connected to positive outcomes and new beginnings. In questions regarding fertility or pregnancy, this card carries extra meaning; your answer is it will happen, 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, 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 cared for 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 

And something new is coming! The thing I want to remind you is that you don't have to be BRAVE in the way you think brave looks. No need to charge forward with a sword, as the Empress wears no sword. Yes, she really grows things, she is strong but not loud. It is deep and still and immovable if you know what I mean. It's the woman who keeps the whole family together and nobody notices until she stops. So stop figuring out what this new thing is. She needs soil and time and the will to keep going when nothing is visible yet. Seeds are already in the ground. And here I am telling you that you were the one who planted them - believe it or not. That was planting. every decision you made recently, every hard conversation, every door you closed - that was planting. And now let it grow, you will change with this new chapter. Let it change. 

The Empress Future and Outcome

All I can say is massive abundance is coming.  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 crystal blue sea.

The Empress As Friendship

For friendship, this is having real friends for once. 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. If you have broken a friendship or had problems with a female then this is a kind of healing card. Things are going to work out. 

Empress Tarot Reversed

Reversed Empress In A Reading

The Empress in the reversed position, in my view, is symbolic of infertility, inconclusiveness, lack of abundance and confusion as well as instability and sometimes financial issues. It can also be a female that is starting to really ANNOY you. This happens when one is too caught up in attempting to make everything perfect and there is never any rest to gather what was. 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 sown 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

Not that good for love, but I want to say you can get over this. It can be a female that is rather aggressive, resentment brews, the smallest things turn into chaotic battles – sound familiar? The Empress reversed carries warnings of a love that has resulted in MASSIVE hardness and lack of empathy. For some of you, you and your partner may have been arguing or ignoring opportunities to be tender and loving with one another.

This card has REAL feminine energy, and it may be reversed when the 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 stance became inverted when reversed, so expect 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. 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

I often see this when someone's 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 Florance Saul
Jul 9, 2012