The Goddess of Fertility is found across countless cultures throughout history. The Empress card is often depicted as one of these deities in a typically curvy and motherly form. This is a card that represents Mother Nature herself.
Ruled by the planet Venus, The Empress tarot card calls upon love, femininity, abundance, and passion. Let’s discover what this card brings in a tarot reading.
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Pictured: The Empress art from Dust 2 Onyx Tarot Deck
The Empress Tarot Interpretation
The Empress often indicates a need for a softer and gentler approach to life. We should do our best to maintain an honest relationship with ourselves, as well as others. Embracing our emotions, rather than hiding or suppressing them, leads to a healthier and happier life.
Usually, our artistic expression and creativity are the first to fall victim to modern life, followed by sensuality; The Empress card raises the need for this side of ourselves to come out of hiding. It is time to tap into feminine ways of feeling and thinking.
This message should resonate with everyone, but those who don’t feel comfortable or safe expressing their softer side should heed this call, especially. This advice applies to all areas of our lives, not just interpersonal ones. Here’s what that looks like.
Career and Financial Guidance
When it comes to your relationship with money and productivity, The Empress is there to remind you to take time out for yourself and feed your energy. You will see a renewed passion for all of your investments and career goals.
Networking and finding new opportunities to grow are keys to success at this time in your life. Whatever you do, do not rush or force these connections to work. A softer touch and spiritual guidance are needed to receive these gifts. You want to discover the best opportunities, not just the first ones that you come across.
Lastly, the saying, “If you build it, they will come.” should be your motto for growth and attracting wealth. Think about branding, your work environment, and who you surround yourself with.
The Empress in Love and Relationships
Speaking of attractions, The Empress is the queen of love and your cup will runneth over if you follow her ways. Start with the basics when you see this card in a tarot reading.
What is it you desire in a relationship? Do you have issues communicating these desires?
The Empress is just as much about self-love as fostering love from others. For you to manifest the ideal relationship in your life, you will need to look from within. This means practicing forgiveness and acceptance of your own shortcomings.
Overcoming the shame and guilt you have carried will open up new pathways and confidence in relationships. Those fears of abandonment, distrust, or betrayal will suddenly disappear with the power of love and compassion within.
Consider mentoring or volunteering to help others strengthen their own love for themselves.
Physical and Spiritual
The Empress emphasizes longevity and natural solutions to health imbalances. Many people who encounter physical health issues often grow too distant from their connections with Mother Earth. Think of your own relationship with food on a daily basis.
Do you know where your food is coming from and how it is processed? Try to prioritize sustainable and local sources of food. Also, avoid falling into a cycle of punishment or neglect when it comes to activity and exercise.
Remember, your health does not need to be a fight you must undertake by yourself. Look towards community and sharing of resources. This connection and groundedness is a core tenant of The Empress herself.
Where traditional diet and exercise may fail, holistic and intuitive solutions can provide answers. Find your own methods of grounding and ritual health work, such as meditation, aromatherapy, temperature therapy, crystal guidance, pendulums, tapping exercises, and so forth.
What Does The Empress Reversed Mean?
Without the love and support from within, your sense of judgment and decision-making becomes clouded. If you see The Empress card in reverse, it denotes a lack of Earth and Water energies in your life. This typically means that Air and Fire energies are creating chaos in places where you encounter the greatest challenge.
It’s time for a reset and embarking on a bit of soul-searching. The Empress beckons you to ask questions and form an introspection on what it is that makes you happy. What are your ultimate goals in life?
Dig deep within your subconscious to listen to your authentic self and start taking stock as to what isn’t in alignment with your life path.
Yes or No / One Card Tarot Pull
When the question being asked is of significant importance, The Empress card affirms that you are on the right path. This reading is all about intention and purpose.
A ‘yes’ from The Empress always comes with the condition that your success will also benefit others.
The Empress Pairings and Combinations
Most combinations with The Empress will center around the birth of new energies, creativity, and growth opportunities. It is similar to a mother teacher, her child new lessons–some of them are unpleasant, yet necessary.
Here are a few combinations that may raise concerns.
The Empress and Death
These two tarot cards signify a period of mourning. This could mean the end of a relationship, career, or an environment that no longer serves you. You should not fear seeing The Empress alongside Death; a natural departure is a necessity for growth.
An unnatural attachment, out of fear of loss, may only create more problems and negative feelings, such as resentment, distrust, or completely losing one’s way in life.
Another great way to read these two cards together is the mythical phoenix (originating from the Egyptian deity, Bennu), representing rebirth and rising through the ashes of death. The Death card is the marker that represents an end, while The Empress card meaning includes all that is necessary to move on after a loss in a healthy and compassionate way.
The Empress and The Hanged Man
These two cards may show up in a reading if you are feeling conflicted, restricted, or frustrated due to a lack of expression. Because we’re talking about the goddess of abundance and love, those yearnings are likely in the forms of artistic, sexual, or connection with nature.
The Hanged Man reinforces the need to listen to your inner desires and passions. We know how important it is to avoid bottling up our emotions, as they always end up manifesting in ways, often uncontrolled. This is where a lot of mental health issues can surface in our lives.
If you see this pairing in a tarot reading, make an effort to seek therapy and advice from someone you can trust. A professional therapist is ideal, because their insight won’t come with preferential treatment or biases as a close friend or family member would.
In other readings that center on financial advice, this card combination is telling you to keep an open mind. Opportunities are rewarded to those who remain grounded and ignore feelings of doubt or lowering of expectations.
You may also see these two appear in your reading if you feel confused or conflicted in your spiritual faith. If you are transitioning away from traditional religious practices to a more ancestral-driven path: trust the process. It takes a lot of courage to move from rituals that society expects you to uphold to ones that you perform intuitively and with your best interests in mind.
The Empress and Judgment
For tarot newcomers, these cards may seem contradictory, at first. Judgment is similar to Death in that they both represent finality and transformation. With The Empress card by its side, this can indicate a major life event on the horizon.
These two cards may also ask for reconciliation or coming to terms with trauma that needs healing. It is important to be honest with yourself and to handle with care. These two cards represent the work that needs to be done during this transitory period.
If you’re in a relationship right now, this may include overcoming fears of conflict by opening up a dialog about unmet needs, insecurities, or how past traumas are holding you back. These two cards caution jumping into new relationships, because The Empress calls for self-love and introspection first.
When you address your spiritual and emotional conflicts, new pathways open up for you to grow and expand your wisdom. Confidence is born from a challenging time of judgment, and with The Empress, that also means filling your cup with more love, wealth, and overall happiness.
The Empress Relationship With Taurus♉
Venus shares all of the divine feminine and motherly energy with The Empress card, which also rules Taurus signs. The Empress card reinforces the need for Taurus signs to stay grounded, stay in-touch with their sensuality, and feed those around you.
That maternal instinct from The Empress resonates with Taurus, as they are usually the first ones to quickly take charge during an emergency or get out of a difficult situation. If you see this card in your reading, as a Taurus, take it as a reminder that your power must be nurtured to avoid burning out.