The Empress Tarot Card

Card Name: Empress, Mistress

Category: Major Arcana, Mind

Position: 3

The Empress is the first woman, Eve. The card shows beautiful goddesses from the planet Venus. They are sensitive and emotional, can give joy and even life itself. The woman absorbed all the best and was able to transform it into an even more perfect one. But in the opposite form, the card changes its original message. Now Eve turns into Lilith – a hysterical person who is always unhappy with everything. She is emotionally exhausted, so she is unable to give happiness to her partner. Now begins the story, eternal as the world, about a nasty old woman spoiling the blood of an old man. The former nymph becomes a real fiend.

Symbolism and Key Ideas of the The Empress

In the Rider-Waite Tarot, the Empress card depicts a fair-haired woman seated on a throne in the middle of a forest landscape. The girl is dressed in a long white dress with a pattern in the form of scarlet rose buds. The head of the heroine is decorated with a diadem with twelve stars and a laurel crown. In her right hand, a young woman holds a golden scepter with a round knob. The back of the throne is curved, orange. Nearby are a red pillow and cloth. Leaning against the right side of the throne is a shield in the form of a heart engraved with the "mirror of Venus" – a traditional sign that personifies the female gender. A wheat field is shown in the foreground, a mixed forest and a waterfall are shown in the background.

The character of the Empress is a queen who has the qualities of all four Ladies. Therefore, coniferous trees, wheat, water and scarlet pillows appear on the card. The blonde is beautiful, smart, economic, has a passionate bright character. It is possible that the heroine is pregnant. This is hinted at by a field and a throne with a curved back, repeating the curves of the chest and rounded belly. The girl also has power – this is indicated by the wand, the crown and the symbols of roses on the dress. The twelve stars on the diadem are identical to all the signs of the zodiac. Particular attention should be paid to the stone base of the throne. Despite the beauty and sophistication, the heroine still has a strong spirit, she has strength and influence.

Meaning of the Upright The Empress Card

Mother or grandmother; influential respected woman, girl.
Nature and the Universe, sensitive energy and intuitiveness.
Maturity, fertility, the creation of something new, the birth of an idea.
Beauty, grace and perfection, the combination of all the elements.

In the upright position, the Empress personifies specific women or lies down as a significator of the situation. The card shows softness and suppleness, coupled with inner strength. This is fertility, thriftiness and also Mother Earth herself. The Arcana personifies the "feminine" side of being, openness and sensitivity. This is the ability to create something, to “give birth” to ideas and then to embody them. The hostess symbolizes the time of harvest, reaping the fruits. The card is like a personification of the mother goddess, which is in every culture. This archetype is responsible for the continuation of the family and the fate of mankind.

At a more mundane level, the Empress hints at the availability of the necessary resource, as well as endurance, the ability to wait. Like a pregnant woman, a person must first “bear” the idea, put strength into his intention. On the card, the symbol of Venus can be seen in inconspicuous details – for example, in the outline of a pillow with a tassel or on a pearl necklace. This sign, together with the numerical designation of the Arcana, again indicates the expansion, "unwinding" of the energy flow. Three shows the merging of two forces and their transformation into something more than they were separately. This is nature itself, taking the form of a beautiful young girl.

Love and Relationships (Upright)

Marriage with a practical woman who knows how to create comfort in the house.
Peace, harmony and mutual understanding in the family or a strong union.
Acquaintance with the future wife – beautiful, friendly, smart.
Self-improvement of a girl for the sake of her lover.

In the love spread, the Empress shows her partner. This is a faithful woman, focused on creating a family, a cozy nest. She is ready to become a wife and mother. The man agrees with this scenario. The partner is able to provide the spouse with the necessary. The third Arcana of the Tarot hints at mutual happiness, satisfaction with life. In such a pair, love, sincerity and mutual understanding reign. The attitude towards each other is very warm. In a straight position, the Mistress does not talk about the dominance of a woman. Rather, it simply means awareness of the value of your other half.

For lonely people, the Empress promises a quick acquaintance. For women, the partner is completely unimportant, because here the emphasis is on the figure of the questioner. She will be able to find a suitable gentleman who will reveal her natural softness, kindness and affection. For guys, the card predicts a meeting with the right future partner. She will turn into a kind of motivator, helping to move forward and achieve goals for the common good of the couple.

Career and Finance (Upright)

Profitable houses, agricultural business; or a female boss.
A working project that brings good profit and development.
Monetary "airbag"; sustainable state of affairs.
Creating a way to earn money that works without the participation.

In the context of the significator of activity, the Empress shows maternity hospitals, hotels, as well as a business dominated by a woman. Sometimes the card involves agriculture, growing various crops and harvesting. In terms of the current situation at work, the Empress speaks of emerging prospects for growth and development. The questioning person has all the necessary qualities in order to significantly move up the career ladder or improve business processes.

The financial situation is stable, with a prerequisite for further enrichment. The querent has ideas that work in practice, which he implements in his work. The Empress also sometimes shows passive income. In any case, the fortuneteller is financially independent, knows how to “create” money practically from scratch. All this helps to stay afloat and not be afraid of a crisis. The questioner will always find a way to feed himself and his family.

Health and Spirit (Upright)

The absence of problems with the genitals in women, girls.
Good health, inherited through the mother or grandmother.
Calm and peaceful state, acceptance of the situation.
Lovingness, gentle nature or the ability to relax.

In terms of health, the Empress implies the reproductive system in women, as well as heredity from the mother, grandmother. In the upright position, the card shows fertility, a strong hardy body. The girl has no problems with the menstrual cycle, she can easily become pregnant and then bear a healthy child. For men, the Arcana speaks of strong immunity inherited through the female line. In any case, the person does not have serious ailments. Also, you can not worry about the future generation.

The mental state is peaceful, calm. Here the meaning of the Empress is extremely positive. The card represents relaxation, gentleness and enjoyment of life. Regardless of gender, the querent knows how to listen and give love to others. He is able to accept life’s difficulties, come to terms with them, and work for the common good. Also, the Major Arcana №3 hints at heightened intuition, both for girls and guys. A person can predict some events and prepare for them in advance.

Situations and Questions (Upright)

Favor of fate, a chance to create something new, outstanding.
Focus on yourself, your inner world; "feeling" of events.
The process of creating, investing time, effort and money into something.
The ability to protect, protect the result from ill-wishers.

The Empress Tarot that has fallen out gives a positive quality to the spread for any area of life. Whether it’s a relationship or a question about a career – everywhere the Arcana is played as a kind of gift, a gift from life. Now fate plays for a fortuneteller. Situations and circumstances will be built in such a way that, as a result, the querent will win. He himself knows how to appreciate life, so he looks at things positively. And, as you know, this approach to business already solves half the problem. The card hints at a willingness to gratefully accept what is happening. If you give a fortune-teller a lemon, he will make lemonade out of it.

The Empress asks questions: “What should I invest in?” and “How to protect the results obtained?”. The shield is depicted here for a reason. It symbolizes the ability to fight back, but at the same time to do it gently, non-violently. The shape of the heart hints at the acceptance and sublimation of negativity into something beautiful, sublime. But the querent must understand what he really wants. Only by choosing the ultimate goal, you can completely surrender to the process of creation, the creative flow.

Spirituality and Karma (Upright)

Manifestation of the inner world in the outer, the flow of energy.
The ability to be sensitive to the world, but not to lose ground.
The meaning of life, which consists in family happiness and birth.
Acceptance of internal images of mother and woman; sublimation.

The Empress card in question comes next to the Priestess. She seems to continue this flow of female energy, but brings new ideas, develops them. So, you can find similar meanings, for example – intuition and sensitivity. However, the last card only hinted at vitality. Now the viewer sees the manifested power embodied in an ordinary earthly woman. She is the queen of hearts and mistress of her lands. The heroine absorbed the mysticism of the past Arcana, but managed to express it in ordinary reality.

In terms of the karma of the Arcana, the Empress speaks of living a female destiny. In this incarnation, the querent (if she is a girl) must know family happiness, give birth to a child. In the case when a man asks, the card speaks of the importance of dissolving in a beloved woman, procreation. The Arcana implies worldly affairs, life. A person must go through this in order to understand the mystery of life and become involved in it. Creative energy must be expressed through the birth of a new person.

Meaning of the Reversed The Empress Tarot

Getting stuck in the "comfort zone"; habits that only hurt.
Inability to complete what has been started; hung condition.
A pointless waste of time and effort.
A certain female figure that does not command respect or sympathy.

The reversed Empress card changes the basic meaning. Now the heroine is losing her influence on the situation, and with it the respect of others. It becomes an attachment to its partner, and not a separate unit. The reversed position represents a creative crisis, difficulties in translating ideas into reality. The process stops halfway, the querent experiences difficulties in self-realization. Also, the Empress in the opposite form shows the use of a person or a certain resource for selfish purposes, without mutual exchange. The person on the reversed card is a symbol of millennia of female oppression.

In ordinary life, the Empress in the opposite sense indicates mediocre results. A person invests in an “empty” business, wasting time and effort in vain. It is possible that circumstances interfere with the successful resolution of the situation, or, conversely, the questioner himself. The heroine of the reversed Arcana is a mother who cannot let go of her child in any way. She misses the moment when independence should be given, therefore she destroys the future for the child in the bud. If we draw an analogy with business or projects, then the position of the card indicates the fear of moving forward, developing.

Love and Relationships (Reversed)

Misogyny, disrespect for your partner, wife, mistress.
The intervention of the mother or grandmother in the privacy of the spouses.
Acquaintance with an ill-mannered man who humiliates women.
Meeting a domineering girl who wants control over a guy.

For a love spread, the reversed Empress assumes the role of an outcast woman. The partner is faced with disrespect in his address. Perhaps the mother-in-law or mother-in-law, grandmother intervenes in the life of the spouses. The girl is not allowed to reveal herself as the mistress of the hearth. It may also be that the partner himself uses his wife as a universal robot – a cleaner, a lover and a mother of children all rolled into one. All this negatively affects the relationship in a couple, turns the lovers back to each other.

If the fortuneteller does not have a second half, then the Empress reversed promises a difficult period. The girls will face an imperious gentleman who does not care about the feelings of the questioner. The prospect of such a relationship certainly will not lead to mutual happiness. For men, the position of the Arcana hints at an acquaintance with the “second mother”. Passion will try to take over in a pair. However, such leadership promises disappointment and a depressed state for the guy himself.

Career and Finance (Reversed)

A boss with a difficult character and an incompetent employee.
An unfinished project that still needs to be amended.
Satisfying other people’s requests, closing your eyes to your own problems.
The negative impact of the wife or mother on the financial condition.

As a significator of activity, the reversed Empress shows a business run by an incompetent woman. Due to her sensitivity, she cannot control many processes. It is hard for her to give a dry calculation, the issue of personnel management. It is possible that such a boss is too soft or, on the contrary, hysterical. In the context of the situation, the position of the Arcana speaks of unfinished work that needs to be adjusted. The final result is still far away, so the querent should invest more in the result of his activities.

On the reversed card, the Empress passes general well-being, but in no case personal. The querent took upon himself the cares and expenses of loved ones, and in many ways limits himself. This leads to a breakdown in strength, which will eventually lead to emotional burnout. For men, in addition, the position of the card indicates the negative impact of the mother on the well-being of the son. It restrains the growth of the questioner, not allowing it to get out from under its own wing.

Health and Spirit (Reversed)

Painful periods or lack thereof, menopause.
Sexually transmitted diseases; inflammation.
“Giving away” oneself in pieces; fear of rejecting others.
Everyday worries that drive the querent into depression.

In terms of health, the Empress in the opposite way is responsible for problems with the reproductive system. The position of the card may indicate menopause, inflammation of the ovaries, or infertility. In the worst case, this is the removal of the reproductive organ. A woman has problems conceiving and bearing a fetus. For men, the reversed Arcana shows bad heredity, the genetic transmission of any disease. Sometimes the Empress in the opposite sense symbolizes birth trauma that will affect the future life of the questioner.

The state of a person according to this provision is read as depressed and unsatisfied. The reversed Empress falls on those individuals who are used to pushing themselves into the background. They are too responsible for the well-being of others, but at the same time they forget about their own needs. All this leads to a personal crisis, a breakdown, a loss of desire to live. Perhaps a person was brought up this way, instilled from childhood with the communist idea of helping one’s neighbor. Yes, it is very important. But do not forget about your needs.

Situations and Questions (Reversed)

Over-responsibility that only harms any situation.
A problem that is not resolved for a long time "hangs".
Untimeliness, an attempt to hold on to something, and a delay.
Immaturity of the individual or a project that has no chance of success.

In all readings, the reversed Empress shows the negative side of the Mother archetype. This is excessive importunity, and moralizing, as well as concern for the end result. As a result, because of such emotions, a person simply does not achieve anything. He starts some business, invests resources there, and then is afraid to let go, to complete this process. The situation, of course, has a secondary benefit. For example, the desire to control everything, to have power over someone or something, is satisfied.

The reversed Empress asks questions: “What am I not willing to let go of?” and “What causes this fear?”. The queen rules over her land. However, she must give birth to descendants – future rulers. But the heroine does not want to lose her crown and pass it on, even to her own children. That is why it is beneficial for her to educate immature individuals who are afraid to receive responsibility. This example can be transferred to ordinary life and applied to the question posed.

Spirituality and Karma (Reversed)

An attempt to forget about their natural femininity, motherhood.
For men – depreciation of the mother’s figure or resentment towards her.
Problems in personal life due to unlearned lessons of the past.
Gender role mismatch in a couple or lack of harmony.

If the Empress card is turned over, then the heroine becomes close in vibration to the Queen of Pentacles in the opposite form. The queen cannot sublimate an internal resource and give out a result. She becomes a man in a skirt, loses charm and sophistication. Now the meaning of her life lies in meeting the needs of others, solving problems that are not her own. She cares about her subjects, but forgets to keep a piece of the pie for herself. In general, the reversed card shows a certain immaturity and rejection of one’s own individuality.

As karma, the Empress, in the opposite sense, implies an undeveloped personal life. For women, this will mean partnership, marriage with an immature man. The girl is forced to take on the role of a mother for her boyfriend. She will take all the responsibility on herself, and therefore will lose her taste for life. For guys, the reversed card promises a meeting with an imperious lady with pronounced masculine qualities. Often the cause of all these situations lies in childhood. The child looks at the relationship of the parents, and in the future repeats the same scenario.

The Empress as a Significator of a Person

If the Empress fell out upright, then the Arcana shows kind-hearted women of a wide soul. They achieve success not only in their personal lives, but also in terms of career, self-realization. Anna Ioannovna, Elizaveta Petrovna and Catherine II ruled Russia in the 18th century. This period was filled with contemporaries as something unusual and hitherto unseen. Empresses emphasized beauty and art, leaving wars to men. But still, they suppressed riots in time, always kept their finger on the pulse. That is why the card represents the balance of the elements, expressed in beauty and grace.

But reversed, the Empress shows the loss of authority. An example is Tsarina Sophia, the first woman on the Russian throne. Despite her contribution to the cultural life of the country, the outcome was sad. Sophia was overthrown from the throne by the young half-brother Peter. He imprisoned the former queen in a monastery, where she died before reaching her 50 years of age. The reversed card shows women who are limited in their rights and freedoms. They are forced to obey someone and carry their burden on fragile shoulders.

The Empress: Combination with other Tarot Cards

Advice and Warning of the The Empress Card

If the card lies upright, then the Empress advises to rely on a woman’s instinct, to trust a certain lady. For girls, this figure may be herself. In this case, it is worth taking the situation calmly, trying to resolve the issue peacefully. You also need to take into account other people’s interests, create an atmosphere of mutual understanding. The Empress card also warns that now it is impossible to refuse the assigned responsibility. A person is obliged to think about many things at once, to calculate his behavior in advance. The situation requires a royal approach, otherwise you can lose authority and respect.

The reversed Empress advises to take a supporting role, to take care of everyday life. The questioner should use his power in the most ordinary things, for example, choosing food for dinner or transferring things into the hands of one or another seamstress. As a warning, the reversed Empress hints at an inopportune time to exercise power. No one will listen to a fortuneteller, so you should not even try. The position of the card sometimes hints at a threat from a certain woman. It is worth being careful in a conversation, even with those closest to you. No need to spread about your problems – someone will definitely take advantage of the current situation.

The Empress: Daily Card Meaning

Today, the querent is waiting for a calm, relaxed day. It can be done with family. Often the mother or grandmother takes the leading role here. This woman is like a magnet, gathering all relatives around her, giving joy. The Empress also shows work on some important project, business. On this day, inspiration will appear to continue the process that has begun. Women will feel a surge of tenderness, want to spend time with their children or husband. Men, on the other hand, will find a wonderful interlocutor in the person of their passion. In general, the day promises to be full of pleasant feelings and emotions. The desire to live and create, to create something new, will intensify.

If the Empress fell out inverted, then the day promises a conflict with some woman. It can be either a relative – mother, sister, aunt, or a boss. Girls will feel humiliated and insulted, they will feel disrespect in their direction. Men will be bothered by annoying ladies, even if they are the closest ones. Any business today will be suspended indefinitely. Perhaps there will not be enough resources for further development. The questioner will have a desire to be hysterical, nervous. One can only dream of peace of mind today.