The Empress is the vessel for the divine feminine, she is the ruler of all our deepest emotion and compassion. She is sure of herself and a caring mother figure to others. She is not afraid to love and be loved, having complete confidence in her worth and expressing deep love and respect for those around her.

The Empress tarot card is most commonly associated with the goddess Venus and is linked with fertility and mother nature. Alongside certain cards, she can suggest marriage or most likely, a pregnancy. She is a comforting presence in any reading and can symbolise a time where you will receive an abundance of that which promises to nurture you. This could be love or material things.

Upright

When you draw The Empress in an upright position, it is very positive and suggests a pivotal time where love, abundance and compassion will be extremely important for you. Some other properties of The Empress tarot card are:

• Nurturing

• Fertility

• Abundance

• Divine Feminine

• Self Expression

• Universal Knowledge

In the upright position, The Empress is often a sign that you’ll soon be receiving an abundance of something you’ve been in need of on an emotional and spiritual level. This will most often be material or physical gift, such as money, a family or a new career opportunity.

Reversed

When The Empress is reversed, she can represent a few different things depending on her position and the cards that surround her. Some of the most common are:

• Disease

• Overbearing

• Dependence

• Creative Blockages

The Empress is a creator, but she does so with ease, she allows things to develop naturally. This means that when she is reversed, you may be trying to control things too much. This feeling can also be linked to other areas, such as trying to get pregnant, smothering someone with love and depending on others to make us happy.

Reading The Empress in a spread

The Empress is honestly one of my favourite cards because she has that warm, comforting, homely energy that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. She is the mother of the tarot and so I always find it helpful to think of a stereotypical motherly archetype whenever she pops up. That just helps to think about what she would say to me in the moment, what advice and words of comfort would she give. Let’s have a look at other ways we could frame the energy and messages of The Empress.

As an invitation

The main invitation that The Empress offers is the invitation for more compassion and self-love. She is asking you to treat yourself like you would treat those closest to you, something we often struggle to do. When she pops up, it can be a clear sign that we’re not being kind enough or that we need to really focus on our wellbeing at this time.

For The Empress, this invitation could be the following:

• An invitation to spend some time on yourself and your emotional wellbeing

• An invitation to nurture a specific energy that you are experiencing

• An invitation to connect with your divine feminine energy

• An invitation to explore how you could be more authentic and true to yourself

As sage advice

When thinking about the advice of The Empress, think about what advice a deeply loving, compassionate and caring mother would offer you. She is the most nurturing energy in the tarot deck, so keep that in mind when she pops up in your readings.

Some advice The Empress may offer is:

• You can’t pour from an empty cup so spend some time taking care of your wellbeing

• It is time to nurture this energy you’re feeling and explore it more deeply

• In order to overcome blockages, you need to be kinder and more understanding, either to yourself, others or the situation at hand

• No idea is too wild or too ‘out there’ follow those streams of creativity to the end of the line and allow them space to really flourish

As a lesson

The Empress often teaches us the lesson of compassion, both for the self and for others. A lot of the lessons she’ll throw your way are ones of self-love, kindness and tolerance.

Some lessons that The Empress may offer you are:

• You need to take a step back and see where you can be more giving and where you are being too controlling

• You have the power to love yourself as much as you need and you don’t have to rely on others for self-validation

• You have the divine power of creation, you just need to find your personal route to unlocking it

• Everything you need to know is locked within and with a bit of patience and self-love, you’ll be able to access everything you need

As a redirection

When The Empress appears with a message of re-direction, a lot of the time it’s because we’ve been paying too much attention to our material world and not enough time on our inner world and self. She is a gentle nudge towards more self-care and a sign that we need a bit of TLC right now and we’re not currently receiving it.

As a redirection, The Empress could symbolise a need to:

• Take a break and focus on replenishing yourself. You’re in need of a recharge so that you can continue to smash your goals

• Look at your problem from a more compassionate POV and see where you are being too strict with yourself or others

• Listen and empathise with others more. This is one that can often come up in relationship or career readings

• Step back and allow things to unfold naturally

In summary…

The Empress is all about the nature of things. She wants us to get back to our roots and really focus on our core needs, rather than getting bogged down with the gritty details. When she appears, ask yourself whether you have been showing enough love and kindness, either to yourself, the situation or other people. Think about how you could embrace more Empress energy into your life and what areas you have a distinct lack of Empress energy.