3 – The Empress

3 - The Empress

The Daughter of the Mighty Ones
Card Number: 3
Path Number: 14
Rulership: Venus
Hebrew Letter: Daleth (door)
Mythology: Venus/Aphrodite, Hathor, goddesses of love and agriculture

Typical Symbols

twelve-stared crown, heart-shaped shield with Venus symbol, wheat and other crops, rod

Journey

The Fool has stepped beyond the High Priestess’s veil, and finds himself in a field of wheat. Seated nearby is a regal pregnant woman. In a motherly manner, she shows the Fool the bounty of Nature that he now has the tools to harvest.

“Your journey, your creation, needs to be tended as if it is a crop or a new life,” she cautions him. “Love it and tend it to bring it to fruition.” And with that, she sends him beyond her field.

Observations

Robin Wood Tarot The pregnant Empress sites before her spinning wheel, which is decorated with the symbols of the Zodiac. On her head is the twelve-stared crown (dominion). She is obviously pregnant, and surrounded by crops, wheat, etc. This is an indication of her fertility. The traditional Venus shield is hung on a tree (cypress?) behind her. The phases of the moon are on her crown, showing the cycles of nature. Rings are on her fingers, representing attachment and commitment.
Universal Waite A blond-haired Empress sits on a throne in a field of wheat. She wears the twelve-stared crown (dominion) and holds a sceptre (authority). She wears a gown covered with pomegranates. Behind her is the stream of consciousness. The shield of Venus is at her feet, and Venus’s cypress trees are behind her.
Hanson-Roberts The Empress is seated in a field of wheat. She wears the twelve-stared crown of dominion and holds the sceptre of authority. The shield of Venus is on her shoulder.

My Thoughts

The Empress is meant to be symbolic of fertility. I feel that the card from the Robin Wood tarot shows this more clearly then the other two decks. All three cards show authority and serenity. The Empress is a powerful woman, and she is confident enough to show her feminist.

Upright Meaning

Fertility, abundance, and material wealth. A desire to give birth to something – a child, a project, an idea. A mother or mother-figure influencing events. Marriage and pregnancy, depending on other cards. A competent woman, safe and secure, building a future for herself and her family.

Reversed

Domestic upheaval. Delay in accomplishment or progress. Infertility – physically, mentally or spiritually. Blocked creativity.

Questions to Answer

What projects are you trying to “birth”? How are you using your nuturing and mother abilities? What mother-figures are in your life?

Meditation

I am a fertile field that nurtures creativity.