Journal Entries for Beginers - The Empress

[Kiama]

Originally posted by LittleWing
if any of you can look on the cosmic card (i dont know the link - sorry) - anyway - there is a sphere in the bottom left corner in 2 colours - but i do not know what this means.

the only other deck i have are marseilles - the similarity could be the sphere on the top of her staff in this card,

can anyone shed any light??

I am quoting this from the Cosmic Tarot book by Jean Huets, where she is talking abut the sphere you refer to, and the sphere held by the bird in it's beak...

"A bird in the foreground clasps a berry in its beak; the earth feeds her children, winged, finned, and legged. The fertility of the earth is illustrated by the golbe that floats amidst ripe stalks of grain and wildflowers."

Kiama

[Inana]

Originally posted by Kiama
The fact that she is pregnant shows that she is sexually active, and thus a sensual person (This links in with the luxury she is surrounded by). In Wiccan terms, the Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess is also the sexual aspect of Her: She isn't just wife and mother, but lover aswell. Sometimes I feel these days that many peopel view Mothers as sterile and unsexual... It is such a shame.

Kiama, Im fascinated by reading your post about this card. All its so true. Makes a good picture of the Empress.
This is also an important point not to be forgotten. The empress enjoys life pleasures. And the whole thing of sex and procreation gives big sense to the card. Sex is creativity as well creation. Life would not exist withouth this.

About the triple godess... the mother aspect is the one on the middle, the full moon? I mean when its draw like this )O(.

[Kiama]

Originally posted by Inana
About the triple godess... the mother aspect is the one on the middle, the full moon? I mean when its draw like this )O(.

Yep: Full Moon in middle is the Mother aspect (Imagine it;s her pregnany belly!). On the left we have the waxing moon (Getting stronger and bigger) so that's the Maiden aspect. On the right we have the waning moon (Getting smaller after having been full before) so that's the Crone aspect.

In the Tarot, some people say that the Empress is the Mother, the High Priestess the Maiden, and nobody's quite sure where the Crone is.

For me though, the High Priestess is the Crone: Wisdom, and inner knowledge and mystery. The Maiden is more about innocence, the chase, being carefree and inquisitive. I would probably assign the Fool to the Maiden, even though it's not a feminine card itself. The Empress I'd leave as the Mother.

Kiama

[Inana]

Thanks for the info Kiama, its interesting trying to relate it to tarot.
Maybe the High Priestess could be both: Maiden and Crone? The Priestess also implies knowing ourselves and learning, and thats what the young maiden needs to do too.

[Kiama]

I've been participating in the 'Differences between French and English Tarot tradition' thread recently, and thought I'd add anothe side of the Empress which isn't actually shown in the Robin Wood images of her, although it is implied by the fact that she is a Mother.

She's STRONG. littleneptune said that he/she disliked the modern view of the Empress as all-loving, all-nurturing, kinda weak... He/she goes for the stronger side of this card, and thinking about it, I think I'd agree.

What is it to be a mother? And what does the woman have to go through in a pregnancy? Now, before I begin I'd like to add that I'm not sayig that this is symbolising a woman specifically, since the pregnancy is a metaphor for the creative process all peopel go through... Any pregnancy (Whether real or metaphorical) takes immense strength, courage, and perserverence. That in itself says to me that this woman is strong and brave.

When she becomes a Mother, she not only has to love, but she must also learn how to punish sufficiently. She must learn to balance her duties to her child with other duties. It's difficult. Anybody who's ever run a home with kids will know this. God knows how my poor Mum survived!

So, that's my quick addition to this, in light of new understanding.

Kiama

[Etteilla]

Here a site with all the Cosmic Tarot Majors online...

http://www.catryce.com/MysticCat/Oracles/tarot.html