LGAL Cosmos Tarot - Empress/Virgo

JDusk

Image: A woman holds a large bunch of wheat in a room full of plants and shelves. She has red-blond hair in a braid and wears a collared shirt with rolled-up sleeves and an apron, both greenish. The entire room looks dim with a blue cast, and doesn’t have any obvious windows except directly next to the door. The outside is just solid green. The door is open and has a crooked blank sign hanging on it. Bunches of red and purple flowers hang from the ceiling to dry, some stems green but a few dried to brown. There are some pots of plants and one that looks like it holds wrapped bouquets of flowers. Some empty vases and a sink are visible in the background.

Keywords: Curiosity, progress, perfection, beauty, order

Element: Earth

Visual analysis: This card strikes me as introverted, but not restful. The room(/inner world?) is full but not crowded, and the woman seems happy alone with her plants, whereas the outside world is completely empty. This is a place of work, however, not simply pleasure: the sink suggests functionality (not a showroom), and so do the vases waiting for flowers, the apron, and the hanging flowers – something is always in progress here. But there is also a need for time and patience in having them dry. There is nurturing as indicated by the things she has grown, harvested, and cared for, as well as productivity and dedication. There is also a sense of abundance and an implication of fecundity from the many flowers and the healthy bunch of wheat.

Reversed, I'm struck by how alone and closed off she is in this room. The dim blue tones seem more pressing and the vertical lines of the floor push my eyes down instead of up. She harvested these plants from nature but she is stuck here contemplating them, not with her hands in the soil. Those flowers are now upright, however, meaning that process of drying is interrupted (even if only symbolically)... makes me think of someone taking them down before they're done drying, so maybe impatience. The focus is also now on the flowers, not the woman, so perhaps materialism, or focusing on things instead of processes, is at play.

As Virgo: Going off of what the guidebook says, I see a florist/gardener who is knowledgeable and organized. She is no longer a hobbyist – she has sharpened her skills, put everything in order, and now has a small business. There is literal growth in these plants, but there is also personal growth – wheat is not shown in the background, so perhaps this is a new venture for her? She has harvested the results of a new type of gardening, so her venture has been successful.

As the Empress: A lot of the traditional meanings are clear here, but this is a much more down-to-earth take on the Empress’s femininity, with an apron instead of robes and velvet. She is on her feet putting these concepts into action, not just acting as a symbol. She looks proud of the results of her work, and something about the way she rests the wheat on one hand reminds me of someone holding a baby.
 

Penthasilia

The Empress: intuitive thoughts

You can see the active mind of the Virgo in this card so well. She is quiet- but her mind isn't. She is Creatrix- and therefore always looking at the next steps. She is Empress- and so her mind moves with the cycles, but always with a firm grasp of the next one to come. You see this in the flowers that are freshly cut and hanging to dry, the wheat that is going to be set to do the same- the flowers still growing in pots- and not quite ready for harvest, the sink/bottles in the back that hint toward her awesome alchemy.

What an amazing Empress- she is so nondescript and yet has so much power. Just as you could easily miss the beautiful and active mind behind the placid expression, you can easily miss the power behind the unassuming figure.

I don't get a sense of the normal pregnancy you see in traditional Empress cards- but the idea of cycles and growth and balance is very much present when you see her in these surroundings. And Virgo- the earth sign- would know very well about the harvest cycles- and knowing that which needs to be fed, and alternatively that which needs to be culled.

Order: The Virgo is present in the cleanliness and order of the room- everything in its place.

Beauty- the beauty of the woman, yes- there is beauty in the peaceful yet vibrant mindfulness she holds. Also the beauty of the plants that surround her.

Perfection- ah yes- the Virgo is all about perfection- and when you think about the Empress in her role- perfection can be a clouded thing. What can appear as chaos is actually a perfected work- just as nature can seem chaotic at first glance- but works so seamlessly we cannot begin to understand the complex nature of its mechanisms. Superficially- look at the way the boxes and jars are lined up- order and perfection.

Progress- the cycles of the planting, harvesting and drying. The active mind already looking at the next steps in the process.

Curiosity- that beautiful brain and creative mind, you can almost hear her wondering what plant will be tended to/planted/pruned next. And the curiosity that comes with wondering how things will grow, and how they will turn out with harvest, as well as when they are made for feeding those around you.

Reversed:

The first thing you see is how the flowers are upright- no longer being dried, they seem like unearthed bouquets in an unfamiliar environment. She no longer seems as active with her mind- but almost disquiet in her expression, as if concerned about the whole status of events and everything turned upside down. One thing you should NEVER do it topsy-turvy a Virgo- they tend not to do well with that, and neither does our Virgo Empress. The wheat almost looks like a thrashing whip in her hand. Still, even upside down, there is an order to things- but it is just the wrong order, and that will end up with decreased yield and almost as if it is halting the natural cycles that she seeks.
 

JDusk

I love reading your posts. :) I'm glad you seem to know more than I do about the zodiac signs - my knowledge in that area is very sketchy, so this is a learning experience for me.

I agree that this Empress is remarkable in being, as you say, nondescript yet powerful. This card really grows on me the longer I look at it.