page of ghosts
Far from a tarot master, but here is an attempt at the empress. I'm waiting for the book so once I have it I'll probably update this thread if I find anything interesting. I'm also waiting for the Thoth + a neat book to study and compare to this since there does seem to be some Thoth influence here, based on what little I know of the Thoth. Anyway, here goes:
The Empress is a (somewhat) classic pregnant lady in this deck. Boobs out is maybe not something I see very often (my collection of decks is small, a lot RWS-based and only major publishers) but I can appreciate how it makes her look open, relaxed and free. The symbol on her headdress is the venus symbol if I'm not mistaken and it's often associated with femininity and womanhood. In her right hand is some sort of fruit/globe hybrid. Doesn't the emperor have some kind of sceptre and globe-ish thing sometimes? Either way it makes me think of her as also a ruler, having those symbols in her hands.
The bees on her skirt might symbolize fertility in the same way her belly does. Bees are hard workers and masters of pollination - without them we're pretty screwed since they make sure plants can produce fruit and other goodies. There are a lot of animals in this card in addition to the bees, like the fish, bird (pelican?) and frog. I also think in all the animals in this card we have some of the big groups of animal: mammal (human), amphibium (frog), sea-creatures (fish), birds (pelican) and insects (bees), which I can appreciate with her embodying fertility and growth. I'm not very good with recognising plants so what she holds in her hand and what is on her throne is not known to me. The leaves make me think of some water plant and I think it's one I've seen in hieroglyphs at some point in my life.
The water plant, the fish, frog, sea shell and the way her foot touches the water makes me think there is some watery influence to this card. Makes me think of the primordial ooze where some say life first begun, the water of the womb etc. Instead of the RWS where there is a big field with a lot of wheat growing there is a lot of water here, but also some air. The bird, although the pelican is a skilled water-bird, and the big cloud puff behind her suggests that to me. There is also the question of the door in the background - where does it lead to and how do you get there? Does this empress hold some hidden knowledge similarly to the high priestess then?
There is some egyptian inspiration here as well, but I don't know enough of it to really make any comments. I can hope that someone else who knows and feels like it contributes to this thread
The Empress is a (somewhat) classic pregnant lady in this deck. Boobs out is maybe not something I see very often (my collection of decks is small, a lot RWS-based and only major publishers) but I can appreciate how it makes her look open, relaxed and free. The symbol on her headdress is the venus symbol if I'm not mistaken and it's often associated with femininity and womanhood. In her right hand is some sort of fruit/globe hybrid. Doesn't the emperor have some kind of sceptre and globe-ish thing sometimes? Either way it makes me think of her as also a ruler, having those symbols in her hands.
The bees on her skirt might symbolize fertility in the same way her belly does. Bees are hard workers and masters of pollination - without them we're pretty screwed since they make sure plants can produce fruit and other goodies. There are a lot of animals in this card in addition to the bees, like the fish, bird (pelican?) and frog. I also think in all the animals in this card we have some of the big groups of animal: mammal (human), amphibium (frog), sea-creatures (fish), birds (pelican) and insects (bees), which I can appreciate with her embodying fertility and growth. I'm not very good with recognising plants so what she holds in her hand and what is on her throne is not known to me. The leaves make me think of some water plant and I think it's one I've seen in hieroglyphs at some point in my life.
The water plant, the fish, frog, sea shell and the way her foot touches the water makes me think there is some watery influence to this card. Makes me think of the primordial ooze where some say life first begun, the water of the womb etc. Instead of the RWS where there is a big field with a lot of wheat growing there is a lot of water here, but also some air. The bird, although the pelican is a skilled water-bird, and the big cloud puff behind her suggests that to me. There is also the question of the door in the background - where does it lead to and how do you get there? Does this empress hold some hidden knowledge similarly to the high priestess then?
There is some egyptian inspiration here as well, but I don't know enough of it to really make any comments. I can hope that someone else who knows and feels like it contributes to this thread