78 Weeks: Empress

jmd

To find out what these threads refer to, please seeThe link above provides suggested dates and links to all threads for this study.

Some amongst us may be working through the deck in a different order, and using different decks.

For more general comments or questions about the 78 weeks, please post in the thread linked above.

Enjoy!
 

rexenne2003

Witches Tarot

The empress card has a lovely and happy setting. There is a pregnant woman with long blonde hair sitting in a field that is filled with pink and white flowers and a blooming tree and bush reside just behind her. She is a royal maiden as she is wearing a crown, and wears a pink dress with a red shaw over her shoulders and a necklace with the sign of Venus which means attraction, love and creativity.
She is looking off to the left, and seems content.
The sky has a few drifting fluffs of clouds, the sun is in the upper left while the moon rests just right of the middle of the card. A black sphere is on the left, behind the maiden, and a grey one on the right.

Overall mood is expectation, love, caring, carefree.
 

galadrial

Blue Rose deck

The Empress appears in the form of an Island native. The hills in the background look as though they could still erupt. She holds her hands out as though, having created the Island in a tumultuous upheaval of tremendous forces, she is now ready to show her gentler, sustaining, nurturing side by creating life forms of great vulnerability. Yet still with magnificent, even awe inspiring complexities- the patterns on the delicate butterflies, the veins and colors in a single leaf. A human child reaches out to pet a baby swan. The Empress' manifested creativity can give us something to care for and about. It can give us the wonderful, heady experience of seeing, touching, hearing, smelling and tasting soul inspiring forms (I saw a drawing of the form of the molecule that is from a violet, ie: what your nose detects as "violet" scent- it is extremely complex). When we tap into the Empress' energy and manifest our own creativity, we can give those same gifts.

www.tarotpassages.com/PGEmpress.htm
 

Imagemaker

HAINDL tarot

Thoughts on the Empress, which represents mature woman/mother, passion and creativity:

The card has 3 distinct images: the naked woman, the eye in the sky, and the door.

1. She's naked, standing with a knee ready to move forward, holding a snake and scepter. The snake is free to move, too--not a foe, but a tool? She has lumpy hips--there's power there, and fat stores for future needs :) Is the scepter for power/capability?

2. The eye in the triangle symbol is powerful. In other places, it's famous for being "the eye of providence"--God's eye of glory, some might say. On this card it is the eye of the Creative Source watching over the Empress' tasks? It is luminous, purple, radiant.

3. It struck me that each person's mother is their literal door to the world. The rune on the card is "door" and the door on the card opens to a radiance glowing beyond. When we are born the bright light outside must strike us like this: brilliant, confusing and strange-looking to the arriving baby.

4. The Empress is standing in the crescent moon in water, with bubbles rising as they did in the High Priestess card. Intuition always lies the base of the Empress' abilities.

5. The element stripe is red-clay brown for Earth, representing Mother Earth, the earthiness of motherhood and birth.

6. There is a crystal prism over her head--for multicolored facets of her abilities? Someone give me a clue :)
 

kwaw

In the Marseille deck the empress holds a staff that is topped by the symbol for Mars. Oddly in his 'Guide to qabalistic symbolism' Gareth Knight describes this as a 'venus sceptre' topped by a cross surmounted by circle, the symbol of Venus. In fact it is a circle surmounted by a cross, the symbol of Mars. Later on when it suits his purpose better he actually describes it as a 'globe' surmounted by a cross. I don't think he can have it both ways. While the attribution of Mars may seem an anomaly to those used to the post GD attribtution of Venus, we may note the connection between Mars and the concept of fertility; through its attribution to blood and its attribution to semen. For the capacity of a woman to bear children is distinguished in its span by periodical bleeding. This bears witness to her fertility; but the impregnation of the seed (mars/semen) is still required to make the potentiality actual. Thus Mars, blood and semen, is related to the concept of fertility. For me the Empress is a symbol of Mother Earth and of the continuity of life through the chain of birth and death, creation and destruction. She is the enforcer of the laws of nature, implacable, impersonal and undeflected by sentiment. She is 'Matriarchal Authority' who wields the power required to maintain order. The severe and stern nature of her sovereignty is indicated by the planetary attribution of Mars. The Empress keeps open the door of manifestation and directs the energy of Mars to work in the material plane to fuel the engine of nature's labours. Her mysteries are the mysteries of blood, to which Mars the red planet is attributed. The Empress I attribute to the letter Daleth to which is ascribed the principle of 'Seed', of fertility and progeny; the opposite of which is the sterile and desert 'Waste'. The issue of fertility and barrenness reiterates the connection between the Empress and the concept of 'Motherhood'. Daleth, like Mars, is also connected with blood and all things 'red'. The Empress is the hungry earth ever ready to consume the bloody sacrifice to ensure its fertility; for from death springs forth new life. By Aiq Kbr Daleth (4) relates to Mem (40), the Red (daleth) Water/Earth (mem), together which mean 'blood' (DM). She is also Mother Earth, Demeter, which connects her to the Tarot card the world (universe), Tau, also by Aiq Kbr (400). The cycles and seasons, the interdependent chain that is the continuity of life; the seasons as a time to live and die, to sow and reap. Also 400 (tau) via its attribution to the Moon [in most versions of the Sefer Yetzira] is connected to the blood mysteries (the triune nature of the moon; the pre-pubescent maiden; the fertile (menstruating) mother; the (post menstruation and barren) crone. 4, 40, 400, by Aiq Kbr 4 Daleth, all connected with blood and sacrifice, the cycle of fertility, sterility, birth and death. But beyond the transitory nature of manifestation the continuing cycle that is the chain of life.
 

Emily

The Empress Card - Morgan Greer

The main colours of this card are blue, green and yellow.
The symbols include:- the crescent moon, pomegranate, lotus blossom, lilly, wheat, shield with red eagle, cross above a red heart, trees, waterfall, water, grass, clear blue sky.

She is sitting but you can't see what it is she is sitting on. Her eyes are looking to her left although her head and body are facing forward, her face is passive and a little neutral, hair loose and flowing around her shoulders. The yellow/green gown she wears is huge but I don't think she is pregnant but the whole card is very fertile looking - green trees, moving water, the flowers and the wheat.

The only other colours on this card apart from the blue, green and yellow are the red eagle, pink lotus blossom, red heart and reddish pomegranate.

I'm going to look up the colours used because in the Morgan Greer they are significant, I'll add-on post later.
I like this Empress card, it always reminds me of Spring.
 

Majecot

From The Quest:
The Empress

This card is the essense of feminity. She is lightly standing on a globe, nude, her long hair flowing ( I think red). She appears to be serene and relaxed. In her arm she holds the septor of her status, two rings sybolizing her union with the Emperor. Stars trickle down from the heavens, surrounding her, and above her head is a crystal. The globe is sits in a ring of lights with water surrounding it. This card is sensual yet refers to motherhood, love, emotions, and creativity. I get a wonderful feeling of warmth and emotion from this card.

From Rohrig:
The Empress

This Empress is very majestic looking. She has longish red hair and on her head she wears a gold crown. She is wearing a beautiful gown of white feathers. Behind her- is a red and white striped (flag perhaps?) A torn dollar bill and some symbolic markings are faintly written on parchment.
a peice of notebook paper on the right of her is written the words, Energy, developement, emotion, fertility, success, and intuitive eye for detail.
She gives the impression of strenght and resolve, and has a kindness, seemingly all knowing in her expression. She is the ruler of her home. In a way she reminds me of a lioness. (and my mother)
I do not get the same feelings from this card as I do the Quest Empress. I do get the same ruling strength, from both, The Rohrig Empress doesn't have the warmth.

Both cards have the rune symbol thurisaz- a passive or agressive protective energy. And the Hebrew letter Daleth-door
 

Jewel-ry

The Empress

7/1/04 CRYSTAL
http://www.loscarabeo.com/deck.htm
scroll down on left to the Crystal Tarot and then click on Empress

As I have been spending sometime with my Marseille deck, I view this card so differently now. It is a mix of both RWS and Marseille. It is beautiful, all of the harvest colours are here including gold and red. The colours of wisdom and physical realisation. The Empress sits rather majestically on her throne, the back of which looks almost like wings. I've seen this on the Marseille Empress too. She looks 'comfortable' with herself and her surroundings. She rules her empire as well and as has been pointed out to me, she is an intelligent soul. So much of what she represents can be seen in this card. If you look carefully you can see she is holding hands with at least one other person, this shows her caring, nurturing, motherhood side. She cultivates, educates, creates and this is seen in her surroundings by the abundance of fruits. Some flowers are in bud - projects conceived but not yet come to fruition. Three leaves grow up a tree trunk (triple goddess). The eagle (hawk) is there too.

11/1/04 CRYSTAL

I have had another thought about this card after reading jmd's post below. She has the wings behind her but they are not clear, they look faded. This is now so obvious to me (thank-you jmd!), they represent ideas not yet manifested , not 'brought to life' as jmd puts it. So clever (you should all take a look at this deck its pretty good!).

7/1/04 HAINDL

I finally managed to meditate with this card but I will write about that in the meditation thread. In this card I see the Empress being in tune with the Earth. In my meditation the light the other side of the door became the moon and this card spoke to me of cycles. The moon and the female menstruation cycle. The crystal above her head became for me a symbol of clarity, and understanding.

7/1/04 HADAR

This Empress is the 'intellectual' principle, but she holds a shield which she almost seems to be holding onto quite tightly. Is she clinging onto whats hers, does this represent a child, or does it represent her baby, her idea, her project? Her head looks right which shows an active mind.

11/1/04

This has been an interesting week with this card. I see the Empress in a new light after working with her. As you know I try to relate the week card to my private life as well and this week has been no different. I babysat for my 3 week old nephew on Friday and through the whole experience I kept thinking about how the Empress was bringing out my nurturing qualities. I have given my children lectures on eating healthily and getting lots of fresh air etc. etc. I would have done these things anyway but they seem to have more importance in the light of studying this card.

J :)
 

Moonbow

The Empress - :TEMPS

Gill

She is part of the land. The orb she holds is the earth. Her right hand is outstretched with the palm downward facing - like she is saying 'I am the protector'. The collar of her dress is a bird with its wings fully expanded. She is beautiful, serene, calm and pretoective. She is the Empress of nature. Birds are flying around her, its a very calming picture.

Russian of St Petersburg

Sat on her carved, golden throne. One hand holds her sceptor the other holds a shield depicting an eagle. Her gown is green -earth and her short cape is red and white - royalty. She is the Russian Empress. Seven stars above her crown - perfection - success - courage.

Hadar

Sits with her legs apart and one foot showing beneath her dress. Her dress is the red of material things and the overdress is blue representing spiritual realm and royalty. Her crown is also red. She holds the shield showing the eagle in one arm and the other hand holds her sceptor. She looks to the future, she is in control and attentive. The floor is blue and white meaning spiritual and the Divine or purity.

Moonbow*
 

jmd

Again I try to keep this rather succinct...

Some of my personal more interesting experiences with this card have to do with the deep and vast inter-connections she has with the land, with her people, and with royalty of other lands.

Here she connects not only by blood (or genetically, as we would now say), but also by vast cultural reciprocal responsibilities, obligations, and ties.

She sits quietly, with a deep sense of inner sanctity, carrying a connection to her realm via not only the twelve (none of this five-senses business) senses, but also has a rapport which permits her to sense into the health of the realm of her fold.

She provides not only guidance for the direction which the land is to take, but her people are her people... her family.

Through her thinking is important and living (see also some notes in the thread in the History and Iconography section). The 'wings' are not wings, but petrifications of thoughts behind her which are lifeless - lifeless by not having investigated them, not having brought them to life with ever fresh connections (<-that important word again), by assuming the currently unquestioned, by putting them behind oneself and forgetting what they support, imply and give birth to (generate by induction of deduction). Yet thoughts are themselves more than merely reflected within the activity of the neural pathways of the brain, they are the foundation beyond the formation of the world.

And so the Empress rejuvenates thoughts towards the Living Thought - connected and embedded within and to the realm - alive with relevance, with mythos... and more.