Robin Wood, The Empress #3

shiresun

Last night on the evening of the New Moon, I met The Empress. There was so much within the image, and I really like this card. Here is how I saw it:

...my attention is drawn by a woman's lovely voice, humming a delightful tune. I look around and not far from where I am I see a magnificent tree, under which sits a lady; one of regal bearing, clad in a long gold robe, with a border of lush green brocade. Around her shoulders is a cloak of deep purple, with gold symbols embroidered into it. She wears a beautiful sparkling tiara which holds the phases of the moon across the crown. A blue silky scarf is draped over her head. She is tending a handsome spinning wheel, etched with the signs of the zodiac. I watch as the fluffy white cotton tufts transforms into useful threads.

Looking up, she smiles, beckoning for me to approach. When I do, she offers me refreshment from a basket of fruits and vegetables set near her, and while I eat, we talk. I note behind her placed upon the trunk of the tree, a beautiful heart shaped pillow fashioned out of a bright red yearn with a gold patterned frill, and can see the white sign of the female emblem, stitched upon the front.

One is reminded of homes and dinners, and yards with chickens clucking about, and cows waiting to be milked. I notice that the symbols upon her cloak speak of worldly things, and love and all that is maternal. I see a wisdom, that comes with many years of experience in her eyes. While she is clothed in elegant robes, she also works. Her's is the realm of worldy and material knowledge. She is wise in areas of orderly, domestic ways and follows Societal protocols. Her work is transformative regards making a house a home. The basics of domestic life are her wares (making clothing and preparing foods), working according to the cycles of the Moon and the harvest; the Wheel of the Year. I can see she is contented in her role as mother and is very caring. I could not feel more welcome.
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I actually put down in my personal journal a question about whether she was pregnant, because it was not immediately obvious to me.

The other interesting thing is the scarf... again, something I didn't include within my blog post. I felt there was something about the scarf which was not in keeping with the rest of the image. So I had to wonder what it was all about. Now this is before I read what Robin wrote about the card. But I thought, since The Empress actually represented motherhood, and also that I felt she had a great connection to family life, that the scarf represented a connection to all mothers - even the peasantry... thus, a connection between that which is higher with that which is lower; that which perhaps is spiritual, with that which is mundane... even possibly showing a way to bring the spiritual into our everyday lives.