The divine feminine shows up differently in the Empress than it does in the High Priestess. A LOT differently. If we were to view the High Priestess as the darkness of the womb and the mystery of conception, then the Empress is 10 months pregnant with twins and her water just broke. She is the full flowering of life. Obvious, swollen, jubilant life. She doesn’t make a mystery of her Great Goddess vibes – she FLAUNTS her creative powers. She’s the fullness of summer, the richness of the harvest, fruitfulness in every definition of the word. She’s the Earth Mother, the great nurturer – and all of your creative potential, if you happen to draw her.
Love, sensuality, and fertility are all aspects of this card. When it shows up, most tarot readers smirk a little and hint at the possibility of pregnancy. I do this too – even with dudes. Because there’s so many kinds of pregnancy! The Empress can be quite literal about it, but she also speaks to anything you’re growing within yourself. Creative concepts you’ve been building and nurturing, things you could bring to life. We are all fertile wells, whether physically capable of making babies or not. The Empress just wants us to do what we love, what feels good – and generally speaking, what feels good has a tendency to make new life. That might be a procreative romp in the hay, but it could also be a late night with some paint brushes, some cold beer and and a guitar, or a cup of tea and a type writer. Creativity is natural and (in theory) pleasurable – and the Empress wants you to embrace your potential and feel that pleasure.
She also asks you to explore your relationship with mothering: your own mother, yourself as a mother, your relationship with women and feminine energy as a whole – regardless of your gender. Where in your life are you called to nurture? Where in your life do you sorta fail at nurturing? Where in your life do you yourself need to be nurtured?
Nurturing can look like anything from putting energy toward a project to hosting a party and serving hors d’oeuvres. Decorating, making art, dressing up – these, too, fall under the realm of the Empress. Honestly, all she wants is for you to be creative and feel good. She just wants you BLOOM.
Or you might just be knocked-up.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The Empress upright
▹Maternal urges
▹Grounding, the body and senses
▹Art and aesthetics, creativity
▹Fertility, Mother Earth
▹Health and abundance
The Empress reversed
▹Smothering, demanding or absent mother
▹Vanity, superficiality, overindulgence
▹Infertility, miscarriage
▹Improper care of yourself and others
▹Disempowerment
▹Lack of creativity
▹Nutritional imbalances
Upright or reversed, the Empress asks us to direct our attention back to the Earth, our mother, and our bodies. To treat ourselves well, respect women, honor the creative process, and recognize the true bounty that is all around us.