The Empress - Tarot Card Meaning

The Empress card, the number three card in the Major Arcana of the Tarot, represents internal balance and our nurturing nature. She signifies the benefits of giving selflessly, and reflects our natural creativity which tends to shine when we are in the right place.

Upright Tarot Card Meanings - In Brief

The Empress card dealt upright highlights the feminine side of our nature, which encompasses our sensuality, nurturing nature, and creative side. These are all things that we give and project into the world, but we also nourish ourselves through giving. The Empress suggests that we can be confident in our giving because we are exactly where we are meant to be.

Reversed Tarot Card Meanings - In Brief

The Empress card reversed suggests that we are suffering from a disconnect. Perhaps we are out of sync with our surroundings or we are in a community that does not nourish us. It is possible that we are putting the needs of others above our own, and that we are developing hangups about our physicality.

Number - 3

The Empress is the number three card in the Major Arcana, which is the number of balance between mind, body, and spirit. No person is complete unless all three parts are whole. When one part is out of balance, we suffer from imposter syndrome. When they are in balance, our creativity tends to flourish.

Element - Earth

The Empress is the first card associated with the element of earth, which is a symbol of grounding and balance. It also highlights the importance of place and surroundings. We do not tend to flourish when we feel like a fish out of water. But we can adapt both ourselves and our surroundings so that they can nourish each other.

Planet - Venus

The Empress is associated with the planet of Venus, which represents love and creativity. Love is not necessarily sensual love, it is the nurturing love that we provide when we selflessly care for the people that surround us. This nurturing tends to feed our self-love. When we love and trust ourselves, our creativity tends to explode.

The Empress - Tarot Card Description

The Empress, as she appears in the Rider Waite deck, is a beautiful woman with a feminine figure and a strong aura. She wears a dress with a pomegranate pattern, which represents her fertility, and a crown with 12 stars. The crown represents her affinity with the mystical realm and her synchronization with the cycles of nature.

She sits on luxurious cushions and is surrounded by flowing red velvet. This represents comfortable surroundings. They are not necessarily decadent, but she is comfortable where she has chosen to place herself.

The lush forest and winding stream surrounding her show her connection with nature and her role as a nurturer. The golden wheat that grows in front of her shows the results of her nurturing approach.

Read our profile of Isis, the great mother in Egyptian religion.

The Empress - Upright Tarot Card Meaning

The Empress card upright reminds us of the importance of the feminine side. This is the side of us that is empathetic, sensitive, and nurturing. The appearance of this card in a Tarot reading can remind us that this part of us does not represent weakness and can be a source of great power.

The Empress upright suggests that we are occupying the role of a nurturer and that this is a good thing. When we give of ourselves selflessly, we not only help others but feed ourselves. This nourishes our self-love and self-understanding. When we give of ourselves in the right way, then we also grow.

The appearance of The Empress card upright also suggests that we are where we should be. We are comfortable in our surroundings, and this is allowing us to let the more creative parts of ourselves find expression. Use the comfort that we have in our surroundings to explore discomfort in other parts of our being.

The Empress can also be a symbol of pregnancy or birth. This could be literal pregnancy or the birth of a new idea that is taking shape. She is often a harbinger of a period of challenging growth finally coming to fruition.

The Empress - Reversed Tarot Card Meaning

The Empress card reversed can suggest that we are not where we are supposed to be. Something about our surroundings of the people that we have surrounded ourselves with is disconnecting, and this is stifling our creativity and our natural inclination to nurture.

The Empress reversed can also be a warning that the way we nurture is harming rather than helping. It may be that we are being too controlling and not allowing others to find their own way. It could also be that we are giving too much and leaving ourselves diminished. This is hurting us and will diminish our capacity to support others.

The presence of this card in a tarot reading can also signal problems in our material world. Insecurity in work or finances can drain our energy. Sometimes giving these issues attention can also boost our emotional and spiritual states.

These issues often manifest as self-esteem problems, such as poor body image. Sometimes the work that we need to do on ourselves is not in the most obvious area of our lives.

The Empress Tarot Reading

The Empress is the most nurturing card in the Tarot. She represents both self-care and the way that we care for the people around us. She is our emotional self, and this is often where we are most blinded and, therefore, where we need to focus our attention during a Tarot reading.

The Empress can represent our willingness to do the required work that led us to a Tarot reading in the first place.