The Empress

Queen

of the Macrocosm

““The Empress descends
to gently dip their feet
into the stream of consciousness
forming a connection
that sends ripples throughout the universe.
The cypress trees
who once laid down their branches for Venus
grow tall and lush once again
for the one who holds Earth
and the power of creation in their hands.”
”

The Empress is often represented as Mother Earth or Venus. In the Hermetic Tarot, they are known as the Daughter of the Mighty Ones. They are the ultimate embodiment of the qualities of the number three; creation, expression, expansion, and connection. They are the High Priestess after they dipped their feet into the stream of consciousness and became one with the physical world.

In one hand they hold the world, in the other, they hold creation represented by a pomegranate full of seeds. The six seeds are symbolic of the tale of Persephone and the reason for the changing seasons. Behind them is a grove of cypress trees, which are sacred to Venus. Many of the symbols present here are symbolic of both life and death, a reminder of the reality of nature. The empress is crowned by the 12 stars of the macrocosm, which represent the cycle of the year or the signs of the zodiac.

This card is ruled by Venus, the feminine principle.

In a reading, this card expresses a connection to your feminine side. While the High Priestess referred to feminine intuition, the empress alludes to the more physical aspects of femininity; loving, nurturing, creative, maternal. Take a moment to reflect on how abundant your life is at this moment. Nurture yourself and those around you. It may represent motherhood or taking on the role of a caretaker. It can also point to pregnancy or birth, not only of children but of ideas.

The reversed may point to creative stagnation or lack of self care. If you need a fresh perspective, it’s time to go out and reconnect with nature. You may be spending too much of your energy mothering other people and need to shift focus to take care of yourself. In your eagerness to help you may be smothering someone you care about without realizing it. It may be time to re-evaluate your dependence on others.