The Empress sits crowned with stars in a field of ripe wheat, by a running stream. She is abundance, fertility, beauty and the mother: what you have planted grows, and life offers comfort, pleasure and creation.
Abundance, fertility and the slow ripening of what was planted.
Waite’s keywords (1911): Fruitfulness, action, initiative, length of days; the unknown, the hidden; also doubt.
Reversed
Reversed, the abundance is blocked: creative drought, smothering care, dependence, neglect of the body, or giving so much to others that nothing is left for yourself.
Creativity smothered, care given until nothing is left.
Waite’s keywords (1911): Light, truth, the unravelling of tangled matters, public rejoicing; or vacillation.
In love
Upright Warm, sensual, fertile love; possible pregnancy, deepening commitment, a relationship that nourishes you.
Reversed Possessive or smothering love, jealousy, or neglect of yourself for the sake of a partner.
In work
Upright Creative, productive work; projects grow and bear fruit; good for arts, design, care and anything that nurtures.
Reversed Stagnation, lack of inspiration, or work that drains you without giving back.
In money
Upright Comfort and prosperity; money grows steadily; a good time to enjoy what you have.
Reversed Overspending on comfort, or money blocked by dependence on someone else.
At home and in the family
Upright A warm, abundant home; motherhood, pregnancy, garden, kitchen and family gatherings.
Reversed Domestic tension, an overbearing mother, or a home that has lost its warmth.
On your path
Upright Spirit lives through the body and nature: walk in green places, create, honor the Great Mother.
Reversed You are disconnected from your body and from nature; return to the earth to heal.
Its counsel
Upright Nourish what you love, and let yourself be nourished. Create.
Reversed Care for yourself first. Abundance cannot flow from an empty cup.
Correspondences
- Arcana
- Major Arcana, card 3
- Element
- Earth
- Number
- 3
Dreams that carry this card
The Flower · The Mother · The Queen · The Egg · Birth · Pregnancy · Green · Three
The Major Arcana
The Fool · The Magician · The High Priestess · The Emperor · The Hierophant · The Lovers · The Chariot · Strength · The Hermit · Wheel of Fortune · Justice · The Hanged Man · Death · Temperance · The Devil · The Tower · The Star · The Moon · The Sun · Judgement · The World