CARD NUMBER 7. – The Creation: the Birds and the Fish (Replaces The Empress card of the traditional tarot.).

Upright. – Protection, success, enemies reduced to powerlessness.

Reversed. -Minor success, but certain success.

“I follow nature as the surest guide, and resign myself with implicit obedience to her sacred ordinances.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero

The Healing Force of Nature

While nature is oftentimes chaotic and unpredictable, it is also one of the strongest sources or regeneration and rebirth known to man. Nature is the source of all life in this world, and it is the underlying force that continually provides us with all of the resources that we need to survive. The Empress is like nature itself, and is a constant source of compassion, enrichment, and support for all those around her. Most of the time, she is constant and unyielding in her generosity, but there are times where she must break herself apart in order to begin anew. Like a hurricane ravaging a coastline or a wildfire clearing acres of forest, she must periodically go through periods of destruction so that she may recycle herself and grow back stronger and richer than ever before. However, she does nothing without reason; there is always a method, even in her madness.

You are much like The Empress, and are like a force of nature in the lives of those around you. More often than not, you are seen as a nurturing individual whose compassion knows no bounds. You have a heightened sense of empathy, and are able to connect with others and support them through difficulties that you yourself may not be particularly familiar with. Despite the fact that others may act against you, you are always able to find it in your heart to forgive them; because you are able to recognize that you can always heal from the wounds inflicted by others, it is much easier for you to forgive even the most heinous of acts. However, this does not necessarily mean that you are weak or a pushover. You know when you have to get cruel in order to lead others back to the righteous path, and you are known for showing no mercy towards that are truly deserving of your wrath. However, largely due to the fact that you are so slow to anger, you have a tendency to punish others a little too harshly, and often in ways that can undermine your reputation as a compassionate individual.

You are a fantastic romantic partner; anybody would be lucky to have someone as nurturing and supportive as you by their side. You are always willing to go the extra mile to make your partner feel loved, and you may even be looking forward to one day building a family with them. They are confident in the fact that you will always stick by your side, even if you may get hurt in the process. The two of your very rarely fight, and it feels as though there is nothing they can do to provoke your rage. From an outsider’s perspective, it would appear as though you have a perfect relationship. While this is not necessarily untrue, this assumption does not recognize the truth of the situation.

Your current romantic relationship is not perfect; despite the fact that you have identified your greatest concerns with the relationship, you have yet to take any action in correcting them. This may be for a number of reasons; perhaps you don’t think it’s that big of a deal, or you are worried about driving your partner away by instigating a potential argument. You have been letting your discontent build and build, and no matter how much you have tried to set these concerns aside, they have only been growing larger and larger with the passage of time. Take this as a sign to address them now, before they become even bigger. If you continue to suppress them, they will one day grow too large to control, and then you will truly be in a situation where it will cause a tremendous fight. It is better to address these things when they are small and easily manageable than to wait until our emotions rage out of control.

THREE. THE EMPRESS

A stately figure, seated, having rich vestments and royal aspect, as of a daughter of heaven and earth. Her diadem is of twelve stars, gathered in a cluster. The symbol of Venus is on the shield which rests near her. A field of corn is ripening in front of her, and beyond there is a fall of water. The scepter which she bears is surmounted by the globe of this world. She is the inferior Garden of Eden, the Earthly Paradise, all that is symbolized by the visible house of man. She is not Regina coeli, but she is still refugium peccatorum, the fruitful mother of thousands. There are also certain aspects in which she has been correctly described as desire and the wings thereof, as the woman clothed with the sun, as Gloria Mundi and the veil of the Sanctum Sanctorum; but she is not, I may add, the soul that has attained wings, unless all the symbolism is counted up another and unusual way. She is above all things universal fecundity and the outer sense of the Word. This is obvious, because there is no direct message which has been given to man like that which is borne by woman; but she does not herself carry its interpretation.

In another order of ideas, the card of the Empress signifies the door or gate by which an entrance is obtained into this life, as into the Garden of Venus; and then the way which leads out therefrom, into that which is beyond, is the secret known to the High Priestess: it is communicated by her to the elect. Most old attributions of this card are completely wrong on the symbolism—as, for example, its identification with the Word, Divine Nature, the Triad, and so forth.

In your current position, you are known as a constant source of wisdom and compassion for all those that you interact with. All of your coworkers know that they can come to you if they ever need help, and you have been unofficially designated the community-shoulder-to-cry-on. You may oftentimes find yourself listening to the complaints and concerns of others far more than you express your own. You are friends with just about everyone that you work with, and you are even friends with many of your coworkers outside of the workplace. As one of the most well-loved members of staff, very few people dislike you or go against your better judgement, as everyone trusts that you only act with the interests of the entire team in mind.

At times, however, you have found yourself doubting your abilities as a member of the work team, and feel as though your compassion does not make up for the fact that you aren’t necessarily the perfect employee. This does not mean that you consider yourself a bad worker; instead, you have taken note of the fact that there are a number of people in your workplace that clearly produce more tangible results than you do. This has led you to feel insecure about your work, and you feel as though your position as one of the most well-loved members of staff is largely unearned. Have faith in the fact that your coworkers love and appreciate all that you do for them, even if you aren’t the star employee. You are oftentimes the person that makes work bearable for them, and they appreciate your ability to brighten up any room with your loving, compassionate nature. The team would be nothing without you, as you are the glue that holds it together.

If we suppress our issues for too long without properly addressing them, we run the risk of causing a much larger blow-up later on down the road. When The Empress appears in the reversed position, it may be a sign that you are disregarding a major issue that is causing you tremendous amounts of stress and anguish.

Should you continue down this path of suppression, you will eventually reach a point where your emotions will rage out of control. Like a force of nature, you will become entirely unstoppable, and there is no telling what damage you may inflict upon yourself and the people around you. Instead, take this as a sign that it is time to find a healthier way to release your emotions in order to prevent such a situation.

Consider reaching out to someone to talk about how you feel, or familiarize yourself with new coping strategies to deal with issues as they arise. If your grief is being caused by an ongoing issue in your life that you have the power to change, then it may be time for you to look into potential ways of reshaping your current situation.

The Empress is the card of divine feminine power. You are being called to connect with your true self. It no longer serves you to ignore creative or nurturing aspects of your soul. Instead She calls on your strong and abundant expressions to be displayed, and the message is that they will be welcomed. No doubt, the Empress is an elegant YES card.

• Upright Empress – Yes or No?
• The Empress Reversed – Yes or No?
• The Empress Meaning for Love – Yes or No?
• The Empress Love Reversed – Yes or No?
• The Empress Meaning For Advice – Yes or No?
• The Empress Meaning For Advice Reversed – Yes or No?
• The Empress Marriage – Yes or No?
• The Empress Career – Yes or No?