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T.3 The Empress

Activity

III. The Empress

Name: The Empress
Hebrew Letter/Meanings: Dalet (ד) / Door, Wisdom-Folly
Element/Planet/Zodiac: Venus / Libra
Name of Path: Illuminating
Type: Balancing
Connecting Sefirot: Wisdom (2) & Understanding (3)


Tidbits: The best of the earth (wheat). Nurturing, supportive, kind, loving. Bringer of life, beauty, and growth. She is the generous flow of resources (crystalline river) between our two modes of thought: Wisdom (white) and Understanding (crimson fur). She enables the ordering of Chaos through Love (Venus), leaving all whom she meets happy and fulfilled. Wife of the Emperor – the woman in the young couple of “Love” (Two of Cups) and Lovers (T.6).

In readings, she often represents ideas of abundance, creativity, and the capacity to nourish others by having our own cup full.

Her energy can turn excessively sensual, indulgent, lazy, and decadent when unsupported or in conflict.

Reference Note:

Spend time with each of the Trumps to generate your “tarot encyclopedia” notecard for each.

Working with the Trumps is slightly different because they represent forces of subjective experience instead of forms and objective structure. The symbolism in the cards is more complex, subtle, and profound. For this reason, we will slow down our pace to only one Trump per day (except today when we do two).

You are encouraged to only engage with one Trump per day. This will hopefully allow you to relax a little, spend more time exploring each trump, and catch up with any minor arcana you had to skip over the last few weeks.

In case it’s still helpful, here is the recommended process.

  1. Look at the image on the card and examine its details.
  2. Read the page in the companion book for that card.
  3. Read the description provided here.
  4. OPTIONAL: Read other descriptions of that card online or in other books.
  5. Reflect on the questions posed.
  6. Write down the details of the image that have meaning to you and the 2 or 3 interpretations (perhaps 1 heavenly, 1 upright earthly, and 1 reversed earthly) that resonate most strongly for you.
  7. Reflect on whatever correspondences you can find, such as relationships to other cards, astrological associations, and anything else. Include notes on anything specific that stands out.

    Feel free to write down your own interpretations based on what comes to you!