The Empress
The Empress is represented by the goddess Venus, of love, beauty, luxury and abundance. She sits, usually pregnant, in a bountiful field full of wheat, lush green surroundings and flowing streams of water. She represents fertility and the mothering principal. She is the Great Mother, or Mother Nature, very much like Demeter, the goddess of the grain, and mother of Persephone, who bade all things from growing for three months (Winter), after her daughter ate a pomegranate seed and was whisked away by Pluto to the Underworld.
The Empress also has the same pomegranates representing fertility on her luxurious gown. The thick cushions that she sits on represents the luxury she also represents, as she is about Venus, who rules Taurus, the sign that also rules luxury and abundance.
This is a very fruitful, creative and abundant time in your life right now. One filled with wonderful feminine energy. The energy of Abundance can manifest itself in several ways. This could be a time that you are working fervently on one of your creative projects that you have going on, and you are being called to put your time, love and attention into this right now, as you will make great progress!
This energy of Abundance can also signify pregnancy, great if you are hoping to expand your family, otherwise take this card as fair warning! On the other side of that coin, it can be a time symbolized by the role you are currently playing as a mother, or your relationship with your own mother. This is a time that one of those may come into prominence for you. If you happen to be in an unfavorable situation with either your mother or child, this is a favorable time to repair that bond.
This is also a time that you may be doing a lot of "mothering" to others. Be certain to make sure those people are just as happy to receive that attention as you are to give it. At this time, I suspect they are. This is a very fertile time in some aspect of your life right now, something is waiting for you to nurture it, be it a child, a pet, or your favorite project.
Finally this is also a time that you may be called to get out into Nature more. Enjoy the beautiful Abundant bounty that your natural surroundings has to offer you. Sit in a park and enjoy the rustling of the trees, or trickling of a beautiful stream going by. Take a walk down a nature trail and just observe all of the beautiful wildlife that is tucked away in there that would normally go unnoticed. This can help ground you, connect you with nature, bring a bit of peacefulness to an otherwise busy life, or even provide some inspiration for that creative project.
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<The High Priestess
The Emperor>
The Empress Reversed
Are you losing your voice to others? You may be neglecting your own needs by putting too much emphasis on others needs. Don't be afraid to stand up for what is important to you. There can be indecisiveness in the direction of your relationship or what decisions to make. You could be too dependent on another, or confused as to where a relationship is headed. Smothering another because you are afraid of losing them can only lead to more difficulty or even destruction.
You could also be facing some creative stumbling blocks. Possibly a new project that you have taken on has not yet taken off and you are unsure of what direction to go in. Family matters, particularly mothering, could also be the heart of the situation for you. Either in your personal relationship you could be smothering another with too much mothering, or it could point to difficulties in your relationship with your mother or as a mother.
There could also be issues or complications related to fertility and/or pregnancy. This would be a very good time for you to use your intuition and listen to your inner voice, as that has probably been lacking lately as you have been putting other people's needs ahead of your own. Although this is an amiable trait, we all need to take care of ourselves too.
