Zodiac and Tarot: What Does 'The Empress' Really Mean?
The Empress is the third card in the Major Arcana, and she radiates abundance, femininity, and creative power. She invites us to connect with nature, nurture, and the divine feminine. But how does she relate to astrology? And what deeper messages does she carry?
In this post, we'll explore the fascinating origins, symbolism, upright, and reversed meanings of The Empress and how to interpret her presence in your tarot reading.
Position and Origin: The Empress's Unique Role in Tarot
The Empress is the Major Arcana card number III (3). She is often seen as the mother archetype, following The High Priestess (intuition and mystery) and preceding The Emperor (structure and authority).
In many tarot traditions, the Empress is considered the embodiment of Venus, the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. She represents the earthy, sensual aspects of life, grounded in physical experience but rich with spiritual meaning.
Her astrological counterpart is Venus, the planet that rules Taurus and Libra — both signs associated with beauty, harmony, and desire. The Empress is a symbol of comfort, aesthetics, relationships, and the pleasures of life.
What's in The High Empress's Tarot Deck
When you look at this empress tarot card, you think of a beautiful empress enjoying glory and wealth. Let’s break down the common imagery in the Empress card, especially from the Rider-Waite deck:
- A throne in a lush field: She sits in nature, surrounded by golden wheat, trees, and a flowing river — symbols of fertility and abundance.
- A crown with twelve stars: Representing connection to the zodiac and life cycles.
- Pearl necklace worn: cosmic and natural energies.
- A heart-shaped shield with the Venus symbol: Reflecting love, feminine energy, and the planet Venus.
- Flowing robe with pomegranates: A nod to divine femininity and fertility, similar to the High Priestess.
- Forest in the background: abundance, peace, and life force
This card is full of sensory richness — it’s meant to ground the reader in the pleasures of the body, home, and Earth itself.
The Empress Meaning(Upright)
When the Empress appears upright in a reading, it’s usually a green light for growth, creation, or nurturing energy.
- Love: Deep emotional bonds, nurturing relationships, sensuality, and possible pregnancy (literal or symbolic). It also means that you are strong in the opposite sex, able to reap the benefits of a good relationship, nourished, and willing to give. Corresponding to a male, it means that this male may be the central figure (and friendly to whoever is there). For two people, it's a relationship that values hedonism, where both parties value the enjoyment of life and can maintain a harmonious relationship.
- Work: A fertile time for creative projects, team harmony, or building something long-term. Prospects are abundant, work is entering a productive phase, and previous efforts are starting to pay off well, making it possible to achieve the intended goals.
- Finances: Signals financial abundance, comfort, and possibly investments related to beauty, home, or self-care.
The Empress invites you to receive — whether that’s love, support, or inspiration — and to embrace the power of compassion and care.
The Empress Tarot Reversed
Reversed, the Empress reveals issues with over-nurturing, dependency, or blocked creativity.
- Love: Emotional smothering, co-dependence, or neglecting your own needs in a relationship. Indecisiveness with relationships, love without consequences, just enjoying the process, indulging in pleasure
- Work: Creative blocks, feeling uninspired, or burnout from giving too much. Working in a job you don't like, no clear goals, lack of fulfillment, and subjectivity.
- Finances: Overspending on comfort or beauty, or feeling out of touch with what truly brings value. Having a lot of unnecessary phone bills, over-investment, and a lack of financial management.
She may also warn against losing touch with nature, intuition, or your inner voice. Are you giving too much without receiving? The reversed Empress reminds you that self-care is not selfish.
Conclusion
The Empress is a powerful symbol of creativity, beauty and caring. Whether she is positive or negative, she asks us to strike a balance between giving and receiving and to believe in the creative cycle of life.