Livia
I am sorry it has been taking me a while to get to this post, I am in the mists of studying for the bar (next week) ...
Here goes the Empress...
This card is chuck full of fertility symbols. I mean come on you can’t miss them: babies, fruit, flowers, a crown of wheat, and rabbits (who has a reputation for being more productive). It is interesting the figure depicted on the card. It is of a more feminine, demure woman, a mother. The source for the throne originally has a strong confrontational woman. The crown of wheat comes form that piece. That is because it depicts Ceres the Goddess of Agriculture (info available at http://waltm.net/demeter.htm) She was the mother of Persephone and sister to Zeus. When Persephone was taken by Hades Ceres (known to the Greeks as Demter) allowed the earth to loose its crops, thus winter. I suggests visiting the site above because it has some music playing that could be coming right out of the card, well at least from the seemingly talented baby. Don’t forget there are angels above playing the mandolin, and the recorder. All early instruments that can still make wonderful music (I happen to play them both, or at least try to). While, I like the Ceres figure, and it probably would have worked as the Empress, the image on the card reminds me of the many sides of people, in one arena we are strong and confrontational, not backing down as Ceres, and in others we are nurturing, and able to sit and watch others with pride and respect. Kat discusses this card by talking about fertility, cooperation, abundance, and compromise(something every parent, and life partner needs). I see these things in the card because of the heavy fertility symbolism, I cannot however see the other meanings she discusses again because of the heavy symbolism i.e. both sides winning, goal-oriented person “one concerned with the means used to achieve success. Does anyone else have input?
The source
for the throne….
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/m/michele/ceres.html
For the Empress figure and baby
http://gallery.euroweb.hu/html/m/master/zunk_ge/zunk_ge1/06virgin.html
Here goes the Empress...
This card is chuck full of fertility symbols. I mean come on you can’t miss them: babies, fruit, flowers, a crown of wheat, and rabbits (who has a reputation for being more productive). It is interesting the figure depicted on the card. It is of a more feminine, demure woman, a mother. The source for the throne originally has a strong confrontational woman. The crown of wheat comes form that piece. That is because it depicts Ceres the Goddess of Agriculture (info available at http://waltm.net/demeter.htm) She was the mother of Persephone and sister to Zeus. When Persephone was taken by Hades Ceres (known to the Greeks as Demter) allowed the earth to loose its crops, thus winter. I suggests visiting the site above because it has some music playing that could be coming right out of the card, well at least from the seemingly talented baby. Don’t forget there are angels above playing the mandolin, and the recorder. All early instruments that can still make wonderful music (I happen to play them both, or at least try to). While, I like the Ceres figure, and it probably would have worked as the Empress, the image on the card reminds me of the many sides of people, in one arena we are strong and confrontational, not backing down as Ceres, and in others we are nurturing, and able to sit and watch others with pride and respect. Kat discusses this card by talking about fertility, cooperation, abundance, and compromise(something every parent, and life partner needs). I see these things in the card because of the heavy fertility symbolism, I cannot however see the other meanings she discusses again because of the heavy symbolism i.e. both sides winning, goal-oriented person “one concerned with the means used to achieve success. Does anyone else have input?
The source
for the throne….
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/m/michele/ceres.html
For the Empress figure and baby
http://gallery.euroweb.hu/html/m/master/zunk_ge/zunk_ge1/06virgin.html