Legacy of the Divine - Empress

NatKat

Legacy of the Divine Empress card adheres closely in feeling and imagery to both RWS and Thoth Empress cards but with a few difference.
The LotD Empress is very obviously pregnant and she is blowing a dandelion puff-ball to spread seeds!
RWS Empress wears a crown of stars, and Thoth Empress wears a crown similar to the Priestess (moon & crescents shape possibly symbolic of Hathor?) LotD Empress wears a crown of flowers.
In Thoth deck the Empress is pictured with a pelican. In LotD the bird and its young might be swans?? But also a second bird is shown behind her ... perhaps that one is the pelican.
The RWS Empress is Demeter, the grain goddess of the Greeks and also Aphrodite / Venus symbol is seen with the heart and planetary glyph.
In LotD, Marchetti has expanded Empress to be Earth Mother of all forms of life, sea creatures, animals, birds, insects, fruits, flowers, fungus.

I like the passing nod to the Reindeer mythos of the ancient Laplanders and Sami people. Back when "Christmas" was Winter Solstice and Santa was a woman and the "flying reindeer" had to do with eating the red & white amanita muscaria mushroom and tripping your brains out. Supposedly their mother goddess dropped these MUSHROOMS down the chimney as your solstice gift };>

All-in-all I find the Empress card to be one of the most consistent across all decks. The meanings of motherhood, pregnancy, artistic creativity, marriage and family life, nurturing, etc. are all present in LotD Empress. This card is completely harmonious with the classical interpretations.