Golden Tarot - The Empress

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
 

Parzival

The Empress

I've tried to play the recorder, too. Not too nimbly. The whole picture brings in creative Self-expression , possibly healing , along with the fertility emphasis. Fruitfulness of the body and fruitfulness from the soul life. Nature's abundant giving with the Art of Man as giving,too. The power of the Word or Art or creativity is also pictured in the Egyptian Tarot's Empress ( Lo Scarabeo ), as she seems to be outpouring Self-expression in her radiant golden halo. The Golden Tarot beautifully blends Nature and Man in co-creative harmony.
 

Livia

Re: The Empress

Frank Hall said:
The Golden Tarot beautifully blends Nature and Man in co-creative harmony.
I like that...maybe that is what draws me to this deck...
 

WolfSpirit

"One concerned with the means to achieve success"...
I was thinking about that, it is not a meaning for the Empress I have come across before. Not stated like that anyway.

I think, looking at the opulence of the throne, we can see she also has material success. "Concerned with the means", being a nature lover, I like to think she did not have to destroy too much of nature in order to get material success. So she can also still enjoy the rabbits and fruit and flowers. It could also refer to not making enemies...because she has avoided making enemies she can relax and enjoy, and does not have to be on the defensive all the time, defending what she has achieved.

Well that's my explanation anyway :)
Good luck with your study, Livia
 

Livia

WolfSpirit said:
"...because she has avoided making enemies she can relax and enjoy, and does not have to be on the defensive all the time, defending what she has achieved.

Thank you that's great it goes along with compromise. I was thinking it had something to do with a 'woman's nature', or some such nonesence. going with the compromise it may be to compliment the role of the Emperor too.
 

Emily

The Empress card is a very fertile looking card - A serene looking youngish Empress sits on a large throne holding a child on her lap but also looks pregnant. The child is happy and smiling, playing some kind of harp, while the rabbits play at the feet of the Empress. Angels also play above the Empress and the child, cherubs hold fruit bowers.

I like this card - its lovely and somehow tranquil to look at, even with so much happening on it. The Empress has a sense of authority - but her gentle and loving nature comes through.

I usually get this card in readings when I've been working too hard and my family is coming second place - it acts as a reminder card for me.

This is the card that I look for in a deck, if I don't like the Empress then its usually a deck I can't work with.

I like this card - it holds all the symbolism I usually look for in an Empress card and I think this one is perfect. :)
 

Livia

Emily said:
TA serene looking youngish Empress sits on a large throne holding a child on her lap but also looks pregnant.
Or maybe she still looks pregnant after having the baby. I kind of like both explanations of the poof of her belly. Either very fertile, a soon to be typical family (2.5 kids), or she isn't perfect and doesn't have to be. After you have a baby (I don't know if you have experienced it so I will allaborate) it someitems take s weeks before the poof disapears, and sometimes it is just clothes hiding it. If that is the case it shows a human side to her, she is still beautiful despite not having a perfect body like Jane Seymore who had twins and was back to a size 2 in a week, or whatever it was.
I hadn't even noticed the pooch, thanks for pointing it out
 

Grizabella

Well, she certainly could be pregnant again already. In those days, there wasn't any birth control to speak of, so babies could very well come nine months apart.

This is a very beautiful Empress card. I just love the look on the Empress's face. And the way the baby is grabbing for the harp is just so typical of how babies do act at the age this baby seems to be.

I love everything about this card. :)
 

tarot4fun

The Empress as the Divine Mother

In this image I see Mother Mary as the personification and tangible form of the Divine Feminine. She is Gaia who wants her little seeds to grow. Somehow the word archetype for this idea of The Empress seems a little impersonal. She is the essence of Motherhood in me and around me.
Livia said:
... 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?
Could it be her nurturing aspect that's concerned with the feelings of her offspring, and that protectiveness that can‘t bear to see little ones hurt. Being able to achieving success while maintaining awareness of the feelings of others; never stepping on people to reach the top.

:heart:
 

Queen of Disks

Actually, women in the Middle Ages were often drawn looking pregnant whether they were or not. Obviously because women very often were (for reasons already said above.) Harvest goddesses and the whole season of Fall come to mind with this one (I love the wheat sticking out of her hair.) Very nice.

Maybe I will have something better to say tomorrow.