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The Rider-Waite-Smith Empress, and it's Gold Foil copy, card emphasizes the flow of life. Here she is both Mother Earth and Mother Venus shown by the planetary signs on both dress and love shaped shield with the Venus Astrological sign. The Cypress trees and pearls in the background are also sacred to Venus while the foreground wheat refers to the figure of the Empress as Isis. The crown of twelve stars on her head refers to the zodiac. The crystalline water flowing down from the right represents the water from which Aphrodite is born. This is a key continuous process whereby the pristine consciousness of the PRIESTESS gives rise to the unconscious-instinctual thought patterns of the EMPRESS. In her right hand is the Orb of the Sun, referring us to 6th Sephiroth on the Tree of Life, Tiphareth, the Sun/Son, who administrates the thought forms of the Empress as a denser and/or coagulated expression which we call manifestations.

As in the Gold Foil Tarot Deck, the Old Path Empress is seated upon a throne with a blue background, showing she is of Water. Water is implied in the Throne of the Thoth Tarot Empress as well, as it is of blue flames, implying that She is borne of Water, the Feminine Element represented as active power (Magnetic force). There is also lotus topped staff, another symbol of the Goddess and water.

Here again, the Empress is shown as a fruitful and kindly mother, as she is surrounded with abundant flora and wheat. Her starry crown looks more like star shaped yellow flowers. To her, Love is everything and the Empress is sensuality/feeling herself. She is Life, and truly connected to the world and others through passion and pure emotions. The Empress is empowered by her love and sensuality and her energy-in-motion(emotion) flows through everything around her. Illustrated on this card, she is giving life to lush vegetation and receives Life from the stream of water that flows in the background although it is to her and from her (she is the Grail). Pleasure is always welcome, and she fills life with ecstasy. She also shows a shield and a pendant with the sign of Venus, the Goddess of Love. The Hare by her side is a reoccurring goddess symbol.

The river implies subconscious and psychic activity which are attributed to the alchemical Element Water and/or the Great Feminine.

Ripening corn is again a symbol reminiscent of life cycle and the harvest.

If you look beneath her right foot, the plant lore is shown as mistletoe, which is attributed to regeneration and reconstruction of family life. Here, the pomegranate is also shown which symbolizes the oneness of the Universe and fecundity (shown as the red shirt of Thoth Deck Empress). This comes from the ancient word Rimmon, meaning "pomegranate" and was a biblical name of the Goddess's genital shrine (2 Kings 5:18) from the root word Rim, meaning "to give birth". The red juice and many seeds symbolized uterine fertility. Thus, it was said, souls ate the pomegranates, in the underworld, to bring about rebirth. The lamb portrays purity and innocence.

The Pine Beauty seen at the base of the Old Path card carries on the soul symbols as does the white dove. The nearby cherries are attributed to Venus. The Antlered stag with its branch like antlers, is in reference to the Tree of Life.

The Archetype of Mother is very pivotal to the process of self-understanding, especial to a male. "Mother", is the extension of the Anima qualities; as Empress she is the nurturing qualities of Mother. She is Isis, wrapped in the robes of nature.

Symbolically, there is nothing but 0=2 and/or Father and Mother and through their interaction they produce the Son (Soul) who is the perfect balance of their "opposites" and who is the "Perfected Self". This can be confusing for those who expound upon sexual separation, for the "Son" in Western Hermetic Qabalah, is a Divine Hermaphrodite and not the sexual gender usually applied to the word "son". In Qabalah, the Sun/Son is seen as Adam Khadmon-The Heavenly Human.

The encounter with the Empress-Mother Archetype is inevitably emotional and direct, especially since we must honestly consider our own relationship with our physical mother. Although cultures have described this archetype in the most cryptic of language and/or graphic symbols, it is only by understanding and evaluating honestly, our unconscious materials relating to interactions with our own mother-both good or bad- that we begin to arrive at insights into the mysteries of "Mother". Such a transition of focus is often achieved through Meditation. One learns true love, through the adoration of Isis/Empress.

The images represented in THE EMPRESS card are an attempt to convey the concept of pure fruition. As an exercise towards this goal of understanding, the initiate must try to conceive of pure emotion, which is a feeling which has no subject or object, neither love nor hate, but which is the raw material of both; a kind of Lust without need of result. Armed with such an understanding, the initiate may begin to understand something of the Great Binah, The Great Mother Isis, THE EMPRESS, who is the Illuminating Intelligence or Birth Mother of Ideas through transitional state of Understanding.

All that is Life on Earth is the providence of THE EMPRESS, as she builds life forms around the Spirit of Life, establishing the Laws of the Universe that have to do with restriction and formation. She is the Supernal Female Force. She is also Venus-Aphrodite-Isis. the Goddess of Love. Love is her Law. The Luminous Intelligence of Chokmah, becomes the Illuminating Intelligence of THE EMPRESS, inferring filling up and emitting Light, thus bestowing the title of Mother of Light on the Great Mother.

As always, words make the reality of their meanings seem so simple, but in truth, the simplest words are the most subjective, such as IT, or I. One must cross the emptiness of want, of sense, of sight, before one can visit the Great Mother, who creates the I Am of us all.

When the Empress card is thrown:

• The querent is experiencing the principle of wise love.
• The power of owning your own inherited maternal and loving nature that resides within.
• There is an opening to all sensuality and delighting in luxury of the senses, as does a child, before they are taught to fear them.
• One finds comfort among the natural, having no need for control. 
• A surge of Creative imagination, as imagination is everything in our reality, this promises achievement and success in our goals.
• The querent may experience a high dedication to healing and nurturing. 
• Overall, THE EMPRESS represents happiness, stable relationships, growth, and fertility.

If ill defined by surrounding cards or reversed, it implies:

• Motherhood issues.
• Dissipation.
• Luxuries.
• Sensuality.

Thank you for your interest, comments, and supportive donations. Much appreciated! May you live long and prosper!

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