Upright Keywords:
Love, Fertile, Creative, Abundance, Divine Feminine, Nature, Emotions, Comfort in your skin
Reversed Keywords:
Smothering, Overindulgence, Stunted growth, and progress, Insecure
Upright Meaning
When we draw the Empress card, it is a clear connection to femininity. This is connected to not only our feminine nature but how we express it too. Both nature and creativity are two strong aspects of the feminine.
So, the upright Empress is asking you to consider how you are expressing these qualities. But aside from that, the Empress is also reminding us to celebrate beauty and appreciate nature.
On a more intimate level, the Empress is asking you to deepen your understanding of yourself. Are you connecting with the beauty of life, with nature? Are you nurturing your emotional health and nurturing the ones you care for?
There are plenty of things in life that can help us in our journey, but there are few more powerful than appreciating life and the beauty that it holds. This card is also asking you to get in touch with your sensuality.
The Empress is here to let you know it is okay to feel sensual about yourself and life. Being in touch with your sensuality is the key to opening up to the possibility of welcoming joy and happiness. It’s time to take care of yourself, both physically and emotionally.
So we have already covered the overall gist of what this card means. Let’s get a little deeper into the juicy details. The Empress card is all about Motherhood, Love, fertility, ease, and emotional leaders. Projects with this card as their herald will do well and produce fruitful results.
Reversed Meaning
If you draw the Empress in the reversed position then you may need some time to yourself. Make self-care one of your priorities. Even if that looks like spending a few extra minutes a day cultivating a skincare routine.
It could also mean nourishing your body- drink more purified water and cultivate healthy eating habits. In short, focus on nourishing yourself more than others.
When you draw the Empress in reverse position, it’s time to ask yourself in what way are you expressing your emotions? Sure, your emotions are valid but are you being hurtful in the way you express them? We have the right to express our emotions.
But that right comes with the responsibility of how we express them. Are we using our emotions as a weapon? For example, in an unhealthy relationship, there is often one person that withholds affection because he or she is weaponizing affection. Or have you become too disconnected from your emotions?
Disconnecting is often a trauma response or a way to protect ourselves from getting hurt. While emotional detachment can be healthy, it is different from emotional disconnection. The empress card could also be letting you know that you are behaving in a wasteful manner or not appreciating all that you do have.
Only you will truly know the answer to this, but are you being self-indulgent to the point where it could be causing damage? If it is a period more conducive to restraint, are you perhaps engaging in excessive self-indulgence?