The Empress
Major arcana, number 3 (III). abundance, nurture, creativity, the senses.
Growth, comfort and generosity. The Empress is the card of making things flourish, whether a garden, a family, a project or a home.
Upright
- abundance
- nurture
- creativity
- the senses
Growth, comfort and generosity. The Empress is the card of making things flourish, whether a garden, a family, a project or a home.
Reversed
- smothering
- creative block
- dependence
- neglect of self
Care that tips into smothering, or a period when nothing seems to grow. Reversed, it can point to neglecting your own needs while looking after everyone else's.
Not every reader uses reversals. Many treat a reversed card as the same theme, blocked, delayed or turned inward.
In the picture
A woman in a flowing gown sits among cushions in a field of ripe wheat, wearing a crown of twelve stars and holding a sceptre, with a stream and trees behind her.
Astrology and numerology
The Golden Dawn, the Victorian magical order whose scheme most modern decks follow, linked The Empress with Venus. Read about Venus and the element earth, which the card shares.
Its number reduces to 3, which numerology associates with expression, creativity, sociability. See every card that reduces to 3.
Yes or no
In yes or no tarot, The Empress counts as a yes when upright, and as a no when reversed. This follows a common convention and not a rule from the deck's makers.
Tarot is a tradition of symbolism. This page says what readers traditionally associate with the card. It does not predict anything and it is not advice.