Inviting the Empress In
Creativity is not just something for kids and professionals — it’s for all of us, and nurturing it is a vital aspect of self-care.
By Cassandra Snow and Siri Vincent Plouff
October 13, 2022
INTRODUCTION TO THE EMPRESS
When you conjure up an image of the tarot’s Empress card, what do you see? In my mind, The Empress is seated on a throne in a lush and verdant landscape, wearing a luxuriant robe, and holding a shield with the symbol for Venus on it. The Empress is at ease with themself, well-taken care of and satisfied — satisfied not only with the surrounding abundance but also satisfied because The Empress has created things: this robe, this shield, this garden, even this throne. Everything around The Empress began as an idea — a seed — and they got busy planting, creating, and nurturing every last seed into being. This is how we see The Empress represented in the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot deck and, even though the tarot is being constantly reimagined and updated, this take on The Empress endures, consistently rendered in a way that captures the ideal Venusian Creatrix.
As a set of 78 cards, the tarot has endless lessons to teach us. Creative types and marginalized people are often distinctly drawn to the lessons of The Empress. The Empress has learned to collaborate with the land and create a nurturing space of abundance and peace. The Empress is free to be completely themself in this creation that they birthed into existence — made both from them and for them. This is what all of us are always trying to do — create our most authentic selves into being and hold space for them in a place of abundance and peace. The Empress teaches us that acts of creation are the ultimate practice of self-care. This authentic self, this abundant space, is not something we go find — it’s something we create.
THE MAJOR ARCANA AS ARCHETYPES
Each card of the Major Arcana represents an archetype. Archetypes are a recurrent symbol or motif in literature, art, or mythology. Many occultists and witches work with archetypes as an embodiment of a concept they want to draw into their lives, or as something that will teach them important lessons. They are a gateway into understanding how tarot can help us with our creativity. Tarot uses the language of archetypes to communicate: the archetype is a symbol or motif that we recognize in our unconscious self, that speaks to us, and therefore helps us read the cards. In the Major Arcana, we see a clear story and can find ourselves on certain points of that journey at specific times in the process.
The Major Arcana then positions us as being in relationship to and also embodying the different archetypes. It helps us to make the connections about what archetypal roles we are playing, and perhaps even the figures that we need to seek out. The Major Arcana is a collection of challenges, allies, teachers, and opportunities that are present in our lives. Sometimes we need archetypes that are ultimately supportive — for example, if you are getting married you may want to embody The Lovers to help you make the transition. Sometimes we need the opposite of the energy that we currently have — if we are clinging on to something that isn’t working, we might want to embrace the Death card as we get ready for change.
There are so many beautiful archetypes that the popular texts on them don’t cover. In Siri’s spiritual practice, common archetypes include the Oracle, the Hag, and the Genderbending Trickster. In queer community we both think of archetypes like the community itself, chosen family, Drag Queens, the first brick-thrower at Stonewall, and the incomparable visual archetype of a hot butch in a leather jacket leaning against a brick wall. (That last one might just be Cassandra.) Occasionally these do make their way into tarot — the Slow Holler Tarot actually rewrites The Empress as Kindred, a portrayal we absolutely love.
A TAROT SPREAD TO INVITE THE EMPRESS IN
What better way to get to know The Empress than through the tarot itself? This spread is designed to help you ease into this book and get to know the spirit of The Empress. Instead of thinking of The Empress as something outside of ourselves, let’s think about The Empress as an aspect of self. We have access to them; they live within us. We are able to express ourselves fully, to nurture ourselves, and to create just as much as The Empress does.
Spread Placements:
1. You, now. What does your self-care practice look like now?
2. What is your current relationship to your inner Empress?
3. How will you grow in these areas as you continue to work with The Empress?
You can grab a copy of Lessons from the Empress wherever you buy books!
Siri Vincent Plouff is a Nordic witch, writer, and teacher. They are a professional rune and tarot reader, and are the host of the Heathen's Journey Podcast. Their podcast is dedicated to creating space to learn about heathenry from an antiracist, queer perspective. Siri frequently teaches a wide variety of classes; their two signature courses are the Witchcraft Immersion and Radical Runes. For more information about when these classes will run and any current offerings, please visit Siri's website. In their free time, Siri devours fiction, hangs out with their cats and spouse, and obsessively listening to podcasts.
Cassandra Snow is now a three-time Weiser author, having previously penned Queering the Tarot and Queering Your Craft: Witchcraft from the Margins. Professionally Cassandra is a tarot reader and teacher who has taught students how to read cards in their own unique, personalized way everywhere from college campuses to burlesque studios. In their other life, Cassandra makes theatre happen, dabbles in storytelling, obsesses over tabletop roleplaying games, goes hiking, and devours books and movies. You can find out more about them at cassandra-snow.com or follow them on Instagram at @mx.cassandra.snow.