The Empress tarot card meaning

What the card shows

A woman sits on a cushioned seat in a field of ripe wheat, wearing a gown printed with pomegranates and a crown of twelve stars. A heart-shaped shield beside her carries the symbol of Venus. Behind her a forest thickens and a waterfall runs into a stream. Everything in the picture is growing, and none of it looks forced.

The Empress upright

The Empress is the card of things that grow when they are looked after: gardens, children, friendships, projects. Upright, it favours comfort, pleasure and patience, and treats rest as part of the work rather than a reward for it. It often appears when something you started is ready to be tended instead of pushed.

Keywords: care, abundance, growth, comfort, creativity

The Empress reversed

Reversed, the care is flowing in one direction only. You may be looking after everyone except yourself, or holding something so tightly that it has no room to grow. A creative block often sits here too: the soil is fine, but nothing has been planted for a while. The card suggests one small act of care pointed back at you.

Keywords: self-neglect, smothering, a creative block

In love

In love, The Empress describes warmth, affection and the pleasure of being with someone. It suits a relationship that is comfortable rather than dramatic. Reversed, it can point at one person doing all the caring, and asks whether that has been said to the other.

At work

At work, this is a card of making things: design, writing, cooking, anything that grows under your hands. It favours a steady pace over a sprint. Reversed, it can describe looking after a team so thoroughly that your own work has gone untended.

When you are deciding

When deciding, The Empress asks which option you would enjoy, a question people often leave off the list. Pleasure is not a frivolous reason. A choice that feeds you is easier to keep making on the dull days.