Would you like to be an Empress?
You might read that sentence and think:
“Who, me? The muffler’s about to fall off my car. I can barely pay the rent. The kids need new shoes that I can’t afford, and my apartment looks like a disaster area.
Do I want to be an Empress? Yeah… right.”
What Does an Empress Look Like?
Let’s take a minute to really look at the Empress card before you rule yourself out.
What do we see?
A beautiful woman reclining comfortably on a simple couch. She’s wearing a flowing robe, and her head is crowned with stars. In one hand she loosely holds a scepter topped with a golden globe. Resting beside her is a shield bearing the symbol of Venus.
Behind her stretches a peaceful forest, with a waterfall flowing gently through it beneath a clear blue sky.
What else do you see?
If your answer is, “Nothing,” you got that one exactly right.
What’s Missing?
When we hear the word Empress, certain images immediately come to mind.
Royal courts.
Tables groaning beneath crystal goblets and golden dishes.
Ladies-in-waiting glittering with jewels.
Magnificent ivory thrones.
You know…
Money.
Power.
Status.
Truckloads of doe-ray-me.
Not This Empress
Yet none of those things appear in this card.
She’s reclining on a simple seat instead of an elaborate throne.
There are no servants.
No palace.
No symbols of worldly power.
Yes, she carries a scepter, but she holds it so casually that it almost feels like an afterthought. Her crown is made of stars rather than jewels. Even her shield bears not a lion or dragon, but the symbol of Venus—the emblem of love.
The forest, the waterfall, and the open sky are her royal hall.
What does that tell us?
The Empress and Abundance
The Empress is often described as the archetype of abundance.
But this is a very different kind of abundance.
It isn’t measured in bank accounts or luxury cars.
She doesn’t need possessions to convince herself she’s wealthy.
Her richness flows outward from her.
It doesn’t flow inward from the things she owns.
Her abundance is written upon her shield:
Love.
So how do we incorporate that Empress energy into our own lives?
The Empress and Filling the Well
Julia Cameron observed that creativity is not a bottomless well.
Eventually the well must be refilled.
Sooner or later, the creative life asks us to stop producing and simply receive.
The Empress understands this instinctively.
She would probably tell us that resting isn’t the opposite of creating.
Resting is creating.
When we step away from frantic schedules and consciously enjoy the beauty already surrounding us, we’re expressing Empress energy.
Reading.
Walking.
Listening to music.
Cooking.
Taking a bath.
Watching clouds drift across the sky.
Standing outside beneath the moon.
These aren’t interruptions to creativity.
They’re how creativity breathes.
They’re how we absorb the abundance that already exists simply because we’re alive.
The Empress as a Spiritual Practice
Perhaps the most important symbol in the entire card is the small shield bearing the sign of Venus.
It reminds us that love isn’t something we have to earn.
It isn’t something we have to chase.
And it isn’t something other people give us permission to experience.
Love is our birthright.
It already lives within us.
It flows from the heart rather than into it.
That means we can practice Empress energy every single day.
Making our homes beautiful.
Growing flowers.
Lighting a scented candle.
Preparing a meal with care.
Creating peaceful spaces.
Being fully present in our own lives.
These simple acts may seem ordinary.
The Empress would call them sacred.
Becoming the Empress
So…
Would you like to be an Empress?
Perhaps you already are.
The Empress doesn’t ask how much money is in your bank account, what kind of car you drive, or whether your furniture belongs in a palace.
She asks a much quieter question.
Can you recognize the abundance that’s already present in this moment?
Can you slow down long enough to appreciate beauty?
Can you create a little more peace?
Can you let love flow outward into the world through the smallest acts of everyday life?
If you can…
Then you’re already wearing the crown of stars.
Just the Tarot 