Tarot Soul Card -- Empress (Number 3)

[Legacy of the Divine Tarot]

Men and women whose soul card is the Empress lead extremely creative lives and have amazingly fertile imaginations. Their creativity can be expressed in any field in which they work, not just in traditional creative endeavours like art, music, literature, etc. They are loving, nurturing people who promote growth in those around them. People who embody the Empress enjoy all the finer things of life, revelling in anything that is beautiful, intoxicating, delicious or a delight to any of the five senses. They deeply feel the interconnectedness of all beings and all life.

There are two other major arcana cards in this constellation which influence an Empress' soul path: the Hanged Man and the World.

[Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot]

The Hanged Man usually influences an Empress' life as a hidden factor or shadow card. It can often manifest as co-dependency in relationships, when a nurturing Empress becomes enmeshed in the lives and issues of others. This co-dependency is expressed as love and concern but really involves controlling behaviour that benefits no one in the long run. Or an Empress' creative endeavours can become so all-consuming that the Empress will sacrifice everything else in their lives to it. The Hanged Man can also negatively manifest as a tendency to "hang on" to fears, roles and patterns that are detrimental to an Empress' life and growth, including issues of addiction.

To integrate this shadow, the Empress must learn to foster balance in life and to focus on personal needs and issues instead of on those of other people. These are the great lessons which must be learned by an Empress to avoid getting lost on their soul path.

[Tarot de St. Croix]

For an Empress, the World card concerns structure, limitations and rules. People on the Empress soul path often find necessary restrictions challenging to develop and to live within. For example, while overflowing with creative ideas, an Empress may unfortunately lack the personal discipline and business skills to bring those ideas to fruition or to market their output. If an Empress rejects any kind of restrictions on their freedom or creativity, they tend to run wild and dissipate their natural talent in confusion and chaos.

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Next Week: the Emperor Soul Card

[NOTE: If you haven't yet determined what your Soul Card is and would like to, please go to the introductory post of this series found here, do the calculation and play along!]