Why is this Tarot card titled The Empress? What significance does she have in a Tarot deck? For a
reality check, who was she in the historical past? Why is she in the Tarot
anyway?
 |
| The Empress |
Historical Empresses
were the female sovereigns of past empires, especially the ancient Egyptian
Empire; the Roman Empire; Persian Empire; Chinese Empire; and later European
Empires, such as the Austrian Empire and British Empire. An Empress was usually
the consort of the ruling Emperor but, in some cases, she was the supreme
monarch, governing and having the power to command armies and rule other
kingdoms. This was a position of power that was very rare for women in a male-dominated
hierarchy of rulership. Empress Wu Zetian (625–705) ruler in the Tang Dynasty
of China, achieved her power by eliminating her enemies in taking over the
throne after her husband died. In a monarchy, the title Empress or Emperor is
superior to a King or Queen, and the Empire is larger than a kingdom, sometimes
incorporating many entire city-states. And the last historical Empresses are
not too far in the distant past. British Queen Victoria, Empress of India,
ruled many colonial countries around the world and she died in 1901. Her
granddaughter, Alexandra, was the last Tsarina in Russia and she was murdered in 1918
with her family and spouse Tsar Nicolas I, during the Russian Revolution and
overthrow of the Russian Empire. In some ways, it is hard for us to comprehend
how such power was exerted in the past, which is the very reason that The Empress and The Emperor are part of the more traditional Tarot deck:
emphasizing vast powers, supreme leadership, and control of their subjects.
In a contemporary context, some Tarot decks present The Empress as the Great Mother Goddess,
as in The Motherpeace Tarot by Vicki
Noble. This deck exemplifies the resurgence of the modern Goddess movement in
Feminism. In certain “back to nature” communities, the Goddess is viewed as
immanent in nature with all its processes; therefore, most of nature’s
functions on earth are regarded as sacred: cell-division and the
self-generating processes of plant growth and seed-bearing; the fertility and
abundance of crops; the sustenance of water; the reproductive and formative
processes of animals and birds.
Archaeologist, Marija Gimbutas, in her extensive book, The Civilization of the Goddess, talks
about the veneration of an earth Goddess in Eastern European prehistory who was
represented by small clay female figurines found everywhere, particularly in
areas that appeared to be temples. Archaeological evidence points to
agricultural communities at least as far back to the 7th millennia
B.C. where agrarian cultures were [thought to be] more ‘gynocentric,’ and women
reflected the “sovereignty of motherhood,” she says. These little figurines
were found by the hundreds at digs mostly in Eastern
Europe .
 |
| Ashera |
“In
Gimbutas’ view, old European female imagery expresses metaphoric concepts of sacred
cosmology within a mother-kinship culture.”
(The realm of the
Ancestors, Ed Joan Marler)
In another sense, there are derogatory Biblical references
to the Middle Eastern goddess Ashera, or Ashtoreth/Astarte, a Canaanite Goddess
worshipped as far back as 9th century B.C.; yet, in contrast, she
was revered in Ugaritic legends and mythological texts from Ras-Shamara, discovered
in Syria .
In I Kings 18:19, worship of the goddess instead of the one God by the Hebrews
was blamed on Jezebel, and in Deuteronomy 12:3, the destruction of a statue of
Ashera was demanded by burning it. Ashera was condemned by the Hebrews as one
of the gods to eliminate. These religious beliefs and the story of Eve’s
downfall and deception, paved the way for many centuries of treating women as
second class citizens and subordinate to men. Then there was Ishtar of Nineveh.
She was the goddess of the Akkadian pantheon and was written about in the Epic of Gilgamesh, a poem inscribed in
cuneiform on clay tablets around 3,000 B.C., where the goddess, Inanna,
descended into the underworld; was killed by her sister Erishkigal, and
resurrected by her priestess and companions. She was more of a warrior goddess
of fecundity and procreation. (Descent to the Goddess by Sylvia Brinton
Perera)
What meaning can we extract from The Empress card in a reading? She represents leadership in the
community; self-respect as a liberated person free from dehumanizing
oppression; exhibits mature judgment, and is not afraid to speak up against
injustice. Her attributes are that of a self-actualizing person who is supporting,
caring for, protecting, and nurturing her community. In a broader sense, she is
the goddess of fertility, birth, motherhood, love, and the abundance of nature.
“The power to regain
our own life comes from the discovery of the cosmic covenant, the deep harmony
in the community of being in which we participate.” (Mary Daly, Beyond
God the Father, Beacon Press, 1985)
When you get The Empress card in a reading, ask yourself
these questions: How are you being an Empress in your life in taking charge and
demonstrating leadership in your community? Are you speaking up, resisting, and
pointing out injustices? Are you nurturing and caring for your family and
friends? Are you helping to eliminate oppression, violence and war? What are
you doing to promote the common good for everyone?
