From Prairie:
The 3 is the joining of opposites to produce a third. The Empress wears a crown of 12 stars, representing the Zodiac & her rulership over time. Her scepter also shows her dominion over the created world. Where the Magician has dominion over the world of logic and HPs had dominion over the intellectual world & the world of knowledge, the Empress has dominion over the world of the senses. The Fool is now learning to be fertile and enjoy the world of the senses.
Her dress has pomegranates on it. Remember the veil between the 2 pillars from the HPs card? She has removed the veil & made a dress out of it. By the time we make it to this card, the veil is open and the knowledge contained within the temple is free to all.
The water in the background is a symbol of the subconscious. Having mastered the world of the conscious through the Magician and the High Priestess, it's time for the Fool to master the world of the subconscious and deal with his emotional nature.
The wheat is sacred to Isis (remember the HPs crown?) & the cypress trees are sacred to Venus. The pearl necklace is also a symbol of Venus (Aphrodite), as are the myrtle leaves on the crown.
The wheat is also a symbol of Ceres and Demeter, the Earth Mother, symbolizing the abundance of Earth. The cypress trees and the pearls symbolize the abundance of the emotions (water). The wheat is the conscious, physical world and the pearls are the subconscious, emotional world. Again, we have the idea of balance.
The Empress is the Mother. She is fertile, nurturing and caring.
EXERCISE for the Empress:
Take out the Empress card. Place it on the table in front of you. Look at the various symbols on the card and think about the abundance the card represents. Think about the abundance in your own life.
Now, go through the cards, face up, and pick out the cards that represent the things you are thankful for. For instance, if you are working, you may choose the 3 of pentacles to represent your job. Are you thankful for your partner? Choose the Lovers. Do you have children? Maybe the 6 of Cups. Pick out as many cards as you need to. Be creative! Can you find a card for everything you are grateful for in your life?
Spread your chosen cards out on the table in front of you and take a few minutes to meditate on each one. Think about the things you are grateful for.
Now, on separate scraps of paper, write a word or two to represent each one of the things you've chosen. Roll the papers up and tie them with a pretty ribbon and place them in a basket or other container and leave it out where you will see it often. Remember to give thanks for the abundance in your life every time you catch sight of the basket.
Some of us did a similar exercise and wrote our blessings on small, smooth river rocks and placed them in a basket. My daughter keeps her blessing rocks in a wicker basket similar to an Easter basket. Mine are in a terra cotta flower bowl.
Finally, (and this step is important!) think of a way to express your gratitude to each and every one of the situations or people you are thankful for. Then DO IT! (A friend of mine chose the Devil to represent chocolate, and expressed her gratitude for this wonderful confection by taking herself out to the local Dairy Queen and treating herself to a hot fudge sundae!) :-)
Thank the Empress for the abundance she has provided in your life. Do something nice for the Mother Earth she represents. Maybe pick up some litter in a park or plant a flower.
Tell us what deck you are using, some of the cards you chose and what they represent to you. (Don't fell like you have to share the more personal ones, if you choose not to.) Then, describe what you did to thank the Empress (Mother Earth), as well as what you did to express your gratitude to each of the situations represented by the cards.
FromLynell:
I worked the Empress exercise into a gratitude-affirmation list which I printed out and included in my journal.
(Prairie) Good idea. I wonder how many others chose this approach?
I used the Thoth deck, one which I just purchased in light of all the 9 of Swords I had been drawing. (Time to look at shadows?) But instead of consciously choosing the cards, as the exercise suggested, I did a six card layout under the Empress card, letting "her" decide what I needed to be more thankful for and aware of. The cards I drew were these:
1. 8 Wands
2. 9 Disks
3. 9 Swords
4. 3 Disks
5. Queen Disks
6. 8 Disks
I thought it was interesting (and challenging) that the 9 of Swords showed up again. And most of the cards were disks (earth). As a gift back to the Empress, I wrote a poem in response to being "The Empress" with 9 Swords. I also took special quiet time to be outdoors today, pulling weeds in the garden boxes.
As I thought about making a gratitude list, I decided that I needed to look at some of the personal gifts I have been given, those things that make me who I am. Like so many people, I struggle at times with self-esteem and need to be reminded that I do have strengths. My gratitude list is also an affirmation list to direct me to BE the kind of person I have the potential of becoming.
I'll share a few of the things that I came up with for each card and I'll include the poem.
1. 8 of Wands: Ability to perceive "energies" - I try to listen to my intuition and follow its promptings even when outward appearances suggest otherwise.
(Prairie) This is a curious interpretation of the 8 of Wands. I'm wondering how you came up with this?
(Lynell) I based my interpretations in context, on what I had been experiencing lately and on the repeated appearance of the 9 of Swords. Here are excerpts from the Tarot of the Spirit book by Pamela Eakins:
"Eight of Fire [Wands]: This is a high energy period for initiating change; you have a sense of fast movement, rapid growth; you are achieving a broader sense of human and spiritual knowledge and potential; energy is coming to you, but it is as if you have to reach up to meet it; stretch yourself and you will grow; the perception of love creates the most powerful of all energies; remember this in your period of development."
2. 9 of Disks: Connection to nature - My love of hiking gives me a sense of abundance I would not have if I weren't in touch with nature's bounty.
(Prairie) This is good. I see the 9 of disks as a solitary card. Hiking alone is a great way to enjoy Mother Nature.
(Lynell) The 9 of Disks is a card of self-reliance and abundance, but it often has a feel of being connected to nature. The scene is often of a woman outdoors. And hiking in Alaska has really helped me to develop more self-reliance ... challenges met, etc.
3. 9 of Swords: Empathy with others, sensitivity - Even when I have difficulty sorting out my own feelings from those of others, I can live openly, ready to re-vision myself and to touch others.
(Prairie) This fits in well with the 9 of Swords as it showed up in your last reading. Another way of looking at it is that you have experienced sorrow for another person, and that sorrow has made you the strong person that you are. A lot of people fear sorrow, pain and misfortune, and can't find a way to be thankful for it. That misfortune has helped to create the person you are now.
(Lynell) I think you are right about how we can be grateful for opportunities to share in another's sorrows. If we work from a place of personal strength (9 of Disks?), we can grow spiritually from facing fears and from reaching out to others. What I've read in various places concerning the 9 of Swords suggests that the card is about fear, anxiety, and negative thoughts. These feelings and thoughts are directed toward (or experienced by) the person of the reading, but can stem from concern over other people. I get the sense that our own insecurities, past experiences, and personal fears get mixed in with the troubles others are having. If I had been detached enough and in a more established position to directly aid another, I might have drawn the 6 of Disks instead. But the 9 of Swords feels like issues have been triggered, and the task becomes sorting out what belongs to whom, resolving what is possible, and releasing the rest. If I use what I have gained from the solitary 9 of Disks, I can establish boundaries yet still assist another. I'm thinking here of the serenity prayer: Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.
Pamela Eakins says of the 9 of Swords:
"Being in the world, especially in a world that is constantly changing, takes strength and energy, vigor and vitality. It takes a constant influx of lifeforce [sounds like the 8 of Wands could help me here]. Further, it takes a deep sense of self-confidence [again, I can use the 9 of Disks]. ... At the Nine [of Swords, Wind], it is time to open your eyes in the face of danger. Patiently analyze your situation, exercise clarity....Be kind to others. Be kind to yourself. ... Emit love. ... the world is a mirror which reflects back that which we think into it."
4. 3 of Disks: Dedication to my chosen work - I spend the necessary time and effort to make my work count for something.
(Prairie) Yes. Being grateful for your job is good, too!
5. Queen of Disks: Sovereignty for my life - I accept the responsibility for making my life what I want it to be, for being a good steward of my opportunities.
(Prairie) What a great way to interpret this card!
6. 8 of Disks: Wisdom gained through my experiences - All the things I have gone through in life, whether I think they were "good or bad" have contributed to making me who I am.
(Prairie) I see the 8 of Disks as an "in progress" card. The wisdom is still in the process of being obtained. This also relates back to the 9 of Swords earlier.
(Lynell)I agree that we are always in process, progressing - good point - so my current challenge will add to my wisdom. The 8 of Disks often relates to skill-building and so strengthens the 3 of Disks and supports the Queen of Disks, but I can also see it here as a general, live-long learning card. Thanks for your responses and insights. I appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts.
Awakened Ardor
The Ardor is Awakened,
tears flow; I flail
in feelings
Until I find my center,
Until I see the reason,
see the sense,
Know the future and
the past as finished
In my own image -
The Mysterious Present.
I rest in the Now of Watching,
Waiting and Reclaiming
my Strength,
my True Sight and Soul.
my Gentleness.
~Lynell Landru
(Prairie) Wonderful poem.... and what an excellent way to give back to Mother
Earth!
Very good affirmations. Lynell. Thank you for sharing with us.
From Shanda:
The deck I used was the Rider-Waite deck. I thought about the things that were most important right now and here are my results.
The Lovers- I chose the lovers for my dear friend Joe. The card shows two people man and woman naked and exposed with nothing to hide. That's us. We know each other's dirty laundry and we lean on each other. We trust each other and have a wonderful bond based on our faith, trust and love in each other. How I plan to thank him for being a dear friend is personal.
The Ten of Cups- I chose the ten of cups for David, my boyfriend and this family of ours. The card shows four people: man, woman, and two kids. Right now that's what we are. Him, me, our daughter, and my son. I am thankful for the fact we are a family. I decided to thank him by learning to cook something he likes.
The Sun- I chose the Sun for daughter, Morgana. Because I am over my postpartum and can finally appreciate her for the sweet little baby she is. To thank her is simple. Change her diaper faster!
The Six of Cups- I chose the six of cups for my son, Brandon. The figure in red reminds me of him. A generous kid even when I can't stand him. To thank him, I'll cut him more slack.
I chose the three of cups for my friend Amanda. For female companionship and such. Amanda has always been a good friend even when I shut her out. The women on the card are happy and celebrating life. To thank her, I have to write her a long overdue letter and fill her in on all the gossip.
Finally I chose The World for Full Moon High Tide because I really needed other people right now and that's what I got with them. Even when I can't make it to any events! To thank them is private.
To thank Mother Earth is, well, to get all my newspaper out for recycling! I forget to get it in town sometimes!
<-- HIGH PRIESTESS
EMPEROR -->
