Mansions of the Moon
ZADOK (dahogue@nctc.net)
Self-Published

The Empress shows a pre-Raphaelite image of a naked woman holding an apple in her left hand.  She is dark-haired and wears a serious expression, as though pondering weighty matters.  A fetus is suspending on the upper right hand side of the card.  The image is framed by crescent moons.  At the bottom of the card is a profusion of flowers, fruits and a butterfly.

The author says:  Traditional fertility.

Bee's Buzz:  This is Eve, the archetypal mother; the first female.  She offers us life and fertility, abundance and fruitfulness.  She also carries the potential for growth and expansion, for sensuality and creativity.  The Empress is that part of us that enjoys feeling silk upon our skin and enjoys exploring the different textures, scents and tastes that surround us every day.  She gifts us with the curiosity to explore new sensations and taste new things.  Connecting to this card was a bit challenging to me because something about her expression is a bit distancing - as though she may have given us birth but doesn't care to be involved in raising us.  She also doesn't strike me as the type that would enjoy soothing injuries and and helping with homework.  She seems fruitful but not nurturing, fertile but not loving.  She strikes me as being almost the stereotypical cold mother.  She may have given birth to the child but doesn't possess the skills needed to nurture, love and raise that child.  This Empress has probably sent quite a few adults to therapy.