The Empress - Meaning, Interpretations and Symbolism

The Empress represents the world we live in as the result of the abundance that comes with the creation of feminine, the phenomena of motherhood and birth. 3 is the number that represents infinity, for it contains 2 + 1, or the idea that 2 ones joined will result in the need for number 3, and therefore number 3 is the manifestation of the definition of infinity in numbers and the world.

The Star of David, being composed of two triangles (2 x 3), reaffirms the infinity contained within a triangle combined with the need for duality to represent completion. The Star of David is able to manifest a perfect sphere, as one triangle’s edge can become the 4th point for the other, to create a pyramid. So in essence, the Star of David does not represent number 6 but in actuality it gives us 8.

In a reading, The Empress can be a literal reference to a woman. If not taken literally, then it is a nurturing card that represents the ‘fruit’ or ‘what and all that is manifested’ by The Magician. This symbolism is often worded as ‘creativity’.

In a sense, the female/woman herself as a separate gender can be considered to be the creation of The Magus, if we consider The Magus to be a representation of Godly power of creation on earth. This doesn’t mean that a human being doesn’t have an internal feminine side to him, as everything in the natural world points to the existence of a duality-based system as a pre-requisite of all things internal and external.

The idea of woman being an earthly creation is based on perfected human being Androgynous and therefore an equal balance of masculine and feminine. The destruction and separation of this wholeness into masculine and feminine dominant subtypes becomes The Empress, followed by its masculine pair, The Emperor