GRAY TAROT
The Empress III
Dripping in earthly riches, the Empress is the stoic guardian and keeper of the psychic plane. She is grounded in her earthly palace, brimming with the riches and treasures found within our world. She is a highly capable and revered hunter of the deep forests. Within her realm, she is self-assured and bestowed with that confidence of movement. Her place is the throne, on top of the food chain. She is the earthly queen and mother.
The Empress’s numerical influence is 3, representing triangles, the triad, the holy trinity, the maiden, mother, and crone, the body, soul, and spirit, the sun, moon, and universe. The three connect to make a complete, balanced shape and give life form. She is the expansiveness and fertility of this world. She represents the earthly grounding of the elements of mind, body, and spirit. Ruler of the rich garden of earthly pleasures and its bountiful resources, she is related to the High Priestess.
The bobcat, like the cat (The High Priestess), is part of the tree of the divine feminine and feline spirit. The Empress, however, is unlike the cat, who lacks the magical domination and domestication of the human mind. The Bobcat is grounded in the wildness of the natural order of the universe. She is the earthly presence of vision and beauty, the keeper of Venus and all her bestowed gifts and influence. She hangs close to the earth, providing us with earthly delights.
As the Great Mother and provider, she is a symbol of instinctual nurturance, the glue that sustains life. Her presence provides the nourishment needed to feed the body, mind, and spirit. With her in your house there is so much material to work with. She is surrounded by the gifts of the hunt, presenting them in a cornucopia of abundance falling around her paws. She lays before you all the elements needed to initiate your creativity. At this card’s root, the Great Mother is a divine creator. In her fertility, she births ideas and creativity itself. The Empress provides the materials needed to sustain, build, and propel your endeavors. She is the corn, the rice, and the wheat of the people, and the energy totem that fuels and nourishes our beings.
Crowned by the crescent moon and throned between two sycamore trees, her air of abundance is powerful and overflowing outwards. In this space we must take the initiative to address ourselves as children of the Great Mother. In her nurturance she is not just a giver but provides deep wisdom in self-perseverance. Bobcats are independent animals that take the time to groom themselves, sleep insane hours, and store resources for future needs. We can get lost sometimes in over-mothering and being emotionally attached to providing for others.
Work on being conscious to not be the negative overbearing mother archetype. It is important for people to see where they negatively impact people. Also be conscious to not use guilt and shame as weapons of manipulation. The Empress asks for fairness. Do not cast the Empress from her throne or diminish her power. Our earthly mother is a self-sustaining vessel. Take good care of yourself and the bounty of your being. Only when we are nourished and full may we provide that mother’s milk of care to others. Be confident with what you instinctively know you need in life to survive and thrive. This unquestioning will bring out the most impactful force within.
Keywords: Nurturance, bounty, mother, feminine influence, instinct, beauty, creativity, abundance, fertility, resources, connection, triad, natural order, smothering, selflessness