Home
Articles

The Empress Card Meaning: Upright & Reversed Positions in Tarot

8 mins
3
4
The Empress Card Meaning: Upright & Reversed Positions in Tarot

A woman you can’t take your eyes off. Luxurious, majestic, and possessing all the necessary resources - this is the Empress card, the 3rd Major Arcana card in the Tarot deck. She is associated with the zodiac sign Taurus and the planet Venus, which rules both Taurus & Libra.

Let’s unpack the Empress card meaning together - what she reveals, her connection with other cards, and why she might show up as your card of the day.

We’ll dive into:

  • Quick answers: the Empress “Yes or No” readings.
  • Love life intel: romance, relationships, and all that juicy stuff.
  • Career and cash flow clues: because money matters too.
  • Its dynamic with other cards: how the card transforms next to different Arcana.

Think of this as your no-nonsense guide to decoding the Lady, no fluff, just real talk about what she’s trying to tell you. Ready?

  • Also called: Mistress, Lady, or Great Mother.
  • Arcana: Major Arcana.
  • Card number: 3 Empress.
  • The upright meaning: Success in endeavors, luck, favorable outcomes, wealth, power, fertility, and motherhood.
  • The reversed meaning: A difficult period, financial struggles, family discord, failures, infertility, loneliness, and inner chaos.
Background

Reveal what your cards are hiding

Tarot reading master exposes truths

Explore Reading Now

The Empress card meaning: keywords

The Empress card embodies the mother archetype and symbolizes the concept of home with all its associated attributes.

The 3rd Arcana represents an atmosphere of comfort, prosperity, abundance, and warmth. She is nurturing and generous, yet impossible to control or manipulate.

The meaning of the Empress card is revealed through these keywords:


  • Motherhood, pregnancy.
  • Guardianship, healthy parenting.
  • Care, nurturing.
  • Justice, spiritual strength.
  • A new positive life phase.
  • Wealth, abundance, fairness, and generosity.
  • Wisdom combined with vitality.
  • An end to struggle, a triumph of good.

Description of the Empress Tarot card

This is a mature woman in rich clothes, sitting on a throne with soft pillows, half-turned to the viewer. The entire figure of the woman exudes poise, comfort, and dignity.

The scepter in the Empress Tarot meaning is a reference to one of the royal symbols of authority. The luxurious crown on her head also indicates a title and high social status.

The Empress.webp

The crown or diadem is formed from 12 six-pointed stars. In this way, the Lady maintains a connection with the cycles of nature and various systems of calculation: 12 planets, 12 months, and 12 zodiac signs.

Cultivated plants at the Empress card feet (wheat or rye) and the wild forest in the background indicate a wide sphere of influence.

Empress card: meaning in the upright position

The appearance of the Mistress in a reading is always a highly significant event.

  • Deep femininity The Empress urges you to release control. While determination and persistence serve you well in many situations, they can sometimes become obstacles.

  • Motherhood, pregnancy The 3rd Arcana is one of the clear indicators that attempts to conceive a child will be successful. However, it can also signify the beginning of a grand new project unrelated to family relationships. To interpret the reading accurately, it is necessary to study the Empress upright card keywords (as well as reversed) and combine them with other Arcana.

  • Favorable period in life Sometimes, the Great Mother appears to bring good news to the querent. She foretells prosperity and harmony, the beginning of a new fertile period in life, along with luxury and comfort. If someone has not yet seen these changes in their life, they should trust the Empress as feelings - she promises that very soon, all their dreams and desires will come true.

Empress card: meaning in the reversed position

The meaning of this card is highly dependent on the position of the Arcana. In an inverted position, it acquires new aspects and nuances. While the card is interpreted favorably and positively in its upright position, the reversed Mistress predicts troubles, stagnation in business, and encounters with unpleasant people.

  • Loss of freedom, loss of will The reversed Lady in Tarot readings indicates that the querent has lost themselves in some way. Perhaps they have become too deeply absorbed in caring for loved ones. If someone is constantly solving other people’s problems and meeting others’ needs, they’re left with neither the time nor the energy to focus on their own life.

  • Creative block The Empress, as feelings, reflects the quality of the connection between a person and their true essence. If that connection is broken, the Arcana appears reversed, which means the person is experiencing motivational difficulties, has lost inspiration, and worries about new projects.

The Empress card love & relationships meaning

This card can safely be considered a sign of good luck. For single people, the card foretells an imminent fateful encounter. The Empress Tarot love meaning promises that true feelings will enter the querent’s life.

For those already in a relationship, the card predicts a new level. But in this context, there are nuances. For example, if more complex or cold cards appear alongside the Empress as a person (Death, Moon, Hermit, Hanged Man, Page of Swords), this may mean that a man admires a woman but fears he cannot reach her level. He may feel unworthy or may be overly captivated by her outer beauty rather than her inner self.

Remember that the interpretation of Tarot card combinations depends heavily on the specifics and subject matter of the particular readings.

The Empress “Yes or No” readings

The Tarot deck can be used to get quick answers to various questions. The Lady in the "Yes / No" readings always indicates a confident, positive answer. This is a clear and definite “Yes.” Moreover, the 3rd Arcana calls for action, as a favorable period is beginning.

The inverted card warns of possible troubles and failures.

What does the Empress card mean as a card of the day

The third Arcana advises you to focus on yourself, embrace joy and pleasure, and attend to your own needs and desires. This card can also signal an exceptionally successful day, both professionally and personally.

Possible manifestations of the card:

  • Try to spend more time with family and loved ones.
  • It is a day favorable for gardening, cooking, creativity, and design.
  • Conception is possible, and news of pregnancy.
  • Financial receipts, the emergence of ideas that will lead to future income.
  • Female energy, communication with an important figure in your life, and receiving advice from a woman.

If the Lady falls as the card of the day, the Empress's advice is the following: allow yourself to slow down and feel the joy of life.

The Empress as advice & guidance

What wisdom does the Lady offer when you seek advice?

  • Upright meaning The Lady encourages you to trust life's natural flow. You're currently in a fortunate cycle where events tend to resolve positively, but resist the urge to force outcomes. Overeagerness or excessive control might disrupt this harmonious period. Like a wise mother, she reminds you that good things come to those who move with grace rather than grasp with desperation.

  • Reversed meaning When upside-down, the Empress card signals it's time to pause. Postpone significant decisions, and your energy reserves will be depleted. This isn't failure; it's a strategic retreat. Her counsel? "Rest as the earth rests in winter. Renewal precedes rebirth." Temporary withdrawal now ensures you'll act with full power when conditions shift.

The meaning of the Empress card in finance & well-being

The Lady's positive energy shines through in every reading, particularly when addressing financial questions. This powerful 3rd Arcana signals an exciting professional transformation ahead.

You might experience:

  • A creative breakthrough that sparks innovative ideas.
  • Fresh opportunities to grow current projects.
  • A good moment to take your business to the next level.

Whether you're job hunting, considering a career shift, or planning to expand your enterprise, the Empress Tarot meaning blesses these endeavors with her abundant energy. She's handing you a cosmic green light for professional growth.

The meaning of the Empress card in health

The 3rd Arcana is one of the best signs of imminent pregnancy. Therefore, when inquiring about a woman’s health, the card recommends paying attention to reproductive organs. The Great Mother’s appearance can be a warning for those who are not planning to have children. Otherwise, it indicates that a person should listen to their body’s signals.

Background

Your cards hold secrets

Discover what they won't show the stars

Unlock Your Reading

The Empress Tarot: combinations with Major Arcana

Amazingly accurate, truly prophetic predictions can be made with just a few cards. While every Tarot expert develops their unique approach, all successful interpretations depend on the ability to discern the nuanced relationships between Arcana.

  • The Jester: It is impossible to predict the outcome of a situation.
  • The Magician: Receiving a declaration of the Empress' love and/or financial gain.
  • The High Priestess: The future is just beginning to take shape, not yet predictable.
  • The Emperor: New beginnings (implementation of ideas, marriage, founding a business).
  • The Hierophant: Harmony in relationships, successful marriage.
  • The Lovers: Meeting a partner by fate.
  • The Chariot: Receiving expected support and victory in an argument or battle.
  • The Strength: Partnership, support, cooperation.
  • The Hermit: Insight, epiphany, illumination by the light of truth, entering a pause.
  • The Wheel of Fortune: The beginning of a happy period of life.
  • The Justice: Success in legal matters.
  • The Hanged Man: Receiving important information.
  • The Death: Fundamental changes for the better.
  • The Moderation: Excellent health, business success, and the possibility of pregnancy.
  • The Devil: Manipulation, control, negative influence, addictions, bad habits, hidden vices.
  • The Tower: A project failed, plans collapsed, and there is a risk of miscarriage.
  • The Star: Being in a foreign environment, far from home.
  • The Moon: Deception, enemies, falsification.
  • The Sun: Successful project completion, the birth of a child, closing one chapter.
  • The Judgment: Inspiration, creativity, artistic energy.
  • The World: Successful implementation of goals, pregnancy.

If the current position of Royal Princess appears in a reading with Minor Arcana, she can minimize the possible negative effects of other cards. More specifically, several interpretations of the Lady with Minor Arcana are considered below.

The Empress Tarot: combinations with Minor Arcana

When the Lady appears alongside the Ten of Wands, it reveals a pattern of overextension - giving endlessly to others while receiving little in return.

The Great Mother paired with the Four of Cups presents two possibilities: either unspoken discontent in what appears to be a stable relationship or resistance to accepting a woman’s nurturing support when it’s offered.

The Mistress combined with the Five of Swords warns of impending tension with an important woman in your life - whether mother, sister, friend, or romantic partner. This alignment may also signal deeper familial discord brewing beneath the surface.

Should the Mistress emerge with the Six of Pentacles, anticipate tangible generosity headed your way - financial assistance, meaningful gifts, or compassionate care from someone invested in your well-being.

In general, the Empress' feelings open prospects and promise success. However, effort will still be required to achieve your goals.

8 mins
3
4
This article may be of interest to those who are looking for
Relationship Advice
Yes or No Tarot
Tarot Cards
Tarot
Life Path & Guidance
These articles may interest you: