LexTalk

You pull The Empress.

You Google the meaning.

And approximately 3.7 seconds later, the internet is basically screaming:

PREGNANCY!!!

Okay.

HOLD ON.

Because yes—The Empress absolutely has traditional associations with fertility, motherhood, and creation.

But if we stop at:

The Empress = Pregnancy

we are missing SO MUCH of this beautiful card.

Because what else can we create?

A business.

A home.

A piece of art.

A relationship.

A garden.

A new routine.

A story.

A dream.

A completely different version of our lives.

And sometimes?

The thing we’re trying to bring to life…

is ourselves.

Welcome back to LexTalk Tarot: One Card at a Time!

We’ve officially reached Card #22 in my journey through all 78 tarot cards.

And today’s card is…

THE EMPRESS — III

This card is lush.

Green.

Comfortable.

Abundant.

There’s wheat growing around her.

Water flowing behind her.

Pomegranates covering her dress.

A crown of stars.

A heart-shaped shield bearing the symbol of Venus.

Basically…

this woman is surrounded by LIFE.

And after studying her, I think my beginner memory trick for The Empress is incredibly simple:

The Empress = Nurture what you want to grow.

Let’s explore.

Meet The Empress

Card: The Empress

Number: III — Three

Arcana: Major Arcana

Traditional Astrological Association: Venus

Core Themes: Nurturing, creativity, abundance, growth, nature, pleasure, compassion, creation, and receiving

The Empress is traditionally connected with fertility.

But I want to immediately expand what we mean by that word.

Because fertility doesn’t ONLY have to mean the ability to create a child.

Think of fertile soil.

It’s capable of growing something.

And THAT makes The Empress make so much more sense to me.

She represents the conditions that allow something to flourish.

An idea can grow.

A relationship can grow.

Confidence can grow.

Creativity can grow.

A business can grow.

A skill can grow.

A dream can grow.

But things usually don’t flourish simply because we scream:

GROW FASTER!!!

at them.

They need something.

Attention.

Resources.

Care.

Patience.

Consistency.

Rest.

Space.

Encouragement.

And The Empress asks:

What am I trying to grow—and am I giving it what it actually needs?

Let’s Study The Empress

This is one of those tarot cards where the entire environment matters.

Nothing about The Empress feels barren.

She’s surrounded by growth.

She’s comfortable.

She’s not frantically running around tending every individual stalk of wheat.

She’s simply sitting in the middle of this thriving environment.

And that immediately feels different from some of the other lessons we’ve explored.

Not everything has to be FORCE.

Not everything has to be:

GO! GO! GO!

Sometimes growth comes from creating the right conditions…

and then allowing something time to develop.

Let’s look closer.

The Crown of Stars

The Empress wears a beautiful crown containing twelve stars.

These are commonly connected with the twelve signs of the zodiac and the cycles of nature.

And I LOVE the idea of cycles here.

Because nature doesn’t bloom constantly.

There are seasons for growth.

Harvest.

Rest.

Beginning again.

And yet humans sometimes expect ourselves to operate at 100% productivity…

every single day…

forever.

Maybe that’s not particularly realistic.

Crown of Stars = Natural cycles, connection, and the rhythms of growth.

Sometimes we’re blooming.

Sometimes we’re planting.

Sometimes we’re resting.

All of those can be part of the process.

The Wheat

Look at the bottom of the card.

Wheat grows around The Empress.

And wheat is such an easy symbol to remember.

Wheat = Harvest, nourishment, fertility, and abundance.

But here’s the part I want to remember:

Before there’s a harvest… there’s a seed.

Before the seed grows… there’s care.

Water.

Sunlight.

Time.

And probably a whole period where you’re staring at dirt wondering:

IS ANYTHING HAPPENING?!

We talked about this with the Three of Wands too.

Growth can be happening before we have obvious evidence of it.

The Empress reminds us that meaningful things often require cultivation.

You don’t get the harvest without tending what was planted.

The Lush Forest

Behind The Empress is thick greenery.

Trees.

Nature.

Life.

Growth everywhere.

And compared with some of the harsher landscapes we’ve seen in tarot, this card feels incredibly ALIVE.

The forest reinforces themes of:

Nature • Fertility • Growth • Life • Connection to the physical world

And maybe there’s another little lesson here.

We’re part of nature too.

Sometimes going outside…

feeling the air…

walking…

touching grass…

watching the seasons change…

can pull us out of our heads.

And considering how much time humans spend staring at glowing rectangles now…

maybe The Empress would tell us to go outside occasionally.

The Flowing Water

Behind The Empress, water flows through the landscape.

Water throughout tarot often connects with:

Emotion • Intuition • Flow • Nourishment

And the word flow feels particularly important here.

Because sometimes we try to force things.

We want an answer NOW.

Results NOW.

Growth NOW.

Clarity NOW.

And The Empress feels different.

She isn’t chasing the river.

The water is simply flowing.

Water = Emotion, nourishment, intuition, and allowing things to develop.

Sometimes action is necessary.

Sometimes patience is necessary.

Wisdom is learning which one the moment requires.

The Venus Symbol

Beside The Empress is a heart-shaped shield displaying the symbol of Venus.

THIS is one of the biggest clues to understanding the card.

Venus traditionally connects with:

Love • Beauty • Pleasure • Creativity • Attraction • Sensuality

And I think the word pleasure deserves some attention.

Because we’re SO accustomed to asking:

What do I need to accomplish?

What if we occasionally asked:

What actually feels good?

Not reckless.

Not irresponsible.

Just…

good.

A delicious meal.

A warm bath.

Fresh flowers.

Soft blankets.

Music.

Creating something.

Walking outside.

Laughing.

Making your home feel beautiful.

Wearing something that makes you feel good.

Resting without earning it first.

The Empress reminds us that life isn’t supposed to be one giant productivity checklist.

Venus = Love, beauty, creativity, pleasure, and receiving.

The Heart-Shaped Shield

And can we appreciate that the Venus symbol is sitting on a HEART-SHAPED shield?

A shield usually makes me think:

Protection.

Defense.

Strength.

But this one is literally shaped like a heart.

And I think there’s something beautiful about that.

Maybe softness isn’t the opposite of strength.

Maybe nurturing something is a form of strength.

Maybe protecting your peace is strength.

Maybe caring deeply about something doesn’t make you weak.

Heart-shaped shield = Love and care can also be protective.

I LOVE that.

The Pomegranates

Look closely at The Empress’s flowing robe.

It’s patterned with pomegranates.

Pomegranates have long symbolic associations with:

Fertility • Abundance • Life cycles • Creation

They’re filled with seeds.

And seeds are basically tiny possibilities.

Potential waiting for the right conditions.

Which makes them PERFECT for The Empress.

Pomegranates = Creative potential and the ability to bring something forth.

Again…

that could mean literal motherhood.

But it could also mean:

What idea am I ready to bring to life?

The Scepter

The Empress also holds a scepter.

And I think it’s easy to overlook because there is SO much happening in this card.

But she’s still an EMPRESS.

She’s powerful.

She’s authoritative.

She’s not just sitting around looking pretty in a field.

The scepter reinforces themes of:

Authority • Power • Influence • Sovereignty

And that gives this card an interesting balance.

The Empress is soft…

but she isn’t powerless.

Nurturing…

but not weak.

Comfortable…

but still in command.

Scepter = Gentle power is still power.

YES.

The Empress Upright Meaning

When The Empress appears upright, common modern interpretations include:

Nurturing • Creativity • Abundance • Growth • Nature • Pleasure • Compassion • Creation

This card might invite you to nurture something.

Maybe that’s a project.

A relationship.

Your creativity.

Your home.

Your body.

Your emotional well-being.

A new idea.

Or maybe…

yourself.

The Empress asks us to consider whether we’re creating the conditions that allow something to thrive.

Upright Message:

What you care for has a better chance to flourish.

Not everything needs to be pushed harder.

Some things need to be tended.

The Empress Reversed Meaning

You know our LexTalk rule!

REVERSED DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN BAD.

Reversed Empress themes can include:

Creative blocks • Self-neglect • Overgiving • Dependence • Smothering • Burnout • Disconnection

And this side of The Empress is SO interesting.

Because nurturing can become unhealthy too.

We can care SO much about something that we suffocate it.

We can give so much to everyone else that there’s nothing left for ourselves.

We can become so focused on helping another person grow that we stop growing.

We can pour every ounce of energy into a project until we hate the thing we once loved.

Reversed Message:

Nurturing everything around you while neglecting yourself isn’t sustainable.

You Can’t Bully Something Into Blooming

THIS.

This might be my favorite lesson from today’s card.

Imagine buying a plant.

You give it sunlight.

Water.

Good soil.

And then stand over it yelling:

BLOOM.

NOW.

That’s ridiculous.

But how often do we basically do that to ourselves?

Why aren’t I further along?

Why isn’t this growing faster?

Why haven’t I figured this out?

Why am I tired?

Why am I not more successful?

Why isn’t this working yet?

We become frustrated with ourselves because growth isn’t happening on the timeline we decided it should.

But maybe sometimes the answer isn’t:

Push harder.

Maybe it’s:

What does this need?

More time?

More practice?

More information?

A different environment?

More support?

Rest?

A completely different approach?

Growth isn’t always created by pressure.

Sometimes it’s created by care.

The Empress in Love & Relationships

Okay…

Let’s talk LOVE.

And AGAIN…

The Empress in a love reading does not automatically mean:

BABY INCOMING!!!

Could fertility or pregnancy be relevant in some readings?

Absolutely.

But context matters, and tarot is not a pregnancy test.

There is SO much more to explore here.

The Empress Upright in Love

Common relationship themes include:

Affection • Nurturing • Emotional warmth • Sensuality • Connection • Growth

The Empress can invite us to think about how a relationship FEELS.

Do we feel safe?

Loved?

Appreciated?

Seen?

Supported?

Are we able to give affection AND receive it?

Because receiving is important too.

Some people are VERY good at caring for everyone else…

and incredibly uncomfortable when someone tries to care for them.

Relationship Reflection:

Does this relationship nourish both people—or is one person doing most of the nurturing?

The Empress Reversed in Love

Reversed themes can include:

Overgiving • Dependence • Feeling unappreciated • Smothering • Neglecting your own needs

And here’s a question I really like:

Am I nurturing this relationship—or losing myself while trying to maintain it?

Because love shouldn’t require us to disappear.

We can care deeply about another person…

without abandoning ourselves.

The Empress in Career

Okay…

CREATIVE PEOPLE.

COME HERE.

Writers.

Artists.

Bloggers.

Entrepreneurs.

Designers.

Cooks.

Makers.

Creators.

Anyone who has ever stared at something and thought:

I MADE THAT.

The Empress makes SO much sense.

Because creativity is literally bringing something into existence that wasn’t there before.

The Empress Upright in Career

Common career themes include:

Creativity • Development • Collaboration • Growth • Building something meaningful

Maybe you’re developing a project.

Growing a business.

Creating content.

Learning something.

Building an audience.

Developing a skill.

The Empress asks:

What would help this grow?

Not:

How do I make this explode overnight?

What does it need?

Consistency?

Better strategy?

More creativity?

More time?

More attention?

Maybe even LESS attention because you’ve been obsessing over it?

The Empress encourages cultivation rather than desperation.

And I LOVE that distinction.

The Empress Reversed in Career

Reversed career themes can include:

Creative burnout • Feeling uninspired • Overworking • Neglecting a project • Giving too much

And creative burnout is REAL.

Sometimes the solution to:

I can’t think of anything!

isn’t:

THINK HARDER!!!

Maybe your brain needs something.

Go somewhere.

Read something.

Watch something.

Walk outside.

Rest.

Experience life.

Creativity needs something to draw FROM.

You can’t endlessly create without occasionally refilling the creative well.

The Empress & Money

Financially, The Empress can encourage reflection around:

Resources • Comfort • Abundance • Security • Enjoyment

And I think this card gives us an interesting balance.

We want security.

But we also want to enjoy our lives.

We can save…

and still occasionally enjoy something.

We can build financial stability…

without treating every enjoyable purchase like a moral failure.

Reversed, The Empress might encourage us to examine emotional spending, overindulgence, or neglecting practical needs.

This card doesn’t guarantee money is coming.

Instead, it asks:

Am I using my resources to support the life I’m trying to create?

Receiving Is Part of The Empress Too

THIS is something I don’t want to overlook.

The Empress isn’t only about GIVING.

She’s also about receiving.

Receiving care.

Receiving love.

Receiving compliments.

Receiving support.

Receiving pleasure.

Receiving rest.

Receiving help.

Some of us are really good at saying:

Don’t worry! I’ve got it!

while carrying approximately 46 things and slowly collapsing.

But allowing someone to help us doesn’t automatically make us less capable.

Maybe nurturing ourselves includes allowing ourselves to RECEIVE sometimes.

What Are You Nurturing?

Look at your life right now.

What are you feeding with your attention?

Because attention is powerful.

Are you nurturing:

Your goals?

Your creativity?

Your relationships?

Your confidence?

Your health?

Your curiosity?

Your peace?

Or are you accidentally nurturing:

Fear?

Comparison?

Resentment?

Self-doubt?

Anxiety?

Something that already needed to be released?

Because whatever receives our energy tends to take up more space.

Maybe The Empress isn’t simply asking:

What do you want to grow?

Maybe she’s also asking:

What are you ALREADY feeding?

Oof.

Today’s LexTalk Tarot Journal Prompt

Grab your tarot journal!

Today’s main question is:

What am I trying to grow right now—and am I actually giving it what it needs?

And another one I REALLY love:

Where am I giving everyone else care that I also need to give myself?

A few more:

What part of my life feels abundant right now?

What part feels neglected?

What am I trying to force instead of nurture?

Where do I need more rest?

What am I creating?

What makes me feel genuinely alive and inspired?

Am I comfortable receiving help, love, and support?

What am I feeding with most of my attention?

And finally:

If my life were a garden, what would I want to grow more of?

I LOVE that question.

The Tarot Deck I’m Learning With

The Empress is EXACTLY why I’m loving learning tarot through the actual artwork.

Instead of memorizing:

The Empress = Fertility and abundance.

I can look at the card and remember:

Crown of Stars = Cycles

Wheat = Harvest and abundance

Forest = Growth and nature

Water = Flow and nourishment

Venus = Love, beauty, creativity, and pleasure

Heart-Shaped Shield = Loving protection

Pomegranates = Fertility and creative potential

Scepter = Authority

And suddenly…

The Empress isn’t just a definition.

She’s an entire STORY.

Throughout LexTalk Tarot, I’m using a physical Rider-Waite-Smith style tarot deck because studying the traditional imagery is helping me actually understand the cards instead of simply memorizing keywords.

If you’d like to learn alongside me using the same style of deck, you can [check out the tarot deck I’m using here — paid link].

You absolutely don’t need my exact deck to follow along. I’m simply sharing what I’m personally using throughout this journey.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Learning Tarot With a Journal

I’m also writing down the symbols and my own beginner memory tricks as I go.

And today’s is definitely:

The Empress = Nurture what you want to grow.

Simple.

Memorable.

And WAY easier for my brain than trying to memorize an entire guidebook.

If you’re learning tarot alongside me, any notebook works perfectly.

But if you’d like a dedicated place for tarot meanings, symbolism, personal interpretations, and reflection prompts, you can [check out the tarot journal I recommend here — paid link].

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

How I’m Remembering The Empress

Beginner tarot friends…

Do NOT memorize this entire blog.

Here’s today’s cheat sheet:

THE EMPRESS — III

Core Meaning: Nurturing, creation, and growth

Upright: Abundance, creativity, nurturing, nature, pleasure, compassion, growth

Reversed: Self-neglect, overgiving, creative blocks, burnout, dependence, smothering

Crown of Stars: Natural cycles

Wheat: Harvest and abundance

Forest: Growth and nature

Water: Flow and nourishment

Venus Symbol: Love, beauty, creativity, and pleasure

Pomegranates: Fertility and creative potential

Scepter: Authority and gentle power

And our memory trick:

The Empress = Nurture what you want to grow.

Done.

One card.

One story.

22 Cards Into LexTalk Tarot!

We have officially explored:

22 OF 78 TAROT CARDS!

The Empress is officially Card #22.

And this is exactly why I’m loving the one-card-at-a-time approach.

I’m not trying to memorize 78 cards.

I’m learning 78 stories.

And today’s story is about creating the environment where something has a chance to flourish.

One Last LexTalk Thought

I think The Empress has one of the most beautiful lessons we’ve encountered so far.

Because we live in a world that constantly tells us:

Do more.

Work harder.

Grow faster.

Be more productive.

Make more money.

Get more followers.

Reach the next milestone.

Improve.

Optimize.

Hustle.

GO GO GO.

And then The Empress is sitting comfortably in her garden like:

…Have you tried watering yourself?

Maybe not everything in life improves when we push harder.

Maybe some things grow because we care for them.

Maybe some things grow because we give them time.

Maybe some things grow because we stop obsessively checking whether they’re growing.

Maybe WE grow when we stop treating ourselves like machines.

Because think about a garden.

You don’t scream at the flowers.

You don’t insult the seedlings because they’re too small.

You don’t tell the wheat:

Everyone else’s wheat is taller than you. Do better.

You create the conditions.

You give it what you can.

You pay attention.

You adjust.

You nurture.

And then… you allow nature to do what nature does.

Maybe we deserve a little of that same compassion.

We can want more for ourselves… without hating where we are.

We can have goals… without treating every unfinished goal like a personal failure.

We can care for other people… without forgetting ourselves.

We can build beautiful things… without destroying ourselves in the process.

And maybe abundance isn’t simply having MORE.

Maybe abundance is being able to look around and actually appreciate what is already alive in our lives.

The people.

The ideas.

The creativity.

The little comforts.

The dreams.

The opportunities.

The things we’re building.

The things we’re becoming.

The tiny seeds that haven’t bloomed yet… but are still worth watering.

So today I’m asking myself:

What am I growing?

What does it need?

And am I remembering that I’m something worth nurturing too?

Because maybe that’s The Empress’s real lesson.

You can’t bully something into blooming.

And apparently…

that includes yourself.

The Empress = Nurture what you want to grow.

One card. One lesson. One little bit of magic at a time.

— Lex

Tarot interpretations are subjective and are shared here for personal reflection, education, and entertainment. Tarot should not replace professional medical, legal, mental health, or financial advice.