The Empress

At left is The Empress from The Illuminated Tarot. It's my favorite version of The Empress, I think because of the stars! The Empress is often shown as a pregnant woman, although one can't be sure of that in the Illuminated version.

She is meant to represent not so much fertility but the ability to provide, nurture, and manage.

I associate her with the suit of Cups because of her loving, mothering nature. Not to mention that as a fertile female she represents the divine vessel--and if the cup isn't a vessel, what is it? I also associate her with Mother Nature.

Like The Emperor and the Priest, she can represent authority, institutions, the medical field, or education. But I always see her more positively than the Emperor or the Priest.

I see her as a good omen of prosperity, health, or fertility. A keyword that comes to mind when I see her is "comfort." Doesn't she look comfortable on her cushions under the night sky?

In the negative, she may represent issues with a mother figure or with an employer--not necessarily female. She could represent emotional disturbance or physical loss (disability, health). She can represent someone(s) who are overbearing, perhaps over-mothering. She can represent losing touch with nature or a need to take better care of the kids/home/spouse/self.

The Emperor

At right: The Emperor from the Hanson Roberts Tarot Deck.

I have never liked The Emperor. He and the Hierophant have always annoyed me and I see them both in the same light. But, then, I've always been one of those uncomfortable with authority and with the church. Not that I'm equating those two... entirely.

For me, The Emperor represents The Powers That Be. At worst he represents someone/thing that is smug, self-important, and possibly invested with too much power. It's difficult for me to remember that not every official is bad and that I shouldn't be so prejudiced. I try not to assume, when I see The Emperor, that there is some negative force at work.

The Emperor can represent individuals or institutions. He might represent marriage (yup, that's an institution), a large company, a government office, the church, a belief system, a school or educational system, the medical field in some capacity, or the law (specific law, police officer, judge, lawyer).

I rarely get much from the symbols held by or surrounding The Emperor. He reminds me a bit of the Two of Wands who I sometimes also see as somewhat smug and invested with too much power/things/money (than he knows what good to do with).

For the most part, when The Emperor comes up in a reading I feel as if there is a message to the Querent about seeking some kind of help (medically, legally, etc.) or finding some resolution with a problem pertaining to the marriage, legal authority, education, or with a medical issue. What The Emperor is representing is usally apparent within the context of the reading.

The Emperor may also come up to represent responsibility. Or the need to take some! I often see this card when someone is asking a question like, "I don't know what I'm going to do, I feel lost/helpless/confused." If this card comes up I remind them that they may need to ask for help from either the state, their health care professional, a mental health care professional, or from a friend or family member who may be in a position to help them.

I also sometimes see The Emperor as an admonishment to be more disciplined and logical and to take charge of a situation.

In the negative, The Emperor may be pressure from a figure(s) of authority such as judgmental parents or a domineering spouse. Any demanding, unforgiving, critical influence might be represented through The Emperor. Even a person's own relentless compulsions may be shown through this card.

The Hierophant

At left is The Hierophant from The Gilded Tarot. This is probably my least favorite card in the tarot. But this comes from my inner prejudice against organized religion and I do try to set this aside when I'm reading since organized religion (and all other religion) is only one of the many things this card can represent.

More so than The Emperor, I think this card can represent education, or the opportunity to educate or learn. It may represent belief, faith, or the perception of things. I also see it as sometimes representing conformity and/or peer pressure.

Like the Emperor, I see this card as symbolizing medicine, law, mental health, institutions, or marriage. It could also be a symbol of truth or meaning.

I may see this card as a message to someone that they are the final authority on what is okay and what is not okay to believe in their lives. Sometimes we need permission to believe what we want/need to believe or maybe we need permission to explore other belief systems. The Priest may come up to give us that permission.

At his worst, The Hierophant may be symbolizing unhealthy rigidity in some aspect of the querent's life. Intolerance, prejudice, bigotry, self-righteousness, pretentiousness, or hypocracy may all be represented by this card. Unhealthy, irrational, exclusive belief systems can be pointed out by the appearance of The Hierophant. And as he can represent conformity, he may also symbolize someone's feelings of inadequacy or disenfranchisement.