The Empress Archetype: Unlocking Abundance and Self-Worth

The Empress is a Major Arcana in tarot that represents the spiritual journey. It holds a powerful and impactful symbol within the art of tarot.

Major Arcana represents big overarching themes of life with the minor arcana reflecting daily practical matters.

The Empress archetype is about about a journey to genuine and grounded self worth and self love. Its about cultivating the inner world of love, passion, groundedness, nurturing and connection to create an outer world full of abundance. The Empress sits on her throne in her garden and receives all that is for her.

The Empress has been an influential theme recently for me. I thought I loved myself. I was comfortable in my semblance of confidence, creating myself into a woman I was proud of. But the divine was ready to challenge the fragile self esteem my ego constructed, showing me that my self worth was trash. It was a shock to me, but when finally confronted I don't know how I couldn't see it before.

My brand of sneaky low self worth came in denying myself the best of the best. I kept the things I really desired, things that felt like a dream come true, at arms length. It was slow for me to realize because I have a great life surrounded by family, friends and love. I don't make bad decisions, I choose what is best for me consistently and always kept a good job.

However I would abandon projects I cared about when they got too hard or confusing, put people and jobs on pedestals, shy away from letting myself be seen and heard, and settle for what was safe. These patterns might seem like they’re not so bad and what I created was a life billions would feel lucky to have, but I was keeping myself small and safe, not allowing myself to receive the abundance, opportunities and miracles possible.

Not that my life wasn't good enough, it was wonderful, but hiding from what more it could be because I felt I didn't deserve more was not ok. Afterall, our desires, visions and dreams come from that truthful part of us where pure God Source energy resides. Where God wants to explore and expand, not stay comfortable and small.

So, the higher part of me sent me a rejection I couldn't stomach which propelled me into really facing the things I had been pushing away. And with synchronicities, Tik Tok and ChatGPT, I discovered the Empress archetype.

So, how does the Empress move through life? This feminine energy understands her worth is absolute and unmovable. The balance between knowing that as God, she is everything and has everything, while also embodying the open and patient energy of receiving, not forcing or controlling. She is power and softness.

This matriarch is not passive in any way. She nurtures her garden from a place of abundance and gratitude, not hoping but knowing her work will bear exactly what she needs. But she doesn't micromanage this process. When she is not watering her seeds she indulges in self care, acting from her heart chakra to connect with her world and everyone in it.

Most importantly, the Empress understands she is the abundance she seeks. The luscious and nutritious garden pours from her very being. So what could ever elude her?

I use this sacred wisdom as a guide map in processing my journey and directing my energy.

WWTED? - What Would The Empress Do is how I bring myself to a place of balance, trust and clarity. Reminding myself I always have what is for me and that the process of work I put forth everyday is the magical path of discovering and experiencing the wondrous being that I am.

Rejecting any effort to force or seek what is not mine because what is mine will always flow to me without effort.

Attachment was another negative habit I needed to process. It derived from fear, from not believing I deserved something or was capable of having it so I didn’t trust myself or life. I held onto outcomes and whatever made me feel good for dear life.

The Empress surrenders to the flow of life trusting it to nurture her as she nurtures herself. I no longer needed to attach to things externally nor internally because I began to trust the cycles as well.

Instead of looking behind me or too far ahead trying to grasp on to what I wanted, I turned my attention to the moment. Receiving whatever wonderful thing is here with me now, knowing it is a vital and creative piece of my whole. In abundance there’s no need to attach to states of being, feelings, materials or people because there is so much of ourselves to experience, if we’re stuck on one thing, we're stifling flow and blocking what can be here now.

The wonderful thing about this path is remaining in the openness to feel doubt, anxiety, failure, sadness, etc.

But its felt with the understanding that these emotions are just a part of me, they don't define me. Being able to feel intense and unpleasant emotions speak to my strength. Then doubt becomes cradling the part of me that is insecure instead of an indication that I’m not good enough.

Anxiety becomes an opportunity to deconstruct beliefs that don't align with me instead of confirmation that I’m out of control.

Failure becomes learning as I make all the right moves instead of a belief that I went the wrong direction.

And sadness becomes my capacity to love instead of loss.