The Empress

Professor of Herbal Magic

The Empress teaches herbal magic from her sunlit arboretum, where the spirit of nature is fully engaged in the magic of creation.

Key Symbols

• The Empress is an archetypal mother who nurtures and protects all of her creations. Perpetually pregnant, she is the embodiment of fertility and creativity.

• Her arboretum is constructed of soaring, arched glass walls, filled with raised flowerbeds, potted herbs, potting benches, and gardening tools.

• The Empress’s pregnancy is a visible a reminder that some creative projects take months to develop. They take shape gradually — and even after they’re born, they need to be nurtured and pampered until they can stand on their own.

• The Empress wears green, the color of nature and growth, while her gold jewelry is a sign of wealth and abundance.

• She’s seated on a cushioned throne. The Empress, like her ruling planet Venus, likes to bask in comfort and luxury.

• Her posture and position might remind you of the poem, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.”

• She’s crowned with twelve stars — one for every month of the year, and every sign of the zodiac.

• The Empress holds a pestle in her right hand and a mortar in her left. Together, the two tools symbolize the union of male and female.

• Her mortar is inscribed with the astrological glyph of Venus, the planet of love and attraction, named for the Greek goddess.

• Her mortar is also reminiscent of a mythic womb — especially the cauldron of life and immortality used by the Celtic goddess Cerridwen.

• When the Empress grinds herbs with her mortar and pestle to release their power, she also releases a rainbow of leaves, flower petals, and sparkling scents into the air.

• The three fairies that hover nearby are sprites — nature spirits that help the Empress with her work. They’re elemental creatures of air that blend the currents of past, present, and future.

• The five butterflies are symbols of transformation. They also represent the four elements, united by spirit.

• The stained glass window features the Hebrew letter Daleth, which means door or gateway. The Empress, like all mothers, represents a physical gateway to new life.

• Another stained glass window depicts a globe. The Empress, after all, is the personification of Mother Earth.

• The fountain of life outside the window is a symbol of the male potency that compliments the Empress’s fertility.

• The mortar is decorated with symbols of Venus, the planet of love and attraction and the goddess of love and romance.

• The Empress is surrounded by flowering plants and herbs, including (clockwise from the right) white angelica, Echinacea, chamomile, wheat, blessed thistle, and lavender. Viewed clockwise, the plants in the card include:

  • Angelica. It’s the feathery white flowering plant immediately to the Empress’s left, and it’s a celery-like herb.

  • Echinacea, notable for its pink flowers with red centers, is commonly used to boost the immune system and ward off colds.

  • Chamomile, which features white flowers with yellow centers, is a popular ingredient in relaxing herbal teas.

  • The wheat growing in the corner suggests the Empress’s connection to Persephone, the ancient Roman goddess of harvest. Persephone was also a mother goddess, who made the earth barren when her daughter was missing.

  • Mint, the low-growing patch of green behind the wheat, is a fragrant herb that accompanies a wide range of foods. It also has a variety of medicinal uses.

  • Valerian, the patch of white behind the wheat, is a sedative.

  • Blessed thistle, the plant with spiky pink flowers, is a bitter tonic and digestive aid.

  • Lavender, with recognizable purple flowers behind the Empress’s throne, is a calming, aromatic herb raised mainly for its scent.

Practical Magic

• While you’re on campus, you can visit the Empress’s arboretum any time you want to imbue yourself with creative energy. To bring some of that magic into your own home, start a kitchen garden of herbs with magical properties. Choose basil for love, cilantro and coriander for courage, dill for protection, marjoram and mint for money, oregano for tranquility, parsley for purification, rosemary for remembrance, sage for wisdom, and thyme for psychic ability.

• You can concoct a simple crystal elixir to help your garden grow. You can even add a drop or two to your own drinking water, for a cosmic boost of creativity.

• Start with a piece of clear quartz crystal. Scrub the crystal clean with dish soap and hot water, and rinse well.

• Put the crystal in the bottom of a clean glass jar.

• Fill the jar with purified water, spring water, or distilled water, and cover the top of the jar with a clean lid, plastic wrap, or a clean piece of cloth.

• If you want to bless your elixir with a specific wish, such as harmony, balance, or health, write the word on the jar, or add a label of your own creation.

• For best results, make your elixir when the moon is full. A full moon in an earth sign — Taurus, Virgo, or Capricorn — will help plants put down roots. A full moon in a water sign — Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces — will help them grow. A full moon in an air sign — Gemini, Libra, or Aquarius — will help them flower. And a full moon in a fire sign — Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius — is conducive to a bountiful harvest.

• Put the jar outside or on windowsill where it can absorb the full moon’s light overnight.

• A little elixir will go a long way. You don’t need to use it straight. Add a drop or two to the water you give your plants, or to your plants’ mister.

• Don’t keep the elixir indefinitely. Instead, use it regularly, and make a new batch with every full moon.

The Empress's Garden Spread

1. The Seed card represents the promise and possibility of a new creation.

2. The Sun card illustrates the energy you’ll need to expend to help the seed germinate, take root, and flourish.

3. The Flower card depicts your reward for planting and nurturing the seed.

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