Today’s card is from an older deck that I truly love. It’s being re-released this year which makes me happy. This card reminds me that it is okay to pamper myself. It is okay to choose to live in beauty. I am to remind myself that I live in abundance.
Here the lovely Empress from the Chinese Tarot by Jui Guoliang (U.S. Games 1988) strikes a classic pose to indicate the fragility and strength of a woman. She holds a lotus blossom for enlightenment while her head is decorated in an Imperial style. I believe that the headpiece is a dragon for luck.
The curtain is drawn back slightly to show the wall behind. I see this as an allegory for the softness of a woman’s outer self but the sheer mass of her internal “no, I am not a pushover.”
I’ve long been fascinated with ancient Chinese history. Well any of the Asian cultures but China most of all. I devoured the Pearl S. Buck books. Weirdly, they felt familiar to me when I read them. Past life? I don’t know. Perhaps.
What I do know is that the bird on the curtain is the Chinese Golden Pheasant which is representative of the phoenix.
Take this woman down if you will.
Destroy her.
Strip her of everything she has.
She.
Will.
Rise.
Again.
It’s that simple. Nothing can keep you down. You are strong even if you feel fragile. Nurture yourself. Pamper yourself. Surround yourself with beauty. Invite only loving, supportive friends to your world. (Remember that sometimes love and support comes in the form of a gentle boot to the butt.)
Just for today, make three minutes about pampering you. Can you commit to 180 seconds of nurturing you? What will that look like?
You may know that I am in a contest. I don’t know where I stand. I was in 4th place last time I looked. I want to win this.
So, I am offering you a free reading if you buy by 12pm Pacific Standard tonight. Here are the details.
Empress, Chinese Tarot, US Games
Seek Joy, Y’all! Pass it on.
I love that, and the reading of this card seems like it is for me, as it should LOL – right time right place – awesome post Arwen
Blessings
Cher
UBC
Cher, thanks for stopping by. I really love your blog. I’m glad this spoke to you today.
What a lovely reading. I wouldn’t have ever gotten all of that out of the card. You have a real gift. Thank you for sharing. It’s a beautiful card and an important message.
Liz, what a kind thing to say. I love working with the Tarot. Thank you so much for stopping by!
I’m truly enjoying your daily cards. This image is lovely, and as you say, the soft exterior of the velvet glove belies the iron hand within.
Thank you so much, Charlotte. This is a gorgeous deck. I’m so happy they are bringing it back.
Nothing can keep her down! Love that. You have a gift for sharing these cards 🙂
I think I’m the only person on the planet who knows nothing about the Tarot…did I even phrase that right? But I did enjoy reading this post, readying your interpretation of this card. She. Will. Rise. Again. YES!!!
Susan, thanks for stopping by. Tarot is, for me, an amazing introspective tool. I suspect what it does for me is what your gorgeous art does for you. 😀 And it has PONIES. 😀
Michele, I appreciate your kind words. I love this work.
I think I will nurture the person in me who needs rest. I like your posts. While I don’t use tarot cards, you are like an art critic who helps interpret the artist’s intention.
Sheila, you couldn’t have said a nicer thing to me. Thank you! 😀
Well, though I’m a few days late, today is when I read this, and today I have an osteopathic appointment 🙂 I also took the time to workout, which for me definitely counts as pampering – sending blood all round my body, focusing on my breath, stretching all the tight spots! 😀
Sounds like you were doing a great thing for you.
Arwen, In this moment, I am nurturing myself by sitting in my favorite chair with my feet up, with a wooly blanket warming my legs, reading an interesting blog post! Thank you for pointing out the details on this card, and for the option to click on it to see a larger image. I am taken with the “bird in the round” on the curtain, an image I found and “lost” and here, today, found again. Thank you!
Janet, glad you enjoyed this card today.