Know Your Own Welfare

From the Anima Mundi Tarot, the Empress; from the Nature's Pharmacy Deck, Myrrh:

Don’t give up your own welfare

For the sake of others’ welfare, however great.

Clearly know your own welfare

And be intent on the highest good. 

—Dhammapada, chapter 12

The peony is a beauty that can stop people in their tracks; the Chinese call it the "flower of riches and honor." Ants are attracted to the nectar on the outside of its buds, though they do not cause harm. In fact, it's likely the ants deter other harmful insects. This Empress has figured out how to give abundantly while also caring for herself. Myrrh is a gum-resin extracted by making cuts in the thorny tree Commiphora myrrha. The resin has been used as an analgesic for toothache pain, bruises, aching muscles, and sprains. There is evidence to suggest certain compounds in myrrh interact with central opioid pathways in the brain. Extreme sacrifices can be like a drug, making us feel we are making a difference when we are really only harming ourselves. Know your own welfare.

Seeing With the Heart

From the Middle Way Arcana, the Empress; from the Vertical Oracle, Vertical:

Unless we view things with our hearts, we can see nothing. But if we look at the world with a love of life, it will reveal its beauty to us.

~Daisaku Ikeda

The Empress could easily be known as the Bodhisattva of Grace: all that she creates and nourishes is fueled by her unconditional love and compassion. Rather than judging worthiness, she gives her abundance freely to all beings. Her only interest is the well-being of others. Vertical reminds us that there is a power greater than ourselves, whether it's called Nature, the Cosmos, Reality or some other name. It is humbling but also freeing to know we're not in charge of how the world spins. Our focus only needs to be on engaging kindly and respectfully with our horizontal relationships, whether human, animal or the earth itself. The Empress could teach us a lot about embracing it all.

Muscle Memory

From the Osho Zen Tarot, the Empress; from the A'HA Oracle, Reliability:

If people long to create a better world, then we must nurture imagination - hopeful ideas, fresh alternatives, belief that the way things are isn't the way things need to be. 

―Katharine Viner

Creativity is a quality that we can bring to whatever task we're doing; it requires a mind propped open and curiosity. These are the nurturing characteristics that help us grow, adapt and heal in a world that is constantly in flux. Yet as the card Reliability reminds us, these tools are to remain in our tool belt, not put up on a dusty shelf until we get bored or desperate. Like anything we do often, they'll soon become like muscle memory when we need them most.

Acting From Love

From the Victorian Fairy Tarot, the Empress; from the Handl Rune Oracle, Kenaz:

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. ―Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Empress stands with her children for a family portrait, yet in truth she feels all beings are an extended family. She rules with a strong but tender heart, seeking to improve the well-being of all. The Empress understands that the kingdom will run smoother when no one is left behind. Kenaz is often translated as 'torch,' suggesting a light that brings clarity. Today, my family and I are participating in our local "Hands Off" political protest. Sometimes you have to raise a torch to shine a light on atrocities, especially when so many beings are negatively affected while a handful benefit.

Benevolence

From the Wayfarer Tarot, the Empress; from the Curious Oracle, Gargoyle:

Love conquers all difficulties, surmounts all obstacles, and effects what to any other power would be impossible. —William Godwin

The Emperor uses force to bring people under his control and laws to keep them in order. The Empress uses love to bring people to her, and unconditional benevolence keeps them in her favor. In her world, there is no "mine and yours," just "ours." Yet the Gargoyle - symbolizing a guardian - warns that people can overuse and take advantage of her resources. Often, those with the most want more, while others are barely holding on. The Empress might be a creative nurturer, but she cannot tolerate such imbalances. She'd agree with Bruce Springsteen: "Nobody wins unless everybody wins."

Gifts

This week I'll be using the Anna K. Tarot, created and self-published by Anna Klaffinger (though now published by Llewellyn). Along with it, I'll be drawing from the Meditation Cards, a deck created and self-published by Asha Greer. All the keywords and quotes for these cards have been added by me. Today's draws are the Empress and River of Humanity:

Look after the land and the land will look after you, destroy the land and it will destroy you.

—Aboriginal Proverb

Judging by the dangerous smile of this Empress, it's likely someone tried to hurt the ringtail hiding beneath her dress. She is the archetypal Mother Earth, supplying beauty and resources in abundance, yet she demands these things not be used indiscriminately or without respect. Like the typical mom, she loves to give but won't hesitate to dole out some discipline when it's needed. The quote for River of Humanity is written by Satish Kumar:

When we write a poem, we make a gift. When we paint a picture or build a beautiful home, we make a gift. When we grow flowers and cook food, we make a gift. When all these activities are performed as sacred acts, they nourish society.

Whatever we offer with an attitude of love is a worthy gift. And how we treat the gifts we're given shows our nature as being entitled or selfless and appreciative. 

Abundance and Fallow Fields

From the Gaian Tarot, the Gardener (Empress); from the Goddess Oracle, Kali:

Even beneath the lively bloomed flowers of spring, always lie the dead fallen leaves of autumn.

― Lakshya Chouhan

The Empress represents Nature's abundance - is there anything more sensual and creative than Nature herself? She tells us that we all are fertile with seeds of vision and innovation just waiting to be planted and promises to help us cultivate them, empowering us with nurturing and love. Unlike her husband, the Empress has no boundaries - her motto might be "More!" Yet Kali, the fierce form of the Hindu Mother Goddess, reminds us of impermanence and death. Both terrifying and tender, she teaches us to be free from fear, accepting that there is a time to plant and a time to plow under. Fallow fields encourage the development of fertile, rich soil, and allow us to sow and grow new seeds. 

Respect Runs Both Ways

From the Margarete Petersen Tarot, the Empress; from the Elemental Dice, Earthquake (Darkness + Earth):

Devotion and creativity 

Are born in the center of the heart.

―Margarete Petersen

The Empress, with her split pomegranate and exposed flower's throat, personifies receptivity, deep emotion, and creativity. She brings warmth and beauty, love and acceptance, sensuality and connection to whatever she touches. Nature is her reflection. Unlike the Emperor, she has no filter on her devotion; she willingly breaks open her heart without considering any consequences. Earthquake suggests that energy has been building and will shake our foundations. It asks if we have been complacently disregarding our part in a situation in which we need wake up and be mindfully aware. Boundaries don't just help keep us sane and healthy, they help others become accountable and develop responsibility too. 

If you spend your life sparing people’s feelings and feeding their vanity, you get so you can’t distinguish what should be respected in them.

―F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

The Power of Different

From the Dark Goddess Tarot, the Empress (Dark Madonna); from the Tattwa Cards, Earth/Seed of Water:

My grandsons' elementary school had very few white children, so it wasn't unusual to see brown Santa decorations around Christmas. Humans tend to like their heroes to look like them. But it was unusual for the Black Madonna to show up in the predominantly white-skinned Europe. It appears we prefer our miracle workers to be different and unique. This Mother of Miracles encourages us to wish for the best outcome for all concerned, keeping our heart open and not limiting any situation by our definition of 'best'. Earth/Seed of Water suggests boldness in putting a new venture in motion, yet accepting the help of our allies when doing so. However, those partners may be different than we imagine. In the words of Bonnie Hammer: "This is the person you think is your antagonist, who ends up being your greatest ally: the person who pushes, criticizes, and challenges you to meet a standard of excellence you might not otherwise achieve."

Having Enough

From the Cosmic Tarot, the Empress; from the L'Oeil de Lotus, Effort:

“Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”

― Hans Christian Anderson

The Empress is the Earth Mother, the one who provides for all creation. There could and should be enough for all, but humans in their greed and fear have created deficits for others. We have forgotten that we are interdependent, existing only in balance with the whole. Effort suggests we exert ourselves, not to have it all, but to make sure we leave plenty for the rest of earth's inhabitants. 

The secret of having it all is loving it all.

― Joyce Brothers

Creative Force

From the Enchanted Forest Tarot, the Green Mother (Empress); from the Mystic Mushrooms, Dotted Stem Bolete:

The Green Mother/Empress is a creative force; her focus is on developing, growing and nurturing (unlike her husband who focuses on limiting, protecting and guiding). She knows that what we attend to is what we will come to love and nourish. To borrow the words of Dr. Daniel Siegel, "Where attention goes, neural firing flows, and neural connection grows." The Green Mother asks us to consider where all of our energy is flowing and what we are nurturing. The chunky bolete mushrooms seem made by a child out of clay (the Greek bolos, in fact, means 'lump of clay'). Rather than having gills, they have tubes with pores beneath their caps that release their spores. The Dotted Stem Bolete has yellow pores when young that become red as it matures. The fleshy solidity of this mushroom reminds me that whatever I aspire to create needs something more than fleeting attention and half-hearted action. It needs the commitment of a good mother.

What Women Want

From the Ship of Fools Tarot, the Empress; from the Wisdom of the Four Winds, Albatross:

The chains in this illustration of the Empress make me want to spit nails. I'm sure she is told things like, "it's for your own protection." So she's destined to be sequestered away, as if she didn't have a brain, popping out heirs for the king like some queen bee. This card brings to mind a story from the legends of King Arthur. While the king was hunting one day in the woods, he was accosted by a knight. The knight told him he would spare his life if he could answer within a year the question of what women most want. Arthur's luck almost ran out until a woman (of course) gave him the answer: "What women want most is the same as men want, sovereignty over their own lives." Women want the freedom to choose how to live their lives, what to do with bodies and minds, and how to nourish their spirits. Please, men, do not even attempt to consider you know what's best for us. Albatross is a seabird with a large wingspan, making it capable of riding the ocean winds and gliding for hours without rest. Mariners said they were the souls of lost sailors; killing them would bring bad luck (thus the saying "an albatross around your neck"). Albatross tells us to return to our navigator within, to seek our own fulfillment instead of letting someone else decree it.

Willful Ignorance

From the Delta Enduring Tarot, the Empress; from the Southernisms Oracle, "Go off half-cocked:"

Egan's Empress is a crawmaid - part human, part crawfish. Crawfish are found in freshwater streams, rivers and ponds. Being very susceptible to water pollution, scientists monitor them in the wild as a warning system for pollutants in natural bodies of water. Emotion/water is the world in which the Empress lives, and she prefers that world to be pure - filled with beauty, kindness and the generosity of creating and giving. Unfortunately, humans are generally consumed with their own wants; dealing with such folks can make us want to "go off half-cocked." Half-cocked was a position on flintlock guns that was a sort of safety mechanism. But if they were dropped or bumped, it was easy for them to accidentally fire. This phrase means not to act prematurely, without the necessary knowledge that would be required in the circumstances. The Empress might give the self-centered a chance to redeem themselves, however, if their behavior is based on a lack of information and not simply willful ignorance.

There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. ― Soren Kierkegaard

Many Forms of Abundance

From the Dark Mansion Tarot, the Empress; from Miss Mai's Victorian Oracle, Laudanum:

The Empress rules the created world, not with physical force but with love. She nurtures with beauty, kindness and patience, and the world responds with growth and development. Yet she offers us a warning: whatever seeds are planted, intentionally or not, they will bear fruit. Abundance can come in many forms, some wonderful and some horrible. Laudanum was widely used during the Victorian era; this drug was about 10% powdered opium and employed for nearly anything - even teething babies. To quote David Courtwright (author of Dark Paradise), "Though it could cure little, it could relieve anything." The Empress cautions that a love that seeks to eliminate pain is commendable, but the tools we choose and how they are used matters a lot. What is meant to soothe can easily become a nightmare.

Because there is no love you can throw on them, no hug big enough that will change the power of that drug; it is just beyond imagination how controlling and destructive it is.

― Beth Macy, Dopesick

Savoring not Consuming

From the Hidden Realm Tarot, the Empress; from the Heart of Faerie, the Shadow of the Past:

What a tender look this Empress gives to all creation, whether the apples she cradles in her lap or the butterfly that lights on her sleeve. I think Americans have become excellent consumers, but rarely do we savor and take time to appreciate what we have. We don't worry about using up, only about satisfying our next desire. What if we began to savor our moments as a wine connoisseur does each sip of wine? Could we not build a gratitude practice in this way? The Shadow of the Past refers to relationships that haunt us like a bad case of acid reflux. If the past is foremost in our mind, there is no way we can attend fully to what surrounds us now. In a sense, we are consuming rotten food while the fresh goes unnoticed. Instead, we could train the mind to stay in the present by catching ourselves when we ruminate and tenderly turning our focus to what is beautiful or good right where we are, no matter how small or simple. The Empress would remind us that since we create our mental pathways, and we can always change them too.

 

Chaotic Creation

From the Tarot of the Abyss, the Empress; from the Lantern Oracle, Gatekeeper:

Rather than the demure, serene Empress often seen in decks, Tourian's gal is windswept with swirling energy. Most forms of creation are chaotic and messy rather than ordered and sedate. Just look at all the crumpled first drafts of writers or the trashed test runs of inventors. What seems turbulent and uncontrolled is actually a process of insight and self-discovery that will become an expressive formation. Yet there will always be critics or hecklers who want to dismiss or deride what we've created. The Gatekeeper is a symbol of assertively protecting what is important to us. She doesn't need to ride out into battle (or post snarky memes on Facebook), she just needs to nurture and safeguard what is necessary and essential for a fulfilled life.

The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.

~Pablo Picasso

I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - 

things I had no words for. ~Georgia O'Keeffe

Fear-Inducing Responsibilities

From the Daniloff Tarot, the Empress; from the Kuan Yin Oracle, Verse 59:

          Alexander's Empress is more queen of her kingdom than a Mother Nature archetype. While her husband might be more concerned with law and order within and military might on the borders, she focuses on protecting others in more nurturing ways. She wants the realm's children to be educated, her people to have enough to eat and drink, and for everyone to have sufficient shelter from the elements. She has to be strong enough to take on the king when his desires try to roll over the needs of others. The Kuan Yin verse speaks of how fear can take over our common sense: "it makes about as much sense as holding your breath when you are trapped in a thorny jungle." The adrenaline surge of fear can make us want to hide, run or cover our eyes and ears. But fear is simply a messenger, suggesting we search out available resources and put them to use while adapting to the situation at hand. 

Do not fear things that arise in the mind; question them, know them. The truth is more than thought and feelings, so do not believe and get caught by them. 

—Achaan Chah

Knots on a Rope

From the Urban Tarot, the Empress; from the Principles to Live By tiles, Compassion:

Leave people better than you found them.

― Marvin J. Ashton

          The Empress asks, "What are you nurturing and creating?" I've nurtured rage and revenge, and I've nurtured love and forgiveness. I've created friendships and alliances based on common bonds and cooperation and torn them asunder because of differences and competition. At age sixty, I see the wisdom in Ashton's words; the way I care for others has a residual effect on me. We're all knots tied on the same rope, connected whether we like it or not. Compassion is explained clearly by Karen Armstrong: "Compassion doesn't mean feeling sorry for people. It doesn't mean pity. It means putting yourself in the position of the other, learning about the other." Compassion suggests listening rather than telling and being an encourager rather than a fixer. It helps me see that suffering is universal, so why not be a part of the solution instead of the problem?

Try a Little Tenderness

From the DaVinci Enigma Tarot, the Empress; from the Insectorum Divinorum, the Housefly:

Dimmi: How do you take up your unique place as a living being?

Where can you guide others with love and kindness in this matter?

          This study of St. Anne (Mary's mother) shows a look of tenderness wished for by Leonardo, who had been an illegitimate child abandoned by his mother. The question posed by this card asks how we nurture and support others. Some of us connect through empathy, some by offering reason and guidance, some through physical or material support, and others through helping people find their passions and following them. The Fly card suggests a duality, as this insect can be both an important pollinator and a pathogen carrier. How do we relate to humankind - with tenderness or sanctimoniousness? 

Care is a state in which something does matter; it is the source of human tenderness.

~Rollo May

New Year, New Intentions

From the Primordial Tarot, the Mother (Empress); from the Wisdom of the Forest, Grow:

The Mother/Empress and Grow cards are an auspicious pair to draw for the first day of 2021. The Mother encourages us to create, nurture and love while Grow suggests that we not become complacent but continue to expand our heart and mind. In the words of Rumi, "Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself."

In this new year,

may my daily intentions be 

the pursuit of wisdom, kindness and compassion.

May I choose to act with tolerance and patience,

realizing all have been shaped by life, sometimes harshly.

May I seek to be of service

rather than spend life chasing one pleasure after another.

May I seek to learn from others

and appreciate all the beautiful diversity in this world.

May I see my part in any harm or heartache;

rather than focusing the blame on others,

may I be willing to ask for forgiveness

making restitution wherever possible.

And above all,

may I never forget to tell those I know or meet,

you are loved,

you are loved,

you are loved.

Happy New Year