Readings
Two Cards
If you are trying to make a very important decision in your life and you don’t know which path to follow, if you are really doubtful about the consequences the crossroads tarot spread will help you to find your way.
The Emperor
Upright
Authority, establishment, structure, a father figure
The Emperor is the father figure of the Tarot deck, suggests that you are adopting this protective role (regardless of whether you are male or female), affording for your family, and protecting your loved ones.
Similarly, the Emperor represents a strong and charismatic leader. Status and power are necessary to you, and you are most comfortable in a leadership role where you can direct others. You have a clear vision of what you want to manifest, and you arrange those around you to manifest your goal. You listen to the advice of others, but you prefer to make the final decision.
The Emperor reflects a system defined by rules and regulations. You create law and order by applying policies or guidelines to a specific situation. Be strategic and highly organized in your approach by sticking to your plan until the end.
The Emperor card also implies world knowledge and expertise. You have gained valuable wisdom and living experience, and now you enjoy offering guidance to someone who might benefit from it. You may be a teacher, coach, boss, or just a good friend who likes to take the knowledge and pass it on so that others can be as wise and powerful as you.
Reversed
Domination, excessive control, lack of discipline, inflexibility
The reversed Emperor requests you to assess your relationships with responsibility and discipline. Are you expressing too much or too little of these in your life right now? Are they serving for you or against you?
In the reversed position, the Emperor can be bossy and inflexible in his thoughts. The card can suggest an over-use of authoritative power. It could be you or another person, often a boss, partner or family member. And it may be because of deep insecurities and self-doubts.
Recognize the position of power in your life. Are you declaring your power and dominance in a way that leaves others feeling weak? Or are you giving away much of your personal power to please others? Try to find a solution where you start from a place of personal power and enable others to do the same. Power can be equally distributed – you don’t need to take it from others, nor do you need to give yours away.
Sometimes, the reversed Emperor asks you to stand up to authority. You may feel fed up with an oppressive boss or a hierarchical organization and feel forced to enter a more flexible and adaptive environment. Maybe you aspire to be your own boss and work independently by starting up your own business.
In a love reading, the reversed Emperor hints that you may be in an unbalanced relationship and it‘s making you unhappy. Your partner has become overbearing, possessive and dominating. This dynamic is putting tension on the relationship and blocking the flow of energies between you.
The Empress
Upright
Femininity, beauty, nature, nurturing, abundance
The Empress implies a strong connection with femininity. Femininity is explained in many ways, such as elegance, sensuality, fertility, creativity, nurturing – and is necessary for creating a balance between your masculinity and femininity. Create beauty in your life. Connect with your senses through taste, touch, hearing, smell, and sight. Be drawn on these senses to experience pleasure and joy. Explore different methods for expressing yourself creatively, be it through painting, music or other kinds of art.
You are in a period of growth; your all dreams and purposes could come into fulfillment. When the Empress appears in your Tarot readings, take a moment to think about the generosity that surrounds you and offer gratitude for all you have created so you can continue to build on this energy and create even more wealth in your life.
Like the Mother Earth model, the Empress urges you to be in nature to be in flow with the earth by grounding your energy. Take a trip to your favorite places such as forest, beach, mountain or lake and explore beauties, breathe in good energies. Receive the grounding spirit of nature into your heart and mind. So, you can reach higher planes of consciousness.
By being are in tune with the energy of the Empress, you will simply take on her mothering nature. You feel a strong urge to nurture and care for others, with deep compassion and care. You see it as a gift and an honor to help others. You may step into the role of ‘mother’, perhaps as the mother of a newborn, caretaker of other people’s children, or spending more quality time with your kids.
The Empress can also hint pregnancy or birth. This may be an actual pregnancy or childbirth, or a metaphorical ‘birth’ of a new idea. Bring your creative ideas into being by nurturing them and supporting their growth. Allow those designs and their demonstration to flow through you, acting with compassion and love.
Reversed
Creative block, dependence on others
Reversed, the Empress inspires you to make self-love a priority. Now is the time to bring your loving energy and focus to yourself, especially if you have been giving away your power by placing too much weight on another person’s emotional or material needs, therefore ignoring your own needs.
You may also need a more powerful connection with nature. Now is the perfect time to spend even just a few hours in a natural setting such as a beach, park or garden.
The Empress reversed can suggest that you are feeling a creative block, creating a new idea or expressing yourself.
The reversed Empress may call your awareness to problems around body image. Are you very critical when it comes to how you look and the shape of your body? Learn to love your body again and rediscover your beauty, inside and out.
Or you may take the ‘mothering’ role too far in your relationships, by becoming overprotective, co-dependent and controlling. If this resonates, it is time to shift your focus from the mother-child relationship to an adult-to-adult relationship by creating freedom and trust.