Deck: African Tarot
card art © US Games
Traditionally entitled "Empress," this major arcana or "trump" card portrays the energy of the Great Mother. She is Nature, around us but also within us, the ever-unfolding Source of life-giving power. She is often pictured as a pre-Christian Goddess, as the one whom the High Priestess is channeling down to earth for the rest of us.
In medieval Europe, the Empress card was painted to represent whatever Queen currently ruled the land, probably to satisfy the Inquisitors. But the scholars of the Renaissance and beyond had no doubt of her true identity, although she could not be fully revealed on Tarot cards as the "woman clothed with the sun" until after the French Revolution.
This supreme archetype of femininity also symbolizes fertility. It is She who provides us nourishment and security. She is also sometimes seen as delighting us with flowers and fruit. A potentially terrifying aspect of this archetype manifests itself whenever karmic mood swings wipe out our plans, like a storm that has come upon us. Whatever happens, the Empress is the Source of our Embodiment and of Natural Law. She might even be called "the Great Recycler."
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Mercury, the communication planet, is about to go "retrograde" -- or look like it's moving backwards. This means that for just under a month, signals can get crossed and delays and mix-ups are the order of the day. But Mercury Retrograde can also throw a wrench in matters of the heart... [more]
Typically, Mercury Retrograde can cause technical glitches -- your computer might malfunction or your bus might be late. But more importantly, it can really screw with your love life! Here are just a few common Mercury Retrograde mix-ups that can happen in love:
1. Your ex calls, and your current partner answers the phone.
2. You send a sexy IM to your mom instead of your date.
3. You forget to sign out of your email, and your partner reads that flirty email correspondence between you and your friend from work.
4. You accidentally make your private online photos of you and your loved one public (you know, those photos...).
So what can you do? If you're already in a relationship, honesty is important, but retrograde isn't the ideal time for coming clean about your past, so for the next few weeks make sure to be extra aware to keep the past in its place! Think twice before you send an email or IM. Also, realize that your lover's silence might not be lack of feeling: they may not have received that heartfelt text message you just sent.
And use Mercury Retrograde to your advantage! Realize that retrograde is not a good time to start new relationships -- there is a lot of confusion during this time, and it can be hard to move ahead with someone new. But it is an excellent chance for you to go back and wrap up unfinished business %u2013 like making that overdue apology or finally becoming friends with your ex.
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