03: Peony / The Empress
The Empress Tarot Card Meanings
It’s Tarot Tuesday! Every Tuesday I will be posting an article diving deeper into an individual tarot card, to help me better understand its meaning, and to help educate others in the process. I’ll also share about the connection between each tarot card and the botanical I paired it with in my Fleurot tarot deck, which is based around the Victorian Language of Flowers.
Today we are diving into the card numbered 3 in the traditional Rider-Waite tarot, The Empress (which is the Peony in the Fleurot deck).
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Keywords
The Empress | Abundance, Fertility, Nature
Peony | Prosperity, Compassion
In the traditional Rider-Waite Colman-Smith deck, the Empress is depicted as a feminine figure seated atop a luxurious red velvet throne adorned with the symbol of Venus and surrounded by nature. This figure wears a crown of twelve stars, symbolizing their connection with the mystical realm and the cycles of the natural world (the twelve months of the year and the twelve planets). The figure also holds a scepter, and is wearing a cloth dress adorned with pomegranates, the symbol of fertility.
The Empress symbolizes our connection with the feminine, which includes elegance, sensuality, fertility, creativity, and compassion. This card also signifies abundance, and the call to examine the many ways in which you are surrounded by everything you need to live comfortably. The Empress archetype is very connected to the regenerative power of nature and being in balance with the Earth.
This card also deals with fertility, and the idea of either literal birth or metaphorical ‘birthing’ of a new idea or creative project. How can you nurture your own creative powers and support their growth and emergence out into the world?
“When the Empress appears in your Tarot readings, take a moment to reflect on the bounty that surrounds you and offer gratitude for all you have created so you can continue to build on this energy and create even more abundance in your life.”
For more in-depth information about the meaning of The Empress tarot card, I highly recommend checking out the description by Biddy Tarot!
The Peony Paeonia
During the Victorian Era, people would exchange flowers and plants as a way of sending messages to express their true feelings (ones they couldn’t often express out loud). The system they developed was published in Flower Dictionaries which allowed the meanings of each flower to be widely accepted, and this language was often dubbed ‘Floriography’.
The peony is a many-petaled flower often globe-like in shape, which opens its voluptuous petals to reveal a fluffy pollen-filled interior. They come in many colors, including white, cream, various shades of pink, and deep burgundies.
In the Victorian Language of Flowers, Peony signifies compassion and prosperity—probably due in part to its prosperous array of fluffy petals.
Peonies are thought to be named after Paeon, the Greek physician of the gods. In one Greek myth, Paeon used a peony root to heal Pluto. Because of his success, another god (Aesculapius) became jealous of his healing talent and tried to kill him. Pluto, in retaliation, transformed Paeon into a peony, so he would be admired and praised. This is the origin of the peony’s meaning of compassion.
This myth illustrates the medicinal power of the peony. In medieval times, their roots and seeds were thought to cure many maladies, including epilepsy and snake bites. In England, children wore peony root necklaces to prevent seizures and help teething pain. A very mothering adornment, indeed!
In the Fleurot deck, I decided to correspond this bloom to the Empress, a strong feminine figure symbolizing abundance, fertility, and nature. At this point in the journey, you may be picking up speed, feeling good, and recognizing the bounty you have at your fingertips.