The Empress - Redefined
The Empress - Redefined
The Empress is an archetype in the Tarot, long understood as an exaggerated version of the Divine Feminine. While this archetype has served us well for many, many years, it is now time to evolve our understanding of who the Empress truly is. With humanity expanding and our consciousness growing, the Empress too has evolved into more than just a static symbol of divine femininity.
I redefine the Empress as the Divine Feminine who transforms her energies depending on where, and to whom, she wants to add the most value. The Divine Feminine—or the Empress redefined—carries a queenly, motherly energy. The Queen Mother nurtures and cares for everyone around her, yet remains in perfect balance and union with her own inner masculine. Yes,read it again, the Divine Feminine has an underlying own inner subtle masculine. Its a part of her, a small part, however it does exist, as does a piece of the divine masculine and feminine both exist in all components of consciousness.
No one seems to address the fact that the Divine Feminine also carries within her an underlying, inherent piece of the Divine Masculine. This is equally true for the Divine Masculine, who holds within him a vital fragment of the Divine Feminine.
The Vision of the Empress
The image that came to me for the Empress Redefined was of her magnificent self—standing gracefully, holding and nurturing her own baby close to her heart. Her gaze drifts across the river toward distant lands of infinite possibility.
While she is deeply in sync with her child—an extension of her own being—she is also pregnant with another. This, to me, represents the ever-growing, ever-nurturing cyclical nature of the Divine Feminine. On one hand, nurturing comes naturally and easily to her; she loves doing it and wishes to keep doing more. Yet, her eyes are set on a bigger dream across the river—where she envisions her children growing, expanding, and flourishing.
Today, where she stands is already the most beautiful and natural environment: lush green trees, flowing waters, rivers around her, flowers in bloom, and fruits and berries adorning the landscape. It is ideal—an environment full of love and care—for where she and her children are at this moment in life. She is immersed in the present yet still dreaming of the future, representing the divine balance of life.
If you look closely, there is a long, sharp sword by her feet as she stands near the river. This sword represents her ability to protect her children and her beloved land if the need arises. When the Divine Feminine—the Empress—shows up in your tarot reversed, it indicates her going too far, this sword then becomes her shield and her only hope to save herself and her children. That depicts an exaggerated mistrust in the support from the masculine. However in this instant, Empress redefined Upright, her sword is her ability to protect her children through her feminine energetic ways.
Union with the Divine Masculine
I do not wish to give the impression that the Empress Redefined stands alone. While she gazes into the distant future surrounded by beauty and abundance, she also has a strong support and loving connection with the Divine Masculine—or the Emperor Redefined.
I have been contemplating how best to depict this in my vision. Perhaps a bright ring on her finger—though that feels too cliché. Maybe flowers in her hair, left by her beloved, her counterpart—but even that doesn’t fully convey the essence of support. I will wait until the right sign reveals itself to me. Until then just know that the Divine masculine Redefined is on his journey, looking forward to fulfilling his destiny and returning to his beloved Divine Feminine for a magnificent union.
Why Redefine the Archetype
My inspiration for redefining the Empress is both personal and collective. Humanity is evolving rapidly—growing, expanding, transfiguring—yet we continue to hold on to the same old archetypes that have shaped our energy fields for eons.
When our collective energy evolves, so too must our archetypes of the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine. To me, the Divine Feminine now holds a broader range of what we understand as femininity. While the fundamental energies of the feminine and masculine remain the same, the embodiment of the Divine Feminine in a human of today has evolved far beyond her earliest expression. That is the very nature of consciousness—to grow, to expand, to become a fuller version of itself.
The Evolution of Energy
I can almost see the journey that the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine will take as we continue to grow through time and space. The Divine Feminine keeps expanding, redefining herself again and again, just as the Divine Masculine does. Eventually, the two begin blending into one another’s energies and selves—merging in a union of one.
Perhaps this is what it means when we say energy is androgynous: part masculine and part feminine. The qualities of masculinity and femininity stand out when isolated as specific traits, but the goal of growth is integration—where inherent divine qualities expand organically through experience and understanding.
True growth is holistic, not merely conceptual. It is not about erasing distinctions between the masculine and feminine, but about realizing that they exist as complementary parts of one divine whole.
The Human Experience of Expansion
This does not mean we can freely shift between genders at will, as our physical, three-dimensional world operates under certain natural laws. What I mean is that within the gendered form we are born into, we organically define and expand the qualities of that form.
Through our lived experiences, our contributions, and our interactions with others, we expand the inherent qualities of our being. Over time, as we develop qualities traditionally seen as belonging to the opposite energy, we evolve organically—an expansion unique to this physical existence.
For instance, I am who I am because I am made of a unique blend of particles, qualities, and consciousness. From this foundation, I grow my understanding of the Divine Feminine—through experience, service, and the positive energy I bring into the world. Each woman does the same through her own perspective, and in doing so, she expands the Divine Feminine in her own experiential way.
The Collective Divine Feminine
When we look collectively at all the expressions of the Divine Feminine—across time, space, and dimension—we see a vast, evolving record of her many forms and experiences. Together, they form a living tapestry of how the Divine Feminine has expanded and continues to expand.
That, to me, is the true essence and purpose of creation—the reason why all that is was ever divided into the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine. Each expression adds a data point to the great collective field of divine experience.
As these data points multiply and interweave, the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine begin to blend once more. Their experiences overlap, merge, and move into one another’s spaces until they are almost indistinguishable—a unified form of energy, complete and whole.
At that point, the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine grow together and return as one with All That Is.
And that, perhaps, is what it means for creation to finally come home.
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