The Major Arcana - The Empress

Meanings:
Mothering, Nature, Sensation, Abundance

The Empress represents the creation of life. Some decks will have the Empress pregnant to put more emphasis on this particular aspect. This card is about enjoying life and to be open to its experiences. It shows stability and comfort. It can also represent the rewards of finishing something. Another possibility is showing a harmony between body and mind, creating a fertile ground for ideas to be planted and harvested from.

The Fool's Journey:
As the Fool enters the world at large, the first person that he meets is his Mother, The Empress. He can sense the world beneath his feet in her presence. She shows him how to feel in the world and guides him through his first true steps in life. She teaches him about the simple joys of playing and running with the wind but also chastises him when he begins to run off lost in it all. She teaches him how to lose himself and how to return to himself. She teaches how being giving has its own rewards by sharing a bounty of berries she had picked with him. He returns the favor fetching some water and letting her drink from the Chalice the Magician gave him.