|
Limitless love,
from the depths to the stars:
flooding all,
loving all.
It is the royal kiss of peace.
-Hildegard of Bingen
The Tarot represents powerful archetypes that have shaped our consciousness for thousands of years, including such symbols as The Magician, The Star, The Fool, and The High Priestess. The Tarot is a mystical tool of transformation that depicts the soul-body connection through symbol, myth, and, nature. They are the mirrors of the soul, reflecting the image of our divine embodiment. The origin of the Tarot is as mysterious as its symbolic language. It dates farther back than the written word can record. We can hold these images in our heart, open our inner eyes and ears, and listen to the higher voice of wisdom that echoes centuries of mystical teachings through them. There are numerous decks, each reflecting the evolving paradigms and myths of a culture.
Celebration and ritual create universal energy patterns that embrace the joyous and sublime aspects of living and dying. They offer us a doorway into the Divine. Celebration is a time of communion and gathering, of focus and intention, and of mystical attunement. Even though, at this time in history, we have theoretically lost our understanding of festivals and holidays, we are still connected to a greater mythical and archetypal web of spirit that encompasses the mystery of the seasons and nature.
The Empress, on the royal road of the Tarot, is depicted by the number three. Numeralogically, number three is related to celebration, joy, community, language expressed through poetry, song, and dance, and unity. Her presence ushers us closer to that fertile garden within that holds the creative blossoming of our body and soul. She is sensual and earth centered, yet her Love extends the boundaries of carnal existence; she invites us into the ecstasy of sublime sexuality, the passion that transforms our desire into service.
Ultimately, celebration stems from the heart of Love, the very part of our soul that mirrors the vast body of the Goddess, Venus, or the Empress. She ushers us toward the gateway to form, or the threshold to Earth. She is Mother/Father God all in one; she is the bearer of life. Because she is the transmitter of radiant light, she is divine intelligence, and thus, she holds a form in which we may enter consciously into the labyrinth of mystery and ritual. The brilliant heart-light of The Empress leads us into ecstatic union with nature, the festivals, the seasons, and toward one another.
There is magic and enchantment associated with three; in fairy tales there are often three wishes, in mystical traditions there is the Holy Trinity and the Triple Goddess. The last Tarot card on the royal road to enlightenment, depicting the celebration of a grounded and inspirational incarnation, is a three card, The World, which is ruled by Saturn, the planet of form and constructive focus. The Empress is ruled by the zodiacal sign Taurus and the planet Venus, which rules the throat and neck. When there is attunement to the creative discipline of the Empress, the spoken word is more complete, more whole, for the language is that of the Heart. Emeralds, malachite, and green tourmaline are precious gems associated with the Empress. Wear these stones when you are invoking the healing potential of The Empress, the green energy of the heart chakra.
In the beautiful archetype of the Empress, we find our way to love Earth, to love body, to celebrate living and honor dying. She is our mirror to Joy, and she sings and dances, she chants and prays. She presides over weddings, and birthdays, at holiday festivities and memorials. She is the conductress of the muse, and she enchants us with story, rhyme, and poetry. Without her we would be void of creative inventions and the way to bring them into manifestation. She is all abundant, in her dreams and in reality.
Often we think of festivals as the time when we are more able to open our hearts and share with our loved ones. It is a time when we give thanks for another year of health, family, prosperity, and love. This year, let us invite the Empress into our hearts daily, for she holds the alchemical formula of transformation that will allow us to understand unconditional love. What better celebration than to honor the Empress within and heal the wounded aspect of the feminine within women and men. Bring her into all of your holiday gatherings by remembering the sacred feminine in all that you do. Recite her, chant her, call her by her various names: Aphrodite, Isis, Goddess, Ishtar, Mary, Eve. Above all, invoke her into your heart. The Empress in you can heal the earth. Celebrate!
Back to Tarot
|
