Your tarot deck surprised you in your last tarot reading. You pulled out the Empress reversed, and now you don’t know how to interpret this reading.
So far, we all believe that once the Empress appears in our readings, all our worries fade. She is the Mother Earth archetype who never focuses on her own needs. Well, she might be pointing out some mistakes you’ve made, and now she’s appearing to you in reverse.
In any case, it is good you have reached out for help because interpreting what a reversed card means is tricky. Especially if you still have some unanswered life questions yourself.
Here is an introduction to the reversed Empress, what meanings she could carry with her, and questions you might need answered.
The Empress Reversed: Understanding The Reading
The Empress upright meaning is often associated with good fortune, fertility, maternity, abundance, and creativity. As a mother figure, she is seen as nurturing and providing for her children.
The Empress reversed typically means the manifestation of malevolence and the bringing of false or misleading ideas. The reversal may be a warning to be careful of being deceived or misled.
Someone with this card may be struggling to find spiritual balance in their life. They may feel like they are not making progress in their personal relationships, work, family, or anything important to them.
They might be going through a big change, whether positive or negative. They could be feeling like they’ve lost part of themselves. Or they might be feeling the urge to grow and expand but don’t know how.
When the Empress tarot card appears reversed, all of her keywords turn to their polar opposites. Here are some of the Empress reversed keywords:
• Lack of growth
• Loss of fruitfulness
• Dead-end
• Increasing material needs
• Smothering
• Mother issues
• Loss of pregnancy or infertility
See also: The Magician Tarot Card Meaning: 10 Upright Readings
The Empress Reversed Depiction
Of course, there is no reversed Empress tarot card, so the tarot reader can picture the card as the polar opposite of what they see. While one might see an Empress upside down, they should picture her contrary to what they see.
The upright Empress’s blonde hair turns white, the natural world and pomegranates around her wither, and she is no longer the mother archetype.
She is not the Venus we knew and not the other part of the Emperor, and her zodiac sign, Taurus, only manifests its negative traits.
This is a negative card, but it should not be seen as bad. It can mean that the person needs to start preparing for some revelations that are coming their way, or they need to start thinking about what they are doing to people around them.
15 Meanings Of The Empress Reversed
Here are some of the Empress tarot card meanings you might be reading when you pull this major arcana card reversed:
1. Work on your relationships
The Empress tarot card reversed could be an indication that you need to work on your relationships and focus on people.
The Empress indicates the social areas of your life, meaning that she is most probably telling you that you need to work on your relationship and maybe give it a second chance.
2. Compassion
This card symbolizes compassion because, a lot of the time, someone is trying to make the other person aware of their feelings.
You might be asking the other person to feel compassion for you, or the Empress might be telling you you need to be more compassionate towards others.
3. Self-care
Another interpretation of this card is self-preservation, self-love, and spiritual awakening, meaning that the person might need to pay more attention they don’t get hurt or taken advantage of by others.
The Empress might be telling you to try out a new self-care routine if you’ve been depressed or maybe that you just need to focus on yourself for a bit.
4. Unwanted pregnancy
Mother nature is throwing you a curveball. If your tarot card reading keeps getting the Empress reversed, it might mean that you’re in for a surprise.
The Empress is shown as a pregnant spiritual woman. If she appears reversed, it might mean pregnancy but also an unexpected or unwanted one.
5. Get in touch with your feminine side
The Empress is the divine feminine, and she might be telling you that you need to get in touch with your feminine side as well. This means reaching deep down for your feminine power.
In any case, if you get the reversed Empress, it might also mean it’s not the divine feminine but the divine masculine that needs to show.
6. Infertility
Your committed relationship or marriage is plagued with your infertility. You try to achieve pregnancy, or you reach it, and then it slips out of your hands over and over again. I can’t even imagine how hard this must be for both of you.
Your tarot card might be foreshadowing another period of infertility for you. Remember, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, so don’t give up.
7. Smothering
The Empress is a mother figure who protects and gives what we need in life. She represents the blessings of nature in her abundance. But for some of us, it might be too much.
In fact, if reversed, the card can mean that you might be a woman that is too much for someone. So, ask yourself if you’re smothering your partner.
8. Dead-end
The reversed Empress signifies the end of a cycle and can be seen as a reminder that new opportunities will always emerge even when everything seems lost.
The Empress tarot card can be seen as something of a spiritual empath. She is pregnant with new ideas.
While the end of something might be why you are seeing this revered tarot card, don’t be discouraged because, at the end of the day, you have yourself.
9. Grow into the sky
When pulled in the reversed position, this card is usually interpreted as a sign of a growth mindset or the need for growth.
The Empress card represents that you are in need of self-acceptance and that the sky’s the limit for your personal development and growth. But also that you will be able to build your own foundation.
10. No creativity
Creativity is about playing, daydreaming, exploring possibilities, being imaginative, and using your brain to think outside the box to come up with new ideas or solutions.
The Empress might be telling you that you’ve reached a wall in your life and that you need to add play and creativity. Try creative ways of saying I love you or play fun games with your partner.
11. Try to be more productive
Work and careers are critical aspects of life. The Empress’s tarot card can help you find your footing in the work world and tell you that you need more inspiration and motivation in your career.
This card could represent a time when personal productivity is not flourishing, or you feel unproductive. Try to reach more career goals, or try to set a few spiritual goals as well.
12. Not the right time
Trust the timing of your life. Even if you see you are with the right person at the wrong time, try to live through it.
What the reversed Empress might be there to tell you is that you’re not there yet. Also, trust that God’s timing will reach you.
13. Poor housekeeping or budgeting
The reversed Empress tarot card represents a time of deep nurturing and caring in your life. You are most likely looking after the needs of others and providing them with comfort.
The Empress tells you that she is concerned with financial stability and balancing your budget. Also, you need to look out for your house and focus on housekeeping more.
14. Hormonal imbalance
Are you experiencing mood swings, mind and body changes, PCOS, and other unexplainable symptoms? Then you might be facing a hormonal imbalance.
This is what the reverse Empress might be telling you. Get yourself checked out – it might save you a lot of medical bills and stress in the future.
15. Mother issues
Last but surely not least is a very likely meaning of the reversed Empress. The Empress represents motherhood and fertility. This card can be seen as a sign of new beginnings and new life.
It’s not hard to understand why the Empress reversed might mean mother issues. Check if your mother and other mother figures are doing fine.
See also: The Nine Of Pentacles Meaning: 11 Upright Interpretations
Is The Empress A Yes Or No?
The Empress tarot card is a card of immense power. She is the mother of all things, the source of life, fertility, and femininity. The Empress is the card that has been called the true matriarch, and she symbolizes success, vitality, and abundance.
This card possesses the number three in numerology, making it hard to decipher what it means in a yes or no reading. We can interpret the cards differently depending on your position in life or current situation.
Considering the upright Empress’s positive energy, I would say it means yes. Of course, if this major arcana card is pulled reverse in a yes or no reading, I would say it means no.
Of course, it all depends on how many cards are pulled in this said reading, what the oracle question was, and if there were any other major arcana cards like the High Priestess, the Emperor, or minor arcana cards like the three of wands.
Deciphering The Empress
We have come to the end of our Empress journey. Remember, the Empress gently asks you to do your own work and focus on yourself.
The tarot spread is a mirror into your soul, and regardless if you’ve pulled the Empress reversed or upright, she brings the feminine energy you hold in yourself. Don’t be afraid to release it.
After reading through our reversed Empress meanings, I hope you found the answer you were looking for and that it will motivate you.