I was thinking it would be nice to have a Mother’s Day theme today, so I took a look at my Rider Waite Smith deck to see where the mothers were.
There’s quite a few women that seem to be acting like moms.
There’s women with children in the 10 of Pentacles, the 10 of Cups, the 6 of Swords and in #20, Judgment.
But though children aren’t part of the picture, the four Queens and the Empress might be considered the major symbols for ‘mother’ in the Tarot.
And looking at it today, it strikes me that each Queen might represent one of four elemental dimensions of the Empress.
Queen of Cups
The Queen of Cups is water, the Empress’ emotions. She’s the expression of love, how she shows her children she cares.
She is the imagination, the flow of feminine devotion.
Queen of Swords
The Queen of Swords is air, the Empress’ mind. She’s intellect and mental power, the ability to definitively draw the line.
She’s a decider in the family, and representative of feminine authority.
Queen of Disks
And the Queen of Pentacles is earth, the Empress’ grounding. She’s concrete plans and generous action.
She’s feminine physicality at its best.
Queen of Wands
And finally, the Queen of Wands. She’s the Empress’ fire. She’s the passion to encourage, inspire and protect her young like a lion.
She’s the feminine creative force.
#3 The Empress
The Empress embodies all of the elements, and all of the Queens.
You see the earth represented in the wheat growing at her feet, the water is in the stream beside her, and the fire is in her pillows.
The element of air can be seen in her royal mace, a symbol of her power.
You don’t have to be a mother to embody these energies. In fact, you don’t even have to be a woman.
But if you are mom, today these cards are especially dedicated to you.
Happy Mother’s Day Ladies!
And to my Mom in particular, a special Hello and Happy Day to you!