'She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness'

Robin Wood Tarot by Robin Wood

This is a nice Empress. I like that she's not some sexy vixen like we see in some tarot decks. She's very matronly, all wimpled up and spinning. Very domesticated. There are the usual symbols of fertility and abundance -- she's pregnant, her gown is trimmed in green, she sits under a tree, there is a basket of fruit and veg and a bee hive at her feet, she spins wool into yarn, she is surrounded by lush green countryside, and so on and so forth. On the tree over her head, we see the sign of Venus on a valentine heart, as in the RWS image. Empress is ruled by the planet Venus, which rules over Taurus and Libra.

Libra and Taurus may seem as different as chalk and cheese, yet they are both ruled by the same planet: Venus. The mythology of Venus seems to reflect this dual nature. The Greeks saw Aphrodite as a goddess of love and beauty, which reflects Libra traits. The Romans saw Venus as an agricultural goddess of gardens and vineyards, which sounds more like Taurus.

Taurus is an Earth sign, and as such is connected to the body and the physical world. The Taurus side of Venus is rooted in sensuality, pleasure and celebrating the blessings of the material world. This includes money, possessions and resources of all kinds that collectively represent what you "have." The Taurus bull's horn becomes a Horn of Plenty, overflowing with Venus' gift of luscious abundance. ~Evolving Door

The Empress then, embodies the totality of womanhood. Well, they say that's the totality of womanhood. I personally think there's more to us than being both sexy and handy around the house. But this is probably rebellion against the Proverbs 31 woman I was encouraged to look up to  in my Bible belt youth. 

Well, I'm done trying to be a Proverbs 31 woman, but I would like to have a nice, balanced day today, and this card suggests that what I can do today to both bring me pleasure and bode well for my future is to turn my hands to my tasks with skill and patience, and strike a balance between my many life roles.