The Grimoire Series

The Empress

Archetype: Divine Feminine, Queen, Mother, Benefactor

An empress sits on a luxurious seat full of pillows and blankets, wearing a flowing gown covered in pomegranates. She is crowned with twelve stars and holds a scepter topped with a golden sphere. This shows her dominion over the heavens (12 signs of the zodiac), and the Earth (golden sphere). The symbol for Venus adorns the side of her chair, emphasizing the energies of love, beauty, creativity, and the enjoyment of the body. Her seat is placed in nature, not a palace, for she is a mirror of the fertile abundance of Mother Earth. In the foreground grows ripened wheat representing the harvest or a season of plenty, in the background is a great forest, a symbol of the wisdom and beauty of nature that the empress mirrors. A waterfall and river run through the scene, because flowing water symbolizes the free expression of emotions present in the divine feminine energy. The sky is golden with the light of the sunset, the day is ripened like the wheat and the child she carries (she is rumored to be pregnant).

Upright

Fertility, Abundance, Femininity and Feminine Power, Self-Love Or Self-Care, Luxury, Ease, The Body.

Reversed

Lack, Infertility, Self-Neglect, A Block to the Feminine or Feminine Power, Bodily Neglect.

Astrological Timing

Planets: Venus
Zodiac Signs: Taurus
Moon Phase: Full

Spell Timing: Autumn equinox, autumn, sunset, warm weather. Venus or the Full Moon in Taurus, Venus positively aspecting the Full Moon (conjunction, sextile, or trine). Venus or the Full Moon at any of the following Sabian Symbols:

• 12° Cancer, “A Chinese Woman Nursing a Baby with a Message”
• 9° Sagittarius, “A Mother with Her Children on Stairs”
• 10° Sagittarius, “A Golden-Haired Goddess of Opportunity”
• 20° Pisces, “A Table Set for an Evening Meal”
• 28° Pisces, “A Fertile Garden under a Full Moon”

Spell Associations

Element: Earth

Spiritual Guides: Venus (Aphrodite), Gaia, Lakshmi

Colors: Orange, pink, green

Chakra: Sacral, heart

Dimension: 2nd, 5th

Rune: Berkano, Fehu

Crystals: Rose quartz, emerald, adventurine, carnelian, peridot

Herbs: Jasmine, rose, lavender, basil, cardamon, hibiscus, vanilla

Items: orange, pink, or green candle, pink salt, crystal or wooden wand, roses, pomegranates or pomegranate seeds, wheat, full moon water, hearts, stars, crown

Example Spell: Self-Compassion Ritual Bath

The following ritual is designed to engender self-love. If you or a client are dealing with feelings of exhaustion, overwhelm, shame, helplessness, depression, discouragement, sadness, or loneliness, it is a powerful ritual to help release and heal. Collect together the following items:

• Empress card
• Rose petals
• Hibiscus tea
• Full moon water
• Jasmine incense
• Lavender or vanilla essential oil
• Unscented body oil
• Pink or green candles
• Rose quartz crystal or crystal wand
• Sponge or loofa
• Body soap

Four Element Cleanse

Begin by cleansing yourself and your bathroom with the jasmine incense. Pass the smoke of the incense over your body. Carry it into the bathroom, letting the smoke drift into every corner and nook. Place the jasmine incense back on the altar.

Carefully hold the candle to your heart, inviting in the warmth of the fire. Place the candle back on the altar.

Place a drop of the full moon water on your crown, forehead, throat, heart, sternum, belly, the base of your spine, hands, and feet. Return the moon water to the altar.

Touch the rose quartz crystal to your crown, forehead, throat, heart, sternum, belly, the base of your spine, your hands, and your feet. Return it to the altar.

Ritual

This ritual is best performed when you are sure you will not be disturbed by others.

Prepare your hibiscus tea. It should be served hot to align energetically with creating emotional warmth towards the self.

Draw your bathwater to the desired temperature. As the water fills, drop in the rose petals, several drops of the lavender oil, and several drops of the full moon water. Visualize how the rose, lavender, and moon energies are spreading to fill the entire bath.

Play music based on 528 hz, for self-love. Soak yourself in the warm water. This part of the ritual can last as long as you like. Sip your tea as you soak.

During the soak, allow the emotions you have been struggling with to emerge. Regard them with compassion and hold them with tenderness. Notice where in the body they are located. Imagine that the Sushumna, or central column of major chakras, is open and clear. Guide the emotions towards that column and up and out of the mouth, giving them a voice. Whatever noise you need to make to express that emotion, allow that sound its fullest expression.

Note: If you are dealing with an especially difficult situation and the emotions are strong, they may need more than one ritual bath for total release to occur.

When you feel you have completed the emotional release, you can begin bathing to wash away all that was just released. Bathe starting with the hair. Next, use the sponge or the loofa to caress the body from head to toe. It is recommended to always use downward strokes, so that any negative energies will work their way downward and out of the body through the feet.

Once the bath is complete, drain the water and rinse off in a warm shower. Towel off from head to toe again, drying the body with downward strokes of the towel. Care for the skin by mixing several drops of lavender oil with the unscented body oil. Work the oil into the skin from head to toe, with downward motions.