III "The Empress" THOTH TAROT CARD: ANALYSIS.

 

"The Empress", III of the Major Arcana and one of the most beautifully defined cards of the Thoth Tarot, and certainly one of the less confronting and occultish.  Which offers an insight into Crowley's philosophical template towards the feminine, without reading into it too much.  He does see, maybe in his own mind, the contradictions of the feminine to the masculine and how it related to his merging of esoterica studies from the East and West.  And The Empress card, with his interpretation from The Book of The Thoth, attempts to do away with these contradictions and over focalized representations of duality, rather he deemed this card as symbolism of "Love."

As mentioned in my previous Thoth card studies, is Crowley's constant attachment to Qabalah and Egyptian esoterism as template to his Thelma region.  Indicative, of how much medieval Jewish mystics had on the 15th Century alchemists, and the beginning of Hermetism as a philosophical foundry throughout Europe and England, to which Crowley was heavily influenced by.  So, the  variant infusions of Crowely's esoteric can at times seem like an ad hoc display on the Thoth cards, whilst being defined by Crowley's creative impression.   Yet, if you strip back some of the reasoning of Crowley's decree  that the card represents Love, to which Crowley said, in relation to 'The Empress', "This is the Harmony of the Universe, that Love unites the Will to create with the Understanding of that Creation: understand thou thine own Will. Love and let love. Rejoice in every shape of love, and get thy rapture and thy nourishment thereof", further clues are revealed.  

Thoth's The Empress card, in lieu of other Major Arcana cards, holds an overall simplicity in its aesthetics.   The delicate line and textured art by  Lady Frieda Harris (d1962) gives it a subtly and gentle appearance, which is what Crowley had intended for the card to be.   As is the symbolism, and as mentioned, is not as confronting or harsh as the other Thoth cards.  The Pelican at the bottom left of the card, which has it roots in Christian iconography, as symbolism of redemption.  Piecing its chest with its peak to feed its young, note the chicks looking up at the mother.  From by Psalm 102: "Similis factus sum pellicamo"  (I am become like the pelican in the wilderness)  and more importantly in Christian ethos  Corpus Christi or Body [Blood] of Christ.  Which I have noticed with Crowley's Thoth Tarot, despite the occult overture, there is, at times Christian elements throughout, more so Gnostic in its representation.  The White Eagles of the shield are from Crowley's homage to Middle Ages alchemy, the visual and verbal code for sal ammoniac or salt.  And The Book of The Thoth, Crowley elaborates that The Empress card, as a feminine symbolism is the conjuring of salt, which in mythology of pre-Christian religions, represent a goddess of the the sea.   That we were derived from salt.

The two birds perched either side of The Empress are of a Sparrow (left) and a Dove (right), representing the Roman poets Catullus and Martial, which would very much align with Crowley's classical educational and an interesting overlay to his occultist foundation.  However, they do seem out of place.  Nevertheless, the Sparrow and Dove in Greek mythology represent Love, further instilling the softness of The Empress card.  Other symbolism on the card, portraying the desired  passiveness of Crowley's feminine, are the Lotus flower, the fleurs-de-lys, Bees and astrological symbols.  As The Empress sits in front of the Door of heaven, hence the Hebrew letter Daleth ( bottom left), meaning door and on the right the symbol of Venus, once gain as noted throughout the Thoth cards, Crowley's fascination of the feminine.

Crowley's duality and contradictions of femininity can be irritating and certainly outdated.  He did claim, from The book of the Thoth that The Empress is, ."..no contradiction; such opposition as there seems to be is only the opposition necessary to balance".  Which falls into most monotheistic religious beliefs, that the feminine must be balanced under the eyes of God, while in a rather spiteful manner, Crowley's sexist analysis of women, from The Book of The Thoth where he claims, "Many-throned, many-minded, many-wiled, daughter of Zeus, as the unruly female.

As opposed to the Rider-Waite "The Empress", she is powerfully represented as a strong willed creator.

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All Thoth Tarot card analysis and readings to date: chiasmusmagazine.blogspot.com/search/label/Thoth%20Tarot%20reading

(A.Glass 2023/2024)