The Empress III in the 5-Card Spread with the Rider Waite Tarot

The Empress as second card : Challenge / Obstacle
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

When it appears in the opposition position, The Empress indicates blockages in the ability to create, receive, flourish or take care of oneself.

The consultant may be facing a feeling of infertility – a project that is stagnating, a relationship that is not developing, or a feeling of being cut off from their intuition and sensitivity.

This card may reveal a difficulty in expressing emotions or accepting those of others, a fear of being vulnerable or, conversely, a tendency to give too much without receiving anything in return.

There may also be a disruption in the connection to the body: body image issues, a disconnect from sensuality, or difficulties in listening to the deep needs of the body and heart.

On another level, The Empress in opposition may indicate a suffocating or intrusive mother figure (real or symbolic) whose influence is blocking the consultant’s autonomy.

It can also indicate excessive passivity, a tendency to wait for things to happen without actively contributing to them.

Finally, this card in opposition can point to excessive pride in one’s creativity: wanting too much control, wanting to ‘produce’ at all costs, or spreading oneself too thinly across a thousand unstructured ideas.

The challenge here is to rebalance creative energy: to find the right balance between giving and receiving, between nourishing and being nourished.

The Empress as third card : Advice
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

As advice, The Empress invites you to fully embrace your creative power, to nurture your projects, your relationships, your body and your heart. She encourages you to believe in your ability to bring something beautiful and fulfilling into being, whether it be an idea, a relationship, a business venture or even a way of living more in tune with yourself.

This card advises you to take care of yourself first, but also of others, your environment and your inspirations. It may be time to slow down, reconnect with nature, and cultivate patience and gentleness.

The Empress also advises you to open up communication: express your feelings, share your visions, and engage in kind dialogue.

The card encourages you to value your intuition, trust your feelings, and connect with pleasure, comfort, and the art of living.

On a more symbolic level, the advice here is to be a ‘mother’ to yourself: protective, loving, encouraging, and non-judgmental. Dare to create, even without a perfect plan; trust in the power of slow and organic growth.

This card suggests that what you sow now may bear fruit in the long term, provided you remain present, attentive, and aligned with your core values. It is a call to self-love and fertility in all its forms.

The Empress as fourth card : Outcome
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

In the outcome position, The Empress heralds an outcome marked by growth, achievement and fulfilment. She foreshadows a period of fertility, abundance or successful creation.

This can translate into the concrete birth of a project, the deepening of a relationship, or even greater emotional and material stability.

The Empress in this position promises a positive, warm and nourishing outcome, provided that the consultant has shown patience, listening skills and consistency. It is a card of harvest: what has been sown with care will bear fruit.

On a more internal level, it evokes a form of reconciliation with oneself, a sense of peace, harmony and grounding.

It can also indicate the development of personal creativity or a reconnection with the body, sensuality and the beauty of the material world.

This outcome is therefore very favourable, but it requires cultivating attention, kindness and consistency over time.

Finally, in some cases, it can herald the arrival of a child, the success of an artistic project, or the stabilisation of a family environment.

The result here is closely linked to love, fertility, and abundance in its most generous and radiant form.