Tarot & Quotes: The Empress

© Michelle Kelly

"I shall never forget my mother, for it was she who planted and nurtured the first seeds of good within me. She opened my heart to the lasting impressions of nature; she awakened my understanding and extended my horizon and her percepts exerted an everlasting influence upon the course of my life." Immanuel Kant

When I first saw the Empress of  Photographer/Artist Michelle Kelly's Tarot deck, I immediately thought of motherhood and nature, which are both perfectly blended in this stunning image. The Journey on the Evolution of Becoming Tarot deck is still a work in progress, but the Major Arcana has been completed, and will be available as a limited edition print run, if sufficient funding has been raised. Would you like to back this very promising project? You can do so here:

A Photo Based Tarot Journey on the Evolution on Becoming

Michelle is also looking for a more suitable name for her Tarot deck and is open to suggestions. If you have any ideas, maybe you can help with that, too.

The Empress symbolises the archetypal mother, bearer of life and nurturer, who is in tune with nature. Her pivotal role makes her a powerful figure, who rules with love and compassion. She reminds us to stay connected with Mother Earth, bring beauty and pleasure into our lives, and fulfil our creative potential.

"Everybody knows that a good mother gives her children a feeling of trust and stability. She is their earth. She is the one they can count on for the things that matter most of all. She is their food and their bed and the extra blanket when it grows cold in the night; she is their warmth and their health and their shelter; she is the one they want to be near when they cry. She is the only person in the whole world in a whole lifetime who can be these things to her children. There is no substitute for her. Somehow even her clothes feel different to her children's hands from anybody else's clothes. Only to touch her skirt or her sleeve makes a troubled child feel better." Katharine Butler Hathaway

What does motherhood mean to you? In which way has your mother influenced your life? Do you need to reconnect with Mother Nature? Which creative projects would you like to pursue?