Lessons from the Empress: A Tarot Workbook for Self-Care and Creative Growth

by Cassandra Snow, Siri Vincent Plouff, Lisa Marie Basile (Foreword by)

Overview

“Lessons from the Empress offers a hands-on guidebook to better mental and spiritual wellness. When the world needs these lessons the most, Snow and Plouff come through for us all.” —Benebell Wen, author of Holistic Tarot
 
The Empress tarot card is the key to understanding how creative expression is the foundation of true self-care. Our authentic self, this abundant space, is not something we go find—it’s something we create. Lessons from the Empress will guide you on an exploration of the five phases of self-care: Major Arcana—spiritual self-care; the Wands—self-awareness; the Swords—self-expression; the Cups—self-love; the Pentacles—self-confidence.
 
In Lessons from the Empress, with the Empress as your guide, you’ll learn how to practice self-care and self-discovery in several ways:

• See the Empress as a metaphor for your personal journey
• Get in touch with who you are at your core
• Take an active role in protecting your own well-being and happiness
• Use easy-to-follow magical rituals, tarot spreads, and creativity exercises to embrace your true self and express that self to the world

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781578637935
Publisher:	Red Wheel/Weiser
Publication date:	10/01/2022
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	402,247
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Cassandra Snow is the two-time Weiser author of Queering the Tarot and Queering Your Craft. They have been a tarot reader in some capacity since they were eighteen years old and have gone pro for the last decade. Their work includes teaching and writing about tarot and witchcraft as well as doing readings. Cassandra is also calling on their BA in Theatre Arts and Humanities from Waldorf College for this project, and the decade-and-a-half experience they have leading creative teams as a theatre director, producer, and show curator with Gadfly Theatre Productions.
 

Siri Vincent Plouff is the brain behind the radical Heathenry podcast, Heathen’s Journey. Siri runs several flagship teaching programs, such as the annual Witchcraft Immersion, which is a witchcraft apprenticeship program, and Radical Runes. They have been a practicing witch for nearly twenty years and have been reading tarot and runes professionally for six.

Table of Contents

Foreword Lisa Marie Basile xi

Introduction xv

Part 1 Preparing the Way for the Empress

1 Your Inner Empress 3

2 The Basics of Tarot for Self-Care 9

3 Tarot and Ritual 21

4 Tarot and Elemental Magic 27

5 Tarot Spreads to Kick-Start Your Journey 35

Part 2 The Major Arcana: The Inward Journey

6 Archetypes and Spiritual Self-Care 49

7 The Empress's Journey 59

Part 3 The Minor Arcana: The Journey to Self-Acceptance

8 Wands-From Spark to Finish 83

9 Swords-Creativity and Clarity through Struggle 103

10 Cups-The Crux of Self-Expression 123

11 Pentacles-Creating a Sustainable Practice 143

Lessons from the Empress-Final Thoughts 163

Appendix 1 Materia 171

Appendix 2 Creative Approaches to the Tarot 179

Bibliography 189

Acknowledgments 193

Editorial Reviews

“Lessons from the Empress calls to the part of us that we are so often told to shut off and tidy up and suppress. It asks us to arrange a bed of flowers. It asks us to breathe in the color and speak in music. What Plouff and Snow have done in this book is forged a candle-lit pathway — accessible and encouraging, inclusive and actionable — that you can call your own. It balances instruction with reader autonomy. Its beauty is found in its absolute devotion to the creative spirit, welcoming interpretation and self-dialogue, and creating confidence through your journey.”
—Lisa Marie Basile, author of Light Magic for Dark Times, City Witchery, and The Magical Writing Grimoire

“In Lessons from the Empress, authors Cassandra Snow and Siri Plouff have offered a unique and deep exploration of the tarot using the archetype of the Empress as your guide in your journey toward self-care and creative growth. As you move through the workbook, you'll find magical rituals, suggestions for self-care, unique Tarot spreads, and generous creative prompts, all woven together beautifully to support and nurture your spirit. The message here: be indulgent, make art, and let magic enter every area of your life! This is the book we all need in today's turbulent times."
—Theresa Reed, author of Twist Your Fate

In Lessons from the Empress, Snow and Plouff go beyond the Empress's superficial social media meme to show that embracing the archetype isn't just about crystals and bubble baths. It's an act of digging deep into your soul to find your authentic, creative, and bountiful self.
—Rashunda Tramble, co-author of The Numinous Tarot Guide: A New Way to Read the Cards

In Lessons from the Empress, Snow and Plouff have combined their considerable wealth of knowledge to share powerful and useful tips on integrating creativity into daily life through the use of tarot cards. From reminding us that creativity is our birthright to providing a self-care equation tying in all four suits of the deck, this book is packed with personal stories, original tarot spreads, and helpful insights on using the cards for inspiration, expression, and discovery. Lessons from the Empress is an excellent resource for anyone looking for inclusive, accessible methods for integrating tarot into their creative workings.
—Meg Jones Wall, author of Finding the Fool: A Tarot Journey to Radical Transformation

“Lessons from the Empress brings tarot to life! With a pack of cards in hand, this is your guidebook to better mental and spiritual wellness. When the world needs these lessons the most, Snow and Plouff come through for us all.”
—Benebell Wen, author of Holistic Tarot

“Lessons from the Empress is especially useful for artists, writers, and other creative types. Using the Empress card as a jumping-off point, Snow and Plouff explore each card through the lens of self-care and nurturing creativity. They define creativity pretty broadly, though, so you can use this book for any kind of personal growth.”
—Julia Glassman, themarysue.com
 

From the Publisher

“Lessons from the Empress calls to the part of us that we are so often told to shut off and tidy up and suppress. It asks us to arrange a bed of flowers. It asks us to breathe in the color and speak in music. What Plouff and Snow have done in this book is forged a candle-lit pathway — accessible and encouraging, inclusive and actionable — that you can call your own. It balances instruction with reader autonomy. Its beauty is found in its absolute devotion to the creative spirit, welcoming interpretation and self-dialogue, and creating confidence through your journey.” —Lisa Marie Basile, author of Light Magic for Dark Times, City Witchery, and The Magical Writing Grimoire

Reviews

“Lessons from the Empress calls to the part of us that we are so often told to shut off and tidy up and suppress. It asks us to arrange a bed of flowers. It asks us to breathe in the color and speak in music. What Plouff and Snow have done in this book is forged a candle-lit pathway — accessible and encouraging, inclusive and actionable — that you can call your own. It balances instruction with reader autonomy. Its beauty is found in its absolute devotion to the creative spirit, welcoming interpretation and self-dialogue, and creating confidence through your journey.

Lisa Marie Basile