Celtic Wisdom Tarot
Text by Caitlin Matthews, art by Olivia Raynor
Destiny Books, 1999
ISBN 0-89281-720-8

The Book says: The Empowerer shows Andraste, Goddess of Victory. “She Who is Unconquerable” was invoked by Queen Boudicca in her insurrection against the Romans. Female warriors were a part of Celtic society; growing boys and girls were entrusted to them for their battle training.
Keywords: Fortitude, courage, energy, resolution, action, defiance, challenging that which is commonly accepted, tireless efforts, the appetite to live life, drawing on deep resources.
Reversed: Weakness, vacillation, dispiritedness, indifference, succumbing to prevailing influences, failure of nerve.
Soul Wisdom: The Empowerer of Will gives us the courage to be strong and powerful in our lives, by using our own energies with intention. What powers lie untapped within you?

TarotBroad’s Buzz: This image is a reminder that sometimes we need to take actions that put us at risk and force us to plumb the depths of our endurance and inner strength. Boudicca is an example the sometimes the easier path is not necessarily the right path. If Boudicca had chosen not to fight the Romans it is likely that she and her daughters would have lived, but what kind of life? And what would the impact have been on her people? Would we remember her name now? She looked deep within herself and realized that her personal code of ethics would not allow her to remain passive in this situation. But the sign of a true warrior is not just the ability to win in battle; it is acting with courage and honor, and following your own code of ethics, even if the rest of society disagrees. It is the classic argument over war. What is better – peace at any price or drawing the line in the sand and being willing to defend it. There is no easy answer to this question and it is something we must all answer for ourselves.

Challenging and rough periods in our lives are what forms us and makes us who we are. If life was always a smooth path, we would never know how high we could climb or what we can achieve. As Jim Kirk points out in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier – our pain is what makes us who we are. The Empowerer shows us how to tap into this energy and use it to our advantage. She is a reminder that not all victories in life are physical ones, but learning to tap into this power is the first step towards achieving victory in your life.