My voice as a Tarot reader is The Empress?  No frickin’ way!!  This stopped me in my tracks because I still have some challenges embracing her energies.  Of course that is my issue, not hers.  It’s taken me a while to see her energies as something beyond Big Mama and to see maternal energies as more than just the self-sacrificing, child-focused mother.  So many of the mothers with whom I’ve interacted are the types who subsume their desires and needs to their children’s.  Their lives revolve around their children and they want to protect their children and shield them from the sometimes harsh realities of life.  This type of mother is anathema to me.  I don’t comprehend her mindset and cannot share her perspective on life.

Of course that is not the type of mother I’d be if I had children (at least I can’t believe I’d be that way based on my personality) and I don’t think the Tarot is telling me to become that type of mother.  I think The Empress is reminding me that there are different types of mothering and I need to find my own unique approach and share that with my clients.  I’m more of a tough love, no nonsense type of Empress.  I will nurture and support but there will come a time when it may cease to be unconditional.  If I feel someone is taking advantage of me or abusing our relationship, I will eventually cut those ties.  I have limits to my patience and understanding.  I also try enable people in unhealthy behaviors (although sometimes I may come off like Roseanne Barr).

I need to find the happy medium – being nurturing and no nonsense, loving and firm.  I want my clients to feel that I’m approachable but I don’t want them to see me as a crutch.  I want to be able to help them through their dark times and crises but I also want them to realize my goal is not to fix things for them.  My focus now needs to be on communicating that to potential clients via my website, informational materials and readings.  Hmm, I must ponder this further.