Like The High Priestess, the nature of The Empress may seem complicated for a child to grasp. However, children have brilliant imaginations and express creativity, especially through role play and mimicking everyday situations. They are naturally inclined to explore nature and witness growth daily, whether in their physical development, education, behaviors, or relationships with friends and parents.
Here are some of the qualities of The Empress that we, as parents, can help encourage in our children:
Natural Nurturers. Children often show a nurturing side, whether it’s through taking care of their toys, pets, or even younger siblings. This aspect of The Empress can be encouraged by providing opportunities for children to care for plants and animals, or even share in family responsibilities. This not only teaches and encourages responsibility but also empathy.
Of course, these types of behaviors and inclinations vary in children. A child who how siblings may express things differently as someone who is an only child, for example.
I remember when our son was very young, maybe 3, we watched the movie, The Good Dinosaur. It’s about a young dinosaur who is separated from his family by a flood and ends up meeting a Neanderthal child who is also separated from his family. The movie is about the two main characters establishing a tight friendship but ultimately making their way back to their families. It was a surprisingly emotional movie and evoked a tearful “I JUST WANT THEM TO BE TOGETHER,” response when the two found their families and went their separate ways. Seeing this level of empathy in our three-year-old was something we never imagined. Fast forward six years and we were praying we didn’t have a Dexter on our hands as he completely bottled his emotions. Three years later, things have mostly evened out, and emotional expression, while reserved, has returned.
Again, if there’s one thing we learn from The Empress: everything is a cycle, including, apparently, emotional awareness and availability.Creative to The Core. The Empress is deeply connected to creativity and artistic expression. Children have a natural affinity for art, music, and imaginative expression. Encouraging these activities can help children express their emotions, develop creative thinking, and actually enjoy the process of creation. Ideally, we’d be providing materials for drawing, painting, building, or playing music, as that can open up new worlds for them to explore and express themselves, while older kids may enjoy other forms of creation like baking, writing, and theatre.
Realistically, however, we know that imaginative “play” is constantly countered with digital distractions. These rapid-reward mediums seem to draw our children away from their natural inclinations to create and play, and instead leave them mindlessly staring at a screen for hours on end. Streaming TV, video games, TikTok, social media, and mobile devices are an always-on resource for our children when we can’t tend to their needs. It is difficult to not only pry them away from these devices but to convince them that creative expression is fun. (Fun, but work.) It also helps teach them that there is a world outside of their devices that they must interact with. Setting realistic boundaries with digital devices to encourage real-world activities is important to help them stay connected with the world around them.
Engaging with your child, if possible, during these times is a way to not only keep them focused, engaged, and entertained, but also a way to further deepen your parent-child relationship. Bake cupcakes together. Go see a local production of a musical together. Plant some herbs in a raised garden together. The key: being connected and together.The Abundance Mindset. The concept of abundance is central to The Empress. Teaching children to appreciate what they have and to share with others cultivates a mindset of abundance rather than scarcity. Encouraging gratitude and generosity helps children recognize the wealth in their lives, not just materially but in relationships, experiences, and personal growth.
Teaching the importance of personal values, charity, and selflessness is important. Children quietly learn by observation; your own good behaviors (as well as your “less-good” behaviors) are absorbed and modeled back when they are faced with various situations in their own lives. Presenting gratitude in all things becomes almost a lifestyle choice and something that, initially, must be mindfully and purposely incorporated. It is not simply the act of saying “thank you,” but the intention of being grateful for that which you have.
This is also embodied by teaching your children financial literacy. Many children grow up not understanding how money, credit, and debt work. So much of our financial life is digital or plastic, that financial concepts can seem abstract. Introducing your children to money matters at a young age will teach them to hopefully have a healthy relationship with money and abundance. Modern banking apps like Greenlight, BusyKid, and GoHenry allow you to connect allowance and chores and teach financial concepts, while also encouraging saving.Normalize Self-Care. The Empress also represents self-care and well-being. Teaching children the importance of taking care of their bodies and minds can set the foundation for a healthy lifestyle. Simple routines like regular bedtimes, healthy eating and hygiene, and time for relaxation can be framed as acts of self-love and care.
It’s also helpful for children to understand that heated situations can benefit from taking a break. Taking some time to be alone to calm yourself and collect your thoughts should be encouraged and respected. This allows them to work through their emotions on their own and in their own time. The Development of Emotional Intelligence. The Empress is intuitive and emotionally intelligent. Helping children understand and manage their emotions is crucial for their development. Encouraging open communication about feelings and teaching children to identify and express their emotions can build not only emotional intelligence but also emotional resilience.
I used to joke that “feelings are like treasure… so bury them.” And while that’s cute for a laugh, it’s completely the opposite of what we want for our children. Children should be allowed to be upset (and having one too many grapes at lunchtime is a perfectly valid reason for being upset!) just as they should be allowed to be excited and happy. I think it’s unfortunate that many children are taught “boys don’t cry,” and other emotionally-suffocating bullshit. We all feel what we feel. Learning to express what we feel in a healthy way is important to become healthy adults who can have healthy relationships.
Here are some questions you ask your child that can help them embody the energy and traits of The Empress:
What makes you feel happy and cared for? How do you like to show care for others?Can you think of a time when you made something beautiful? What did it feel like when you were making it? How did you feel when it was completed?What do you enjoy most about being outside? Where is your favorite place to be, and why is it your favorite?What are three things you can be grateful for today? What are some things you can do when you’re feeling tired or upset? How do you think that helps?What are some areas in your life where you see abundance? How can we share this abundance with others?
By embodying the nurturing and creative energy of The Empress, children can learn to appreciate the world around them, care for themselves and others, and develop their creative and emotional self of sense. Encouraging these traits can help them grow into compassionate, balanced, and fulfilled individuals.
