The Empress

The empress is one of the archetypes of the divine feminine.

She is dressed in pure woven moonlight, adorned with a crown of four sunbeams, and gold jewellery.

The leopard, lamps, art, flowers, jug, parchment, and other objects around her all symbolize facets of the empress's gifts. The leopard is the ultimate symbol of power in many African traditions, because the leopard is an apex predator, distinctive in beauty, graceful and adaptive. The leopard is also a solitary animal.

While the empress archetype is traditionally depicted as pregnant, this empress is accompanied by a leopard instead. This symbolizes the freedom of the contemporary African woman from society's belief that she is a failure if she does not have a husband and a son.