The Archetype and The Tarot: The Hedonist and The Empress
Through the Hedonist and The Empress, this week we’re invited to embrace pleasure as a sacred, generative force in our lives. Can we nurture our capacity for joy and creativity, allowing ourselves to savor the richness of life without guilt or hesitation?
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The Hedonist Archetype
The Hedonist gets a bad rap, doesn’t it? For a lot of us, when we think of the Hedonist, our first thoughts go to things like the Roman Bacchanalia: your basic over-the-top drunken orgy.
The term itself comes from the ancient Greek philosophy of Hedonism, which also got a bad rap from the get-go. But why? It was simply a philosophy about building an enjoyable, pleasurable life. That doesn’t sound so bad. So why do we vilify the notion of pleasure-seeking?
There seems to be an underlying feeling that if we’re seeking pleasure, we’re not being responsible. I’d like to blame our Puritanical roots for this, but I think it goes back further than that.
So let’s take a look at the shadow side of the Hedonist first. In addition to being about what we keep hidden, the shadows of archetypes can also be about relating with them in excess. I believe this is true of the Hedonist. Pleasure at the cost of accountability, or responsibility, is being in excess with the Hedonist. Not caring if anyone gets hurt in the process is relating with the Hedonist in excess. Although we’re venturing into Addict territory here, the shadow Hedonist also contends with the notion of never having enough. If our ONLY motivation is pleasure, it can become a destructive force.
Honestly, though, that face of the shadow Hedonist is not very common. More often, the shadow Hedonist shows up as a judgment of pleasure itself. Relating with the Hedonist in the shadow this way causes us to block ourselves from enjoying the fullness of life.
And we might not even realize we’re doing it. Think about this: do you feel like you have to earn pleasure?
I often see a tendency that people have to be burned out—completely overwhelmed—before thinking they “deserve” pleasure. This can be a sneaky thing, too. This can look like the belief that, because we had a hard or stressful day, we’ve earned the right to a drink or six after work. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking drinking by any means. I’m simply warning against the tendency to use pleasure to self-medicate. There’s danger here because we might inadvertently, or unconsciously, create unnecessary stress in our lives to make sure we feel like we’ve earned the right to some pleasure.
What if, instead, we prioritized pleasure? Even just a little bit. What if we planned for it and structured our lives to include it every single day, rather than grabbing for it when we need relief? Maybe if we scheduled pleasure into our lives, we wouldn’t get so burned out in the first place?
On the other hand, the Hedonist in the light has a healthy relationship with pleasure. This one knows how to have a good time, but not in a way that causes harm. More importantly, the light side of the Hedonist understands that we all possess a pleasure-seeking instinct and that we can nurture it without it having to be about numbing, blocking, or avoiding pain.
Some questions to consider this week:
Do you have shame around physical pleasure?
Does every action have to be for the sake of achieving something?
Do you feel guilty about “wasting time”?
Do you feel critical about others who are engaged in pleasure without having earned the privilege?
The Empress
In this card, we see a crowned figure wearing a flowing floral gown while they recline on a plush, red seat. In their right hand is a scepter or wand, and next to their seat is a heart-shaped object bearing the symbol of the planet Venus. In the background is a lush forest and, in the foreground, the grass has gone to seed.
This is the card of unbridled fertility and juicy life force energy. The Empress is a nurturing, creative force and is also super sexy. They represent abundance, growth, and the beauty of nature. With their gentle yet strong presence, they encourage us to cultivate our creativity and bring forth new life in all its forms.
Because The Empress is card #3 of the major arcana, I also tend to think of it as the uniting force—that pair of invisible hands that comes in and weaves two (or more) things together.
When this card comes up, I believe we’re being tasked with getting clear on what makes our life delicious and then drawing that to us; allowing that deliciousness to be generative and regenerative.
How does this pair work together?
Here I see the Hedonist and the Empress encouraging us to become active participants in the creation of our own joy. This isn’t about passively waiting for life to bring us the perfect experience or circumstance—it’s about inviting pleasure into our lives on purpose, as something sacred and worthy of our time and energy.
I believe this week we are invited to explore what it means to cultivate pleasure intentionally. Can we view joy as an essential part of our lives, woven into our routines like water or sunlight? The Hedonist and the Empress ask us to welcome pleasure without waiting for hardship or validation. Instead, they call us to choose it as an expression of our own life force.
I feel excited about this one! Hurray for intentional pleasure! Let me know what sorts of pleasure cultivation you get up to this week.
The Hedonist archetype has saved me more than once! Puritanical culture finds no value in this pattern, with its shaming judgements.
I see the 9 of Pentacles as this sensuous archetype, as well: enjoying rich fabrics, smells, leisure time, delicious foods, etc.
I have to wonder if the reason so many love winter holidays is because they have a cultural "excuse" to enjoy and indulge the Hedonist (cozy blankets, hot chocolate, decadent lights, gifts, baked goods, beautiful carols, Christmas movies, etc.).
And then at New Year's, the Puritan comes back on the scene... 😉
I believe so many of us can relate to the feeling of earning pleasure. You’re so right, pleasure is just as important as any other part of life. Even back when we were hunters and gatherers, art was significant to us. I also think creativity only blossoms when we know the value of pleasure. I really appreciated your insights and wisdom, thank you so much! 💚