The Empress and Upskilling Ourselves Creatively through Predictive Analytics

 (Please note: This blog post is a written version of the video I have created on my YouTube Channel - Tales and Texts. This episode will air on Jan 7, 2023.) 

The Empress and Upskilling Ourselves Creatively through Predictive Analytics 

Hi everyone! Welcome to Episode 2 of "Expressions of Tarot". Today, we will explore the archetype of the Empress and see how it impacts our choices for acquiring skills, learning new knowledge and growing professionally and personally. 

Introduction

The Empress is a card that always creates conflict among readers. While some stick to the conventional meaning of "fertility" and "motherhood", others say that these keywords limit the tremendous power empresses used to wield in times long past. 

I fall within the second camp - seeing the empress as a warrior first and a mother next. To me, she is a sharp strategist, who uses her soft sensuality to gently wrangle out of the world, what she wants. 

Sure, the empress was the wife of the emperor and the mother of the future heir, but the empress was also often the one pulling the strings behind the heavy silks of the ruler's bedchamber. 

Such a strong archetype cannot be pigeonholed into a singular narrative of "woman, wife and womb". 

When I look at the Empress, I believe this archetype has so much to offer everyone - gender no bar - in their personal and professional spheres. This energy is as much about creation, as it is about management and furtherance. 

So, in today's video, I want to explore these roles of the empress. About how this dynamic energy can allow us to - 

• Create new opportunities for ourselves. 
• Creatively grow our skills. 
• Take advantage of the tide to smartly navigate the constantly changing world. 
• Get ourselves ready for the future. 
• Manifest our desired lives in this constantly evolving world. 

Stop being the rabbit who is always on guard

I want to draw your attention to the Spiritsong tarot representation of the Empress. We see a rabbit or a hare seated amidst greenery and looking out into the world. Rabbits/hares have very large kindling of kittens. I guess that is one of the reasons which influenced the creator to use this imagery for the Empress. 

While this card shows a calm rabbit/hare, in reality, these creatures are always beset with worries. They look over their shoulders in anticipation of a predator they would need to hide from. To me, this represents us, when we are constantly worried about - 

• Being passed over for promotions at work. 
• Being rejected at job interviews. 
• Foregoing the safety net of a job we already have in order to pursue our professional goals and entrepreneurial dreams. 

Currently, with the world projecting a recession in 2023, more of us will find ourselves experiencing these internal struggles and uncertainties. 

Therefore, to make sure that we always have this cushion of the current job, we tend to toe the line, mind our P's and Q's and generally don't ruffle any feathers - both ours and others. 

When it comes to upskilling and reskilling, just like the rabbit/hare, many of us may only think of our short-term needs. 

What is it that we need to survive this year in this job and nab that promotion or pay hike that the company will offer in a few months' time? 

How can I make sure that, at least for this month/season, customers buy products only from me? 

I will think of what to do next later, let me focus on now. 

But that "later" never arrives. We get constantly stuck in the cycle of just surviving our day-to-day jobs. Does this really serve us? Won't the cushion of a job we're stagnating in, create a ceiling for our growth? 

When I look at this card, the Empress offers a cautionary message - 

"Beware. Don't become like the rabbit/hare who always looks over its shoulders, hides in the tall grass and crouches low to avoid attracting unwanted experiences. Sure, such behaviuors may save its life. But, is such a life spent in constant fear and uncertainty worth emulating? Will being a rabbit/hare improve your life?". 

Taking a leaf out of deciduous trees

Now, let me draw your attention to the Empress card from the Wild Unknown Tarot deck. You see a tree here, with white-pink leaves, against a dark background. If you've seen this deck before, you'll remember that the Emperor card is also represented as a tree. But, these two trees are different. While the emperor is an evergreen tree, the empress is a deciduous tree. 

That makes all the difference in the world. 

Deciduous trees shed their leaves at the turn of the season. Here is why - 

The leaves of deciduous trees lose water very quickly. Loss of moisture, if unaddressed, can lead to the death of the tree. Therefore, in summer, when there is a scarcity of water, the tree sheds all of its leaves and remains bare. During monsoon, spring and winter, it begins to grow back its leaves, since there is enough water to sustain them. 

Now, the problem of shedding leaves is that deciduous trees lose their access to a ready-made kitchen. Afterall, the leaves are the ones that conduct the process of photosynthesis and create nutrients for the rest of the tree. So, in order to not starve to death, the tree must replenish what nutrients it loses, from the soil. 

But what if such nutrient-rich soil did not exist? Won't the deciduous tree's growth be stunted? Won't it be malnourished, and its future growth negatively impacted? 

This is exactly what will happen, if, you choose to forego that cushion, break that ceiling and pursue your goals, without a plan in mind. I highly admire the courage people exhibit when they chase after their dreams. But to make this chase sustainable and to ensure you continue to grow no matter how the world changes, you need to be creative and smart. 

This is where - once you shed the leaves of your old life, which don't serve you well - you need to have that nutrient-rich soil of your own. 

And that brings me to the concept of "upskilling ourselves with creativity". 

Choosing the right set of skills to be skilled in, being mindful of the type of knowledge we pursue and training in the correct niches are extremely important. 

How do you find out if the skills, knowledge and niche you're thinking of upskilling in, is the "right one'? 

Well, predictive analytics. 

The Empress as a champion of predictive analytics 

Predictive analytics is a field within the larger field of Artificial Intelligence, that allows us to predict what trends might unfold in reality. It takes into consideration the searches people make on search engines, the hashtags we use on social media, the content we upload online and the purchases we make or don't make. 

Predictive analytics is used by businesses and individuals alike, to create a navigational chart for their decision-making. 

• Marketers and salespersons can know how a product/service might sell in the next few months or a few years. 
• A technologist will be able to judge what tech trends will revolutionize the world next. 
• A public healthcare institution will be able to monitor how diseases will spread around the world. 
• An HR professional can predict what skills will be obsolete and which ones will be in-demand in the market.  

You too can use predictive analytics to figure out which of your skills will no longer be in demand 6 months, 1 year or 5 years from now. You can use tools like Google Trends or the "trending topics" tab on social media platforms, to know where your professional sphere is headed. Or how your personal life may be affected by the way companies change their decision-making to suit the changing world. 

This way, you'll know what new knowledge will complement your existing skillsets. Doing this research early can give you enough time to seek the training you need, be completely skilled in your niche and be future-ready. 

That way, if you find yourself in a position where your existing skills just aren't enough to help you earn a good living or aren't enough to help you manifest your dream, then you will have your very own nutrient-rich soil to rely on. 

Like the deciduous tree, you will be able to shed the baggage which is dragging you down professionally or personally and be able to create a fertile and fecund place where you can grow the way you want. 

Accessibility, affordability and sharing our abundance 

Of course, one can't discuss either the empress or predictive analytics, without acknowledging the elephant in the room. Accessibility and affordability. 

Sure, tools like Google Trends and social media platforms are free to use. But, even if you have the information, it can be sometimes very hard to use that information to effect physical change. That's because to upskill you need to have that expendable income or the mentorship of a person with greater experience and better skills. Not everyone has that. 

Even when we consider the Empress, we need to remember that there were certain things she could do/say, that other women in the kingdom could never get away with. Her position as the most important woman in the realm, as the ruler's consort, protected her. 

So, while I am a strong believer in using the energy of the empress to be smart in the way we upskill ourselves through predictive analytics; I also acknowledge that this is only possible for the privileged. 

I urge all of us who have the means to upskill, re-skill and grow, while still having sufficient financial resources to support yourselves after upskilling and education - to help others who don't have our privilege. And it is here that I want us to remember the greatest lesson of the Empress. 

As a deciduous tree, the Empress acts as a source of food, a home and a place to rest for thousands of other creatures. The seeds of the tree - through pollination - multiply and increase forest cover. Through these generous trees, life in all its glory is created and sustained. 

So, channel the energy of the Empress and be the generous giver, supporter and nurturer. 

You can nurture yourself while nurturing others. You can grow to your most powerful while taking others up the ladder of success. You can make this journey to better things, together. 

Wrapping up 

Alright, this brings me to the end of this episode on "The Empress and Upskilling Ourselves Creatively through Predictive Analytics". I hope you have found this conversation to be of value. Do let me know what your thoughts are on the Empress as a figure that can allow us to mindfully create our desired futures. I look forward to engaging with you on this topic. 

Thank you for reading this blog and for watching my YouTube video. I'll see you on the next episode of "Expressions of Tarot" on Tales and Texts. 

- Nisha Prakash