The third card of the Tarot, The Empress is a symbol of femininity, mother nature and love... (it gets better) so I remember reading somewhere the quote,
"Magic is the science of love",
I don't exactly remember where or from what book this is from, however, I do believe it sums up this card very well, seeing as how The Empress is crowned (crowns symbolize a divine authorisation of magic) she is also seated in a thrown which symbolizes the indisputable place which belongs to magic in spiritual, pyschic and natural life, there are many other elements displayed by this card that illustrate more connections however I feel it would be unnecessary to delve into these examples, instead lets talk about magic...
there are three types of magic,
1) magic where the magician is the instrument of divine power (this is sacred magic)
2)magic where the magician himself is the source of the magical operation (this is personal magic)
3)magic where the magician is the instrument of elemental forces or other unconcious
forces (this is sorcery)
The Empress is the first example, for she is the handmaid of the Lord
The Empress is a powerful card and when chosen during a reading depending on the situation at hand it can mean an overwhelming amount of something, when a situation perhaps becomes unbalanced and thus becomes toxic this card illustrates a negative connotation however The Empress can be a positive symbol of love, maternity or mother nature