Empress: Why we Stand by It Why we LIVE by IT

Shaleia & I do not follow the tarot card thing but people always ask us why we use and revere the word Empress. Well its for many reasons, and you will find out more and more as we post and share our stories but the Empress tarot card is mother figure of the tarot card deck. To us Empress means all things and everything, its what we are as women rulers of this earth. We command love, power & respect in all things we do. We give life and meaning to all things we encounter. Empress is not a mere label, its a way of life, its how you carry yourself, ruler of an empire. The Empress tarot card is just one example of the power of what Empress means to us.

Introduction to the Empress Tarot Card Meanings:The mother figure of the Tarot deck, the Empress Tarot card meanings are all about love, abundance, nurturing, and pleasure. When we observe the card we see elements of nature - all exploding on the card - the Empress brings about the flood of growth and is the epitome of abundance. She reminds us that there is always enough for everyone to enjoy. There is no shortage.

Shield: The Empress abides by one motto: "From love I do come, from love I do go" and her shield is a testament to this creed. The Empress knows (as we all should) that when we enter all situations with the shield of love, we are always protected. When we envelope ourselves with a force-field of love, there is no need for fear. The shield is a paradox - we think of protection - yet the emblem of love (Venus, a heart) is pictured on the shield. The paradox is that where there is love there is instant protection, yet to love also requires our vulnerability.

Waterfall: Water is a universal sign of motion, emotion, abundance, and also gives the reader a concept of abundance as it is usually depicted on the card in the form of a waterfall. This symbol expresses the ability of the Empress to open up her intuitive resources and allow abundance to flow through her freely. Consider the exhilarating rush of a waterfall - expansive and powerful - even a little frightening as it crashes against the rocks. The waterfall is a reminder that with tranquility also comes extreme force - we must be mindful of our capacity to love and create - as well as our ability to hate and destroy.

Wheat: Wheat is a universal sign for nourishment. With it comes the association of harvest. This symbol is a profound expression of the Empress in her nurturing glory. She assures that all the elements are in place so that growth occurs, and bounty is harvested. She also reminds us that the seeds we sow are in direct relation to the harvest we shall reap. The wheat is also a symbol of a process - a time to sow, a time to grow and a time to pick the fruits of our labor. The Empress is keenly aware of time and the part it plays in manifesting our desires. Let the wheat be a symbol to us that our desires are not usually on "microwave time" (press a button & it's done). In short, it takes time to see the process of our desire unfold into our reality.

Yellow Cabs Drivers Can Suck A C*ck

Now I'm not talking about all yellow cab drivers but most of the ones in NYC are assholes who have no respect for other drivers or people on the road!

I'm driving minding my business going to work this morning (about 1hr late, but that's besides the point) and this cock of a yellow cab driver just comes over in my lane without looking so my right side bumber and his left back bumper meet.

This rass has the nerve to look at me like I caused the accident. So I'm yelling at him like "Why the f' didn't you look before you change lanes, pull the f' over".

He pulls over and gets out of his cab acting as if he doesn't know what is going on. I ask him more calmly why he didn't look before he changed lanes and I tell him I need his info.

Now those who know my car know that old Betsie has been through a lot, I have a couple dents here and there, a bunch of scratch marks and my hood is not the same black color as the rest of my car (but again that's neither here nor there, I digress). That does not mean my baby should get disrespected and scratched up.

The only visible signs of my car from his cab was yellow paint which all together isn't that bad because I can always use a buffer to get it out. But I was still pissed. I also realized that I didn't have time to stand and argue with this man over something that wasn't that serious, I didn't feel like calling the cops to do a police report or getting insurance involved so I made him admit it was his fault (cause at first he said it was mines) before I drove off. Anywho the point is yellow cab drivers can suck cocks, they drive as if they own the streets and now they are trying to take over my Brooklyn streets. All I know is that he is lucky that wasn't my future range rover or benzino, ooh girl we would of had problems. But its all good, things could of been worst and I made it to work late but safe.

Baby Borrowers

I'm tired but I can't sleep, whats new. So I decided to sip on some jesus juice and watch tv. I'm watching this new show on NBC called "Baby Borrowers" where teenage couples get a taste of what it is like to have a child. Will it make them or break them?

First of all why the hell do you want to have a baby so young. Do they really want a taste of 

what its like to be a young mother? Then they should've grown up with my ass. I have 6 nieces and nephews and they started appearing...lol... when I was 11. Imagine sharing a room with 2 sisters and a baby, oh my. My older sis had her first child at 18 so I saw first hand what the 

struggles were being a young single parent. And boy did it teach me a lesson. I dont want no damn kids anytime soon. They don't listen, they cry, they talk back, they wine, they walk slow, they cost money and I can't bring them to the club with me. When I'm ready, I'll have them but for now mama needs to live. 

P.S. Y'all heard about those donkeys in Massachuessetts who made a pact to get pregnant together. I don't know how true it is but they are surely going to get what they asked for.

The Two Sides of Jweezy: Sample Argument

The Positive Jweezy says:
I love my life, I am truly blessed. I have great friends, a man that loves me really loves me, great health, a supportive mom, an awesome lil sis, I own my own place and am about to own another, a job that pays the bills, I can go on for ever but...

The I don't care I want what I want now Jweezy says:

Why do I have to sit in this dumb ass cubicle from 9am to 5pm and pretend to do work that I can do in 1hour, why do I have to smile at my stupid co-workers when they pass me in the hallway, why do I have to do work that don't really mean ish at the end of the day, urgh! It's so nice outside, I want to be free, I want to be in another country backpacking and seeing something new, I want to be on South Beach with Superman or Call a Cab in my hand , a large one! (wet willies drink, for those that don't know), I want to sleep until I feel like getting up, I want to do something everyday that makes me happy. You know they say the goal in life is not to be happy but to find something meaningful to do , to not be bored. I just don't want to be bored. Im 25, these are the best years of my life, I don't want to waste them in this GOD DAMN CUBICLE! dlkfwdknsdfk

The Positive Jweezy says:
Relax and think about things, are you really wasting your life? Stop being so dramatic. Everything you have ever done has lead you up to where you are at this very moment. This job you hate so much has allowed you to own you own property, B! you about to own another, ish aint that bad obviously because if it was you would find a way to quit, move on , escape. Some people don't even have jobs or a career, don't even have a place to call their own. Life is good.

The I don't care I want what I want now Jweezy says:
Yeah Life is good but Life is short, too short to be stuck in this cubicle!

The Positive Jweezy says:

O shut the F up, find the everyday joy's in life now, you don't have to wait to quit your job to do it. Happiness isn't a place or a setting, its a state of mind. Learn to work with what you got. The universe is perfect, it is cause your exactly where you need to be at this very moment.

The I don't care I want what I want now Jweezy says:

URGH, ok ok you won this time miss goodie two shoes...but I'll be back....

Hard Times At Douglass High

Ok so I have cable with HBO.. I'm not bragging but I do..lol. Which allows me to catch some great documentaries, cause you know HBO is Fire.

Anywho last night I watched "Hard Times at Douglass High..." and it was good. It documented kids from an inner city high school in Baltimore and the many challenges they faced. At first it just felt like these kids didn't give an F. Well let me not say that, cause with parents, motivation and a sense of worth any kid can make it. But these kids were just trying to survive. There were 17 yr old ninth graders, kids who played in the hallway and almost every girl they spoke to had a baby. I was at a loss of words.

One part that really got to me was when the basketball team lost their championship game (or some important game) and the team captain went on a rant on why kids sell drugs or play ball. That the man is just setting them up to fail, that they will end up spending their lives in prison. Yes, I do feel school systems in the inner city are definitely not equal to the school systems in the suburbs but when do you start taking responsiblility for your own actions. When do these kids stop blaming other ppl for why they are 30 in the 10th grade.

My first instinct was to feel sorry for the teens and I could empathize with a few of the kids they showed. There weren't many books for them to use, the school was understaffed and most teachers weren't certified. But then I got a second wind and my view changed. I couldn't feel bad for them after a while. In life you have choices and you are the only controller of your destiny. So if you want to act like an ass in the hallway instead of sitting in class learning something, so that maybe one day you can make something of yourself, thats your fault. If you think a wicked jumpshot or selling crack is going to get you the hood, then you need to get a life. The man is never going to root for you, cause its easy to keep you down, so don't let them.

I also wanted to run through the school with a belt acting a fool cause they were BAD.

You can learn more here http://www.videoverite.tv/pages/filmsmain.html

O yeah- Postings Coming Soon On Italian Night With The Girls

We are going to be posting the pics and run down of Itallian Night this past Saturday. We hads lots of food, lots of fun and lots of DRINKS!!! We didn't leave our homie Dag's house till 4:30am...smh...

Enjoy Being FREE!

Ok, so in Sha Sha's last post she talked about hanging out with her friends and talking to them about being single and how the most of them had boyfriends....Yup you guessed it, I was one of those friends telling her to enjoy her single life. Basically I have been dating my boo, man, other half for 6 years, yes you read that right, 6 YEARS! lol (we had a few breakups in that time but for the most part have been together). We met freshman year in college and I didn't know what hit me. Honestly, I was never one of those girls who wanted or needed a man, never understood how people so young could be so serious. So you can imagine how weird I felt being smitten with a dude so young and in my prime ;) - I was only 19.

Now while I don't regret finding love so young I do often have moments of un-clarity such as "What the hell am I doing, I'm too young to be so serious, What else is out there, etc" I have grown out of most of those thoughts as I have matured and have also dated other guys in the time when me and my honey were broken up.

But nonetheless its is very much different being 25 and single and being 25 in a long term relationship. I tell Sha Sha all the time to enjoy her singledom, to love not having anyone or anything to answer to (not that I do, but when your in a relationship, you have to think about the other persons feelings and be respectful to a certain extent). She can wake up every morning with infinite possibilities of who she will meet, she can go on tons of first dates and get the jitters and butterflies of now knowing what will happen.

Our dating patterns have been 100% opposite, I have been in a relationship and she has been single for the past 6 years of our friendship. So we both see the good and bad to each side. For the most part, I just want her to be happy being single and to enjoy it because when she does meet "the one" she won't have any regrets or thoughts of "Have I dated enough ppl, I'm too young for this, etc" She will know when she meets "Mr Right" because for her she has dated so many "Mr Wrongs".

New Articles On Empressmag.com

Check em out!

Unshackle Your Romance Relationship

Are You Single and Scared to Death You Always Will Be?

The WRAP UP /// Amy W., Women In Media, Spike Lee

Gettin It In

So I'm single, yeah I know it may be hard to believe but this Diamond Princess doesn't have a man as of yet. So I do what any other single gal do, put myself on the strip and see if I can get any takers haha. But dating hasn't always been fun for me.

This past Saturday I was having a convo with a few of my girlfriends (who all have men.. so sometimes we don't relate when it comes to certain things) and they were talking about how happy I should be about having endless possibilities while dating, the butterfly feeling and the freedom to do what I want. Now I have moments when I think of those things but my brain is usually like this " when is he going to call, damn the bill is over $50 I hope he don't act up, what does he want from me, no I dont want to go to your house the first time we chill, yes I like attention, why can't he stick to his word, no I don't want to kiss you ppl have diseases in their mouths, was that text meant for me, ".

However, after the discussion I thought to myself maybe I should just make my dating experience fun. I still got some years in me so why not take advantage of this freedom before I really am locked down. Plus the grass always looks greener on the other side. So let me just handle mines for now

Its Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Who Hoooooooooooooo

I don't know about yall but it's Friday and I'm feeling gooooddddddd. The weather is nice, I don't have to get up early tomorrow and I have a couple events lined up over the weekend that I'm excited about, ie. sister recital & Italian cooking night with my homies.

Any special plans this weekend (other than drinking) lol , cause I know how some of yall do?

My First Time!

So I'm in here, for real this time. I'll be talking about everything from my frustations in the workplace, trying to do this entrepreneurship thing, maturing to great friends irritating me (usually occurs during the morning or midafternoon but it comes with the territory), my dating woos (it goes up and down on any given day), good times and just my unrated, undocumented life.

Note To Self: Possible Wedding Photographer Found

No, I'm not getting married anytime soon but I think I found the guy that I want to take my wedding photos. Check his blog out here. His pics are dope.

We're Back Bitches- Unfinished Business

Hey everyone...as you can see I haven't created any post in a while. But I am going to be more consistent, I promise...

Which reminds me how many things/business/ventures have you thought of doing and you never followed through with? For any reason, whether you got bored or lazy with it or it just didn't work out.

I (we) have (had) a couple of ideas:

Clothing Line/Jeans Company
Party Hot line
A Series
A radio show
A cab company
etc
etc
etc
What are yours?