Devil showed up as Lilith and said I’d be ending a toxic contract.
The very next morning I got a termination email. Finally free from that mess.
I think forcing Lilith into traditionally feminine cards like The Empress doesn’t really work. She’s got a completely different kind of power, raw and untamed. She won’t be tamed or fit into neat categories.
For me, she shows up in the cards that don’t follow the usual patterns. The rebellious ones, the ones that make you uncomfortable. That’s where I find her energy.
While there are contemporary decks with Lilith explicitly (Dark Goddess Tarot comes to mind), in the traditional RWS framework, I’ve always seen The Empress as embodying Lilith’s archetype.
The connection goes pretty deep. The Empress represents the untamed feminine creative principle, seated in nature rather than civilization, crowned with stars rather than earthly authority. She reflects Lilith’s refusal to be diminished, her connection to primal fertility, and her sovereignty over her own divine feminine power. Both archetypes speak to the wild, generative force that exists beyond patriarchal constraints.
You might also look at The High Priestess when working with Lilith’s more occult aspects, though The Empress is still my primary association for her in the cards.
People tend to find her through different archetypes depending on how they read.
If you see her as fierce and independent, the Queen of Wands fits. For the dark, lunar side, the High Priestess makes sense. When themes of desire, control, and shadow come up, some pull the Devil. For self-sufficiency and boundaries, the Nine of Pentacles shows up. For endings and deep change, Death. Go with what stands out when you shuffle.
She probably would’ve had some opinions about The Hierophant.
Modern tarot has definitely picked up on her, though. I’ve seen a few Lilith-specific decks online, but I haven’t used them myself so can’t really say if they’re any good or just using her name for the aesthetic. In regular decks, I’ve heard some readers connect her with The High Priestess for the hidden wisdom angle, or The Devil for the rebellious side. Kind of depends which version of Lilith you’re thinking of, the first woman, the night demon, or the astrological Dark Moon.
Maybe check the guidebooks for decks you’re interested in. Deck creators sometimes mention mythological connections in there.
Which Lilith are you working with, the Mesopotamian one or the Jewish version from later texts? That could really affect which cards to pay attention to.
If you’re connecting with her moon energy, are you planning to time your readings with specific lunar events instead of just new moons? Maybe making a special card just for her with a sigil or something. Could help you tell when it’s actually her speaking vs just your own stuff coming through. And definitely figure out your boundaries before you start, what you’re okay with and what you’re not.
When she shows up, you might want to read reversed cards differently. Instead of seeing them as blocked energy, maybe they’re showing where she’s saying no or claiming her power. What symbols will you look for to know it’s her: snakes, desert imagery, night scenes, red thread?