Towards his
fifth year, the child abandons his grandmother's lap and starts
hanging onto the skirts of his mother. He is now sufficiently
autonomous to not impinge too much on her activities. From now
on he follows her everywhere, noting what she says, what she
does and how she does it.
Within the traditional family, it is the mother who holds the
purse-strings and manages the household economy. She bears responsibility
for assuring provisions and for the planning of meals. But she
has yet other tasks which she must assume with method and good
humor. It is she who sets the tone. Guardian of the hearth,
it is up to her to generate a sense of family. All this she
conveys to the young child.
The Empress represents all those who cause money, the subtle
blood of our society, to circulate : shopkeepers, financiers,
bankers, etc... Water is her element (the French expression
for cash is "l'argent liquide"). Being a liquid, money must
flow freely, but not without purpose. The art is to not hold
it back, and not waste it. Well employed, money is none other
than the raw material of action. One can do nothing without
it.
From his mother, the young child receives the instruction of
the Empress : how to manage practicalities, keep money circulating.
