Major Arcana: The Emperor

Major Arcana: The Emperor

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.
  1. The Story Unfolds:

    Beyond the Empress’s garden is the throne of the Emperor.  In contrast to his Empress, he is stern, austere, even a bit intimidating.  But under his power, the Fool can sense a kindness and fatherly compassion which tempers the Emperor’s sometimes iron grip on authority.

    The General Meaning:

    The Emperor in a reading speaks of leadership, ego, self-confidence, and power.  The Emperor, unlike a petty tyrant or dictator, sees the far-reaching effects of his actions, and rules with vision and compassion.  Never weak, he is capable of making hard choices, even waging war when necessary.  But in the end, he knows that wisdom, reason, and careful planning are the best and fastest route to prosperity.

    The Message:

    It’s not enough just to have vision.  It’s not enough to have the thrill of creativity within you.  For creativity to grow into something more than anarchy, there must be order.  There must be design, and the will to use that design systematically toward an end goal.

    The Emperor balances his fertile Empress with a solid structure, wise authority and gentle patronage.  Instead of a stifling, power-greedy dictator, the Emperor understands the subtle nature of leadership.  Like a gentle father guiding his children toward adulthood, he uses skill and patience to lead his subjects to their best expressions possible.  If and when it is necessary, he can be demanding, unyielding, protective, ambitious, reasonable, and confident.

    The shadow side of the Emperor is one we must all guard against–the misuse of ambition and power until it becomes tyranny over those who depend upon us for leadership.  In excess, power becomes corrupt, destroying that fragile creation it was charged to protect in the first place.

    Like the Magician and the High Priestess, the Emperor provides the balance for his Empress, shaping her immense creative energies and molding them into something both practical and impressive.  The Emperor calls us to look at our attitudes towards authority, both our own and that of those who lead us.  The Emperor stresses responsibility, especially when the lives of others are affected by our choices.

    When he shows up in a reading, the Emperor is calling you to lead with vision, clarity, and strength of character.  It is not the raging tyrant, but the worldly father who can lead those in his care to greatness.  Within each of us is the spark of the Emperor; it is up to us to encourage that wise and powerful person inside, the person we wish to become.

Leave a Reply