The Emperor — The Major Arcana
The word Arcana comes from the Latin word Arcanum, which represents a sacred secret or mystery that one must discover. The Emperor is related to the Major Arcana and signifies major life lessons you’ll learn on this path, that of assuming command of your life.
The secret paths of the Major Arcana represent the journey of the Fool, in which the Fool learns new lessons with every step of the way and overcomes obstacles and gains wisdom from lessons learned!
The Emperor — The Father
The Emperor represents the path of power, obedience and control and is the father and builder of structures and assumes command of his life, environment, body, temperament, instincts and affairs of his heart.
“I am ruled by the zodiac sign of Aries. I am a leader and not a follower. I am a mover and a shaker, fearless and forging ahead. I am direct and do not have a hidden agenda.”
As monarch, I can either be demanding or charismatic, and I might be the right person that you need to motivate you and impel you to realize your potential! I wear boots made of armor, and I will trample you underfoot should you attempt to betray me!”
The Emperor’s Ruler — Aries
The Emperor is connected to the sun sign of Aries, which is in turn connected to fire and the planet Mars. By virtue of these combinations, he derives his strength and fiery passion for living life in the intensely felt present. But Mars also contributes to the Emperor’s temperament, and dominated by a strong and assertive astrological fire sign, the Emperor relishes his independence. His instinct for leadership prompts him to venture forth into the world and to retrieve what he needs and wants under his own initiative.
As an Aries personality, the Emperor creates excitement, while as a cardinal fire sign, ruled by the planet Mars, he tends to lead with power. He is both the first sign in the zodiac and the first day of spring. The Emperor is a true child of the springtime, he is constantly dynamic in his motion, fearlessly forging ahead with a curious energy that leads him into novelties and discoveries.
Boredom is his downfall, and when it strikes, the Emperor tends to move on, leaving situations unfinished. He is forthcoming and direct and usually does not have hidden agendas or ulterior motives.
Those who deal with him always have a fair and honest assessment of their position, as he never refrains from frankly describing his feelings about a situation.
Murphy’s Law — Retrograde Motion
The Emperor, through his association with the planet Mars, is related to energy, action, desire, and war (he goes into battle to win). Planet Mars turns retrograde about every two years and during this time you might feel tense and angry.
You might internalize everything until you explode or release what is bothering you. The planet Mars is bringing out your frustrations. Everything you have internalized inward will be released aggressively.
Mars retrograde will have an impact on you because retrograde motion slows everything down, during the time when the planet backpedals through its transit. This retrograde makes you wait and no one likes to wait when ready to initiate new projects. This may be a time when you become irritated and make poor choices because you are fighting against Mar’s slowness and feel impatient.
Whatever you try to initiate may fizzle out and go nowhere, and you’ll become extremely frustrated because you’ll expect to move at your normal rapid pace, and not at the slower pace of others. This maybe a time when you’ll get into heated arguments and fire off your “Grenades” because, at times, you will not refrain from frankly describing your feelings about the situation, however, the grenades may come back at you later on as a big mistake!
The Story of the Emperor Tarot Card
The Emperor is enumerated four, a stable number that denotes security, authority, control, responsibility, and experience. The number four can be disrupted only with great difficulty, for this number has the strength of Hercules in the Major Arcana. But stagnation, the Emperor’s weakness, ever threatens to rob him of his focus. He is the father of Cupid, who, armed with his bow and arrow, learned his war-like qualities from his father and passions from his mother.
The background of the Emperor card is bright orange woven with yellow. Orange symbolizes his energy, intelligence, determination, confidence, ambition, and action, while yellow represents his creativity, intellect, mental activity, clarity and enlightenment. His formidable throne, with its emblem of the ram, is carved of stone — a sign that he is rigid and set in his ways, and represents the power of majestic royalty, a position of solid, earned strength typical of the Aries cardinal fire sign.
The Emperor’s circumspect eye surveys all that it can reach. Power, royalty, and unquestionable authority also attach to the symbol of his jeweled crown and his sparkling red and bright blue gems. He is well-versed in the art of how to protect himself from his enemies, and layered over his armor he wears a red robe, a sign of his high royal rank, and a bright blue shirt, representative of his superior intelligence and awareness. Power radiates from nearly every element of this image, from the gold staff in his right hand and the gold bracelet on his left hand, to the ram heads that frame his mighty throne, which also suggest determination and strong initiative.
He is connected to the zodiac sign of Aries and the planet Mars, and he has a stubborn side, as his arduous life experiences, symbolized by his long, white beard, have taught him unforgettable lessons that he is not likely to set aside or turn from lightly. He wears boots made of armor, a sign to his would-be enemies that he is capable of trampling them underfoot should they attempt his betrayal.
The Emperor’s officers are covering their faces because they fear the Emperor. In particular, the officer dressed in yellow fears the Emperor’s intellect and mental activity while the officer dressed in orange fears his ambition, and the changes that he is not afraid to make.
The Emperor wants you to know that he is strong and prepared to confront the random vicissitudes of life. Fear holds no sway over him.
My Interpretation of the Emperor Tarot Card
The Emperor’s character speaks of establishing a strong, stable foundation for life and of forging plans that will convert his thoughts and ideas into reality. A disciplined leader, he has always earned his way and never retired to the background or relied on the charity or assistance of others. These traits make him a respected teacher for the next generation, who view him as the father and benefactor, builder of the home, husband, lover, and strong career man.
Power and ambition define the Emperor, whom assumes command of his own life as well as his environment, body, temper, instincts, and affairs of his heart. The wants and needs of others cannot hope to control this aggressive, brave, bold, and commanding figure.
As monarch, commander and chief of his environment, the Emperor can either be demanding or charismatic, possibly being just the person that you need to motivate you and impel you to realize your potential.
If he is your boss, he can feel like an unwelcome chore in your life at times. You may even question his leadership abilities, finding him demanding or unreasonable. It might be time to rethink your position in the workforce because his blunt, unrefined comments can be cold and hurtful. The problem lies in his belief that his position, earned through laborious efforts, makes him invariably right. Though his intelligence and strength cannot be denied, he does not have the right to wound others with his stinging opinions, a fault he must acknowledge.
Upright: You are confident, in control of your marriage, family, business and environmental relationships. You are a person that offers sound advice, and secure relationships (personal and business).
Reverse: You are distracted because you have a distorted focus or lack control and self-discipline. You may be difficult to deal with because of your need to control everything around you, and you might refuse to entertain the thoughts and plans of other people.
If the Emperor is your boss, he can feel like an unwelcome burden. You may even question his leadership abilities, finding him demanding or unreasonable. Though his intelligence and strength cannot be denied, this power does not give him the right to wound others with his stinging opinions. You might decide to look for a new job.
Timing is 1 – 30 days.
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