Introducing The Emperor IV
We see a mature man seated on a stone throne, holding an ankh in his right hand and a golden orb in his left hand. Red, purple, orange, and yellow dominate the card. Behind him the scenery is stark, without green (a contrast to the previous card, The Empress). This man radiates self-confident authority: Not someone to mess with. He looks like someone who rules and makes the rules.
Symbols & Systems
body posture
The Emperor sits, back straight, gazing directly into our eyes. His body posture is open – open to listening and receiving. It also reflects internal authority.
facial expression
This man is confident, with an air of authority. He also has a sternness in his facial expression; we can imagine him judging and make decisions without emotion when he needs to. This is not someone we could easily defy. In fact he appears a leader – someone to follow.
Stone throne
The stone throne signifies authority, as well as the material world. The throne feels cold, and so reflects a consciousness devoid of emotion. Sometimes we need to make decisions from a very rational place, and The Emperor is an expert at this. On the stone throne are four rams’ heads.
We cannot tell if The Emperor sits on cushions, but it is unlikely. Why would a man dressed in armor sit on cushions?
crown
The crown represents authority. The symbol at the top of his crown is actually the astrological symbol of Aries. The crown is golden, representing the sun in Aries.
ankh/orb
The ankh is the ancient Egyptian symbol for life. The orb represents the world and shows that The Emperor holds the world in his hand, i.e., he has dominion over the world. The Empress is one with nature; The Emperor rules over nature.
four rams on throne
The ram represents the astrological sign of Aries. Aries will be explained in more detail below.
stark scenery
Contrasting to the abundant fertility of The Empress, The Emperor has stark scenery behind him. Like his nature which is direct and not flowery.
mountain
Not only do the stone mountains signify authority, but mountains were also believed to be the home of the gods. Recall that Moses ascended a mountain to receive the Torah. Mountains represent in our psyche a connection to the divine.
water
The water in this card is a slow-moving stream. In The Empress card it was a cascading waterfall. The stream tells us that while The Emperor has emotions too, they do not overwhelm him.
Purple shawl
Purple has traditionally signified royalty. Purple was a costly dye, made from a particular shellfish that only resided in certain parts of the Mediterranean.
armor
Red is the color associated with the astrological sign of Aries. It is also the color of Mars, the planet that rules Aries. Red is the color of life force and passion, and its negative side is stagnation, anger, and frustration.
gods
The Emperor is linked to all the father figure gods in story, mythology, and religion: Osiris, Ra, Odin, Zeus, Jupiter, Yahweh, El, Marduk, Allah, Divine Father, and figures like King Solomon. The gods remind us that we all have an inner spiritual side that is masculine. They also remind us that to live in the material world, we must have order and structure in the society we live in.
number
The number of The Emperor card is 4. 4 is about stability, strength, and things that are fixed. 4 rules the physical plane, where rules and regulations keep order. 4 is about stability. Think about a chair: It has four legs, and is stable; you can’t push a chair over with your finger. So too, The Emperor is not easily pushed. 4 is also the number of the material world, and in Kabbalah, 4 represents the Cube of Space (more explained below).
Astrology
The planet Mars and the sign it rules – Aries – are associated with The Emperor. We see the symbols of Aries in the rams, on his crown, the color red, and his armor. In astrology, Aries represents the Greek god Ares and equivalent Roman god Mars, who represents vigorous energy that when not controlled, brings war. Those born under the sign of Aries are adventurous, forceful, risk-takers, and lovers of new life. Aries energy rules the head and face.
Kabbalah
The creators of the Rider Waite Tarot deck were members of the Golden Dawn, a group that followed teachings based on the Kabbalah. Kabbalists are mystics who believe that God is neither male nor female, and has many aspects. Kabbalah is all about learning why we’re here, the mystery of the universe, and what the big plan is.
Being the fifth card in the deck (remember, The Fool is zero), The Emperor is represented by the fifth Hebrew, letter Hey ה which depicts a window. We take in the world through our mind and eyes, and conversely we project who we are out into the world. The Emperor represents Ego. The letter Hey is also Hebrew for ‘the’. Therefore Hey contains within it the definite article. Hey is also the first of the 12 simple letters of the Hebrew alphabet, as its sound [equivalent of the English “h”] is singular and simple. So like Aries, it is the first in a series of 12. Aries is also one of the 12 Olympians.
The Emperor sits on the Sefirah Chokhmah on the Tree of Life, which represents ‘Wisdom’. When balanced, The Emperor is incredibly wise. He brings into the world the laws that keep the world balanced.
Kabbalists claim that The Emperor is the ‘Constituting Intelligence’, or the maker of the laws and rules that govern the material world. Through The Emperor we have stability in everyday life. When we vote in an election, we hope to elect a balanced Emperor figure who will be just, fair, and maintain law and order.
The message from The Emperor IV
The Emperor wants you to know that in order to go out into the world you need both inner and outer authority, i.e., confident authority: Inner authority to allow yourself to make the best decisions for yourself; and outer authority in order to create your place in the world and be seen and recognized. If you draw the Emperor, ask yourself these questions:
- Do I have an inner authority that I listen to?
- Do I exhibit authority in my everyday life?
- Can I make decisions with logic?
- Is my ego healthy and strong?
- Do I have within me the qualities of a leader?
- Do I have a routine and structure in my life?
- Do I have healthy relationships with the men in my life?
Allow yourself to focus on the positive aspects of authority.
As women, we might view the Emperor as cold, detached, and unemotional. Some Tarot decks such as the Motherpeace (one of my favorite decks) depicts the Emperor as a patriarchal figure. This is indeed one aspect of The Emperor, but not the only one.
As women, we can educate men how to treat us. We can stand up to abuse, rape, and dominion. We can set the rules for ourselves. We can teach our sons to respect women. We can teach our daughters to respect themselves. It’s not just up to men to let go of patriarchy; it’s also our responsibility.
First, however, we must heal our relationship to the male energy in our lives – both inside and outside. We can locate our own inner male (animus) and work with him to be more balanced within ourselves.
The Emperor IV reversed
When I see a reversed card, I simply see the energy blocked or inhibited in some way. How would The Emperor be inhibited? If you get The Emperor reversed for yourself or someone else, some questions to ask might be…
- Do I feel weak inside?
- Do I have issues with authority?
- Am I easily bullied or walked on by others?
- Do I have issues with my father?
- Do I communicate well with my spouse?
- Is there a lack of order in my life?
- Do I make rash decisions without emotion?
- Am I dependent upon others when I could be independent?
- Am I an ineffectual leader?
- Am I procrastinating in my life?
If you get The Emperor reversed, it’s advising you to wake up and take charge of your life: You are the master of your destiny. If you feel you cannot do so, then seek out help – healing, psychotherapy, or mentoring. Sometimes we need a mentor or life coach to help us find routine, order, and authority in our life.
To sum it all up
The Emperor invites you to meet your inner masculine and heal it. He also invites you to heal all your pain from experiences with males.
When we integrate The Emperor in a healthy way we are the leaders of our own life with clarity over our emotions and internal processes. We are independent, responsible and autonomous.
