Card of the Day~ The Emperor~ 5.13.07
Major Arcana Card #IIII, Marseilles Deck, entitled L’Empereur
A man dressed in armor sits regally on his throne, wearing his crown and holding his scepter, obviously at ease with himself and the power he wields. He is the picture of confidence and authority, lord of his domain and in total control. He rules his empire with a solid and firm hand, his subjects obey his every command, and all is achieved through the strength of his will.
The Emperor card is about control and about power. It is about authority, either your own over all the aspects of your life or someone else’s authority over you. Pretend that you have just decided to do a meditation and visualization for yourself using a Tarot card drawn at random. Now pretend that the card that you draw is the Emperor. Do you immediately recognize that the card represents you (it can be you, even if you are a female)? Or do you feel it is showing you someone else with great amount of influence over your life- a father, husband or dominating woman? If you feel that the card is you, how do you feel about it? Are you glad to be in control, or is the weight and responsibility of wearing the crown and guiding your kingdom a burden that you would like to lay down? If the card represents someone else, is this someone a “natural” authority in your life, or someone you have allowed to usurp your throne? Who’s really in control here? And finally, are we ever really in control, or is that just a comforting illusion that we live under? What would it be like to give up our illusions of control?
If you are keeping a journal, write, draw, collage your impressions as you do this meditation and visualization. If you are not keeping a journal, why not begin one now~ or share with us here in the Comments.
May 14, 2007 at 3:19 am |
The thing about The Emperor, and his archetype, is this; seeing the Emperor in a layout sigmifies that the Querent is seeking more control over their lives. The cards around it will give insight into what sort of decision it is.
For example, you have The Emperor in the present position card of the Celtic Cross layout, with the Devil in the Helping or Hindering position, with the The Ace of Swords in the Recent Past, and the Queen of Wands in the Final Result position.
That grouping will show that the person has recently chosen to change their lifestyle for the better. The cards in the near future posoitions will show whether they will be successful.
A good way to bring that up during the reading is to ask the Querent, “You’ve recently made a difficult choice. May I ask how you’re doing with it?”
This opens a dialog between you and the Querent, during which you can point out, using cards in the layout, why it is a good choice, how to keep themselves going in the right direction.
Then show them a positive card in a future position (it is truly easy to find a positive note in the worst of layouts) and encourage them to seek appropriate help.
The other side of the coin is when you see the Emperor in a layout surrounded by swords, The Tower and The Devil, you then have someone who can abuse a postion of power.
The sort of person who is mean for the sheer pleasure they get from another person’s pain. They can also be a person that is quick to judge harshly, or condemn them wrongly.
This also applies to the King of Swords to a lesser degree, the person that is the mean character isn’t as close to the querent, more likely a policeman or judge, someone with legal power over the querent’s present life circumstances.
Note* The Emperor is one of the ‘Married’ archetypes, he is seen usually the consort of the Empress.