Welcome to the commanding Emperor card. The Emperor is all about the correct use of power and dominion. His incredible energy is the underlying foundation of every building we inhabit. I see him as the ultimate architect. Where his partner, The Empress, contains the wilderness, The Emperor is the engineer of society. He is also the paternal figurehead to her maternal space, and the divine masculine to her divine feminine.

 

The Emperor represents our cultural touchstones, like our legal rights, our seasonal holidays and our concept of group and national identity. He provides security in clearly defined boundaries, instructions, timings and procedures. He is a natural leader - driven and organised.

 

He is responsible for the placement of cultural institutions such as organised religious practises, monarchy, education and law. He represents the process under which society can be governed, and traditions and rituals are part of his lifeblood. Give him a nod the next time you eat a chocolate Easter egg or are awestruck by a national monument. He builds things to last.

 

He is not an inventor in the sense of The Magician. Rather, he shapes innovation into organised use and creates the ultimate 'how to' guides for civilisation. For this he requires specific tools.  These tools are something he asks you to focus upon when you receive him in a reading.

 

His most significant message is the requirement of laying down the law in your own life. He asks you 'Are your boundaries clearly defined?  Are your ambitions supported by strong foundations? Do you offer a sense of security and commitment to other? Are you being organised and decisive?' The buck stops with the Emperor. Often he shows up when we need to say 'no' to behaviour that breaches our personal values or disrespects and undermines our dignity.

 

By setting parameters he asks you to realise that leadership is required of you. A show of strength is key to a stable position. He is not asking you to invade anyone else's territory, just to embrace your right to your own. Many a parent can pull this card if he or she is struggling to call the shots.

 

The Emperor is so decisive in his actions that he can veto immediately if the situation requires it, or he can usher in an entirely new system. He often represents the need for turning over a new leaf. Once he has made up his mind, he is capable and dedicated.

 

This is a card of strategy and he asks you to think about efficiency and respect. This can vary from rescuing your filing system from chaos, to careful diplomacy in handling tricky variables. Take control of your realm without fear. It may be that you are on the cusp of laying some kind of a building block that will stay the course for the rest of your life.

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A great architect designs something that will last generations and inspires others to follow suit. In this sense he is a classicist and embodies all the four kings of the Minor Arcana. The Emperor is the card of our legacy and in the broadest sense we are all participants in the Empire of Humanity. He draws inspiration from the natural order of his partner The Empress and moulds it into our culture.

 

He asks us 'what legacy would you like to leave behind?'

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Reversed or Negatively Aspected -  This card has significant power and 'with great power comes great responsibility'. If the card is negatively aspected then he can become rigid or suffocating. At his worse he is tyrannical and demanding. This is rare but if it rings true you may need to own up to overbearing behaviour. If the card represents another person, you may need to stand up to intimidation. 

 

The Emperor has a tendency to barricade himself in, emotionally and mentally, if he feels his process may be exposed to criticism or under scrutiny he can be punishing to those who dare to challenge him. The Emperor is an expert, but this can become the definition of his existence as he has to be 'right'.  The idea of having to adapt is not easy for a negatively aspected Emperor. He would rather throw the baby out with the bathwater and call in a new system than compromise at all.

 

Either way, just remember that leadership is not about control. Leadership gives genuine security to it's chosen tribe. It restores and maintains a peaceful state. Control creates conflict.

 

Another negative aspect of this card can be his dogma. Once the Emperor has signed up to a specific social label or subscribed to a certain mode of being, he can be the very definition of rigid, no matter how positively labelled his cause or pursuit. His certainty in his own process can be perceived as the only worthwhile road. In turn, this can make him blinkered, inflexible and hypocritical - the embodiment of a totalitarian state.

 

Negativity and hopelessness can be the shield of many an unhappy Emperor. This character finds it particularly hard to master internal changes, and despite his intelligence can be blind to the relationship between his inner domain and the larger worldly one. To protect himself further, he tends to surround himself with people who agree with his approach. Underneath it all, he's sensitive, scared and struggles with a sense of shame. 

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