Deep inside you, hardwired in your brain, you have the voice of your father looping. He tells you what you must do in order to receive love and approval. Without the approval of this inner voice (called the ‘superego’ by Freud) we sometimes fail to feel loved, wanted or appreciated.
The Emperor knows how to do lots of things but unconditional love is not his forte – He let’s his wife, The Empress, worry about that sort of thing. Yet we need his guidance through the maturation process or our lives would be utter chaos.
The trick is to learn to recognise the voice of disapproval and shush it up when we are old enough to maintain self-discipline without the need of other people’s approval.
Corresponding to Aries, cardinal fire, the Emperor can indeed be a fire starter and a rebel. But this is not his most well-known persona. His respectable ordinary day-to-day appearance is that of an authority figure. Perhaps someone who is able to help us in a practical or financial way. He could represent a banker, military leader or a politician; a grandfather, an overbearing partner or that pesky friend who always knows best… but he is always someone with authority.
I know a few tarot readers who struggle with the authority of the tradition-bound Hierophant because he sometimes places obstacles in the way of the free intuitive flow of the High Priestess. We need both intuition and tradition, of course. I never minded the Hierophant space because my childhood years were quite chaotic and school (Hierophant space) was a refuge.
For me the conflict was centred on the polarity between the voices of the Empress and the Emperor. With a lack of structure and without a clear system for reward/retribution, gaining approval was tricky. Also, because my mother left when I was three, there was no way of balancing the lack of approval with unconditional love and nurturing. I spent a lot of time outside the body, daydreaming. But I had ‘safe places’ in real life too. School (Hierophant) was one and my Grandmother’s (Hermit/Crone) was another.
Back to the Emperor: We encounter him first in our fathers and father figures in our immediate environment. As we grow older, we encounter this archetype over and over again in authority figures – no matter how little power they sometimes hold. You know that bus driver who won’t let you on the bus because you didn’t bring you exact change even though he could? He’s expressing a shadow aspect of the Emperor to compensate for a lack of feeling empowered. Next time this happens to you, you can just remind yourself of the Emperor and smile compassionately at him.
‘Computer says no’ from Little Britain is another example of this energy’s shadow.
But the gifts of the Emperor are many. Let’s not forget that spiritually he gives us power, emotionally he grants us stability and self-assertion, mentally we are better able to analyse situations under his influence and physically he gives us vitality and strong immunity.
Correspondences
Element: Fire
Zodiac Sign: Aries (Ruled by Mars)
Archangel: Camael and Ariel
Chakra: Solar plexus, root chakra
Colour: Red, orange, yellow, black
Crystal: Fire agate, hematite, red jasper, garnet, bloodstone
Body: Blood, bile, muscles, sinews, pineal gland, head, male genitals
Exercise: Body building, combat training, martial arts, boot camp
Stance: Seated (enthroned), with one hand extending a staff of power
Magickal Tool/Ingredient: Staff
Associated Major Arcana Cards (through numerology): Death, The Fool
Associated Minor Arcana Cards: All card associated with Aries (these are the minors to use in the Healing Key Spread).
- 2 of Wands (Mars in Aries). Healing through conflict resolution.
- 3 of Wands (Sun in Aries). Healing through following your own lead.
- 4 of Wands (Venus in Aries). Healing by completing that which has been started.
- Queen of Wands. Healing through self-awareness and guiding others.
The Emperor Through The Elements
The Emperor is all Fire. He is extremely powerful in the Element of Fire and his logical acumen comes to the fore in the Element of Air.
A Water-logged Emperor can be very grumpy and prone to misuse his power. He may also be impotent or suffer from headaches. Temperance is the antidote.
An Earth-bound Emperor may be rigid and stuck in his ways. He may be overly materialistic. On the plus side, he is very very grounded in reality.
Remedies to increase the Emperor energy in your life:
- You can make a tarot essence to increase The Emperor energy, using the Emperor card of your choice, along with any of the crystals above.
- Place the Emperor card or a piece of fire agate to increase your personal power while protecting yourself from power plays by others.
- Use an essence of the Emperor card to increase virility.
- Carry a piece of hematite with you to stay grounded.
- Create a tarot essence of one of the associated Minor Arcana cards (see above for uses).
- Start pumping iron.
- Make a staff.
- Pay your bills on time
- Be benevolent if you are in a position of power.
- Forgive your father.
Affirmation: “I am powerful and organised.”
Grounding/Balancing/Banishing
- Martial arts is a great way of balancing the Emperor energy – especially the softer forms like Tai Chi and Qi Gong.
- Wear white to dispel excess Emperor energy. (White is a colour to avoid if you are low on Fire.)
- Learn to say ‘Let me think about that’ if you are prone to fly off the handle and be quick with a ‘no.’
- Avoid alcohol.
LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPS
Because of his connection with the Father Archetype, the Emperor often represents an older man in a relationship with a younger woman. In a reading for a woman who is single, The Emperor could indicate that she is looking for a man who will ‘keep’ her, especially together with the 9 of Pentacles.
However, The Emperor could also represent a suitor who is willing to fight for her and who is mature enough to lay down the foundation for a lasting and mutually fulfilling relationship. Surrounding cards will tell you which. The Lovers and the 2 of Cups is a indication that this will be a good match.
In the relationship, the presence of The Emperor could indicate a need for or the presence of stability. It could also indicate a carefully balanced power dynamic or the need for one of the partners to be more assertive.
Finances, health issues or organisational matters could be weighing heavily on one or both of you – especially together with the 5 of Pentacles. The reversal of The Emperor could indicate male fertility problems or impotence.
The ill-dignified or reversed Emperor card could also be a red alert for anger management issues, especially near the 5 of Swords. Next to The Devil, downright abuse (physical, psychological or sexual) could be the problem.
Due to his Martian connection, The Emperor often shows up in readings for women who are attached to military men.
Let it not be said about The Emperor that he lacks stamina and sometimes uses this stamina to make up for what he lacks in finesse or sensitivity. That’s not to say that he is always completely lacking in the latter two though. With age and experience, The Emperor could be the consummate male lover by virtue of totally having embraced his masculinity.
He likes his woman to be overtly feminine and in a reading together with the 6 of Cups and The Empress, the presence of The Emperor could signify a case of soul mates who keep being attracted to each other through many incarnations in order to help each other balance male/female energy.
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