Revisiting The Emperor — Three perspectives

Editor’s Note: If you want to experiment with tarot cards and don’t have any, we provide a free tarot spread generator using the Celtic Wings spread, which is based on the traditional Celtic Cross spread. This article explains how to use the spread. You can visit Sarah’s website here. –efc

By Sarah Taylor

In the most recent Weekend Tarot Reading, we came face-to-face with The Emperor as an archetype of construction, self-expression and responsibility. I think this ties in well with the current astrology, which seems to have a theme of stepping up to the highest ideals that we hold for ourselves and the world around us, what that entails, and how we can harness what is available to us in order to grow into these ideals.

This week, I’d like to offer three other perspectives of The Emperor, from three tarot writers, namely Pamela Eakins (The Tarot of The Spirit), Michael Owen (The Xultun Tarot) and Gerd Ziegler (The Thoth Tarot) — all of which can help to further define and refine this archetype for us so that we can work with it more consciously and more fully. With my heartfelt thanks to all of them — their work has been significant to my own understanding of tarot.

Pamela Eakins — The Tarot of The Spirit

Divinatory Meaning

Build a firm base of clear knowledge; do not become too rigid; remain open and lucid; to retain control, know and serve a higher force; build your world in beauty and light; do not forget that the Emperor remains Emperor because he has a global sense of things that others do not necessarily possess, yet he will be overthrown if he does not serve his constituents; to remain in power, use your insight and serve those around you.

Interpretation

The Emperor is swift, male, creative energy. He is a discoverer, a leader, a pioneer, initiator and adventurer. He has clear sight and presence of mind. This enables him to be exceedingly well organized.

His sight is clear because he is, figuratively, a window. He is Heh which means window. Literally, Heh is the eye of the wind (auga, eye, Indo-European; vindr, Old Norse; windoge, Middle English). The eye of the wind is the transparent opening or pane, which illuminates the structure of all form. This is the eye or Windowpane of the Soul — that which sees All, knows All — the mystical third eye of the East.

It is noteworthy that the root of pane is pan which means fabric (Indo-European). The Emperor is like the windowpane that is the structure of all things, even as it allows for the illumination of the structure of all things. This structure can be seen as the fabric of all substance.

Because the Emperor understands the nature of structure so well, he knows what can and cannot be controlled. His success is based on possessing the ability to change that which is changeable, to accept that which cannot be changed and the wisdom to know the difference between the two. This is the key to the Emperor’s wisdom.

From this knowledge emanates the idea that the best Emperor serves his subjects by ruling and retains his power of initiative only through offering himself in service. To remain in power, he must meet external needs, needs that transcend his own personal needs. To meet others’ needs, he must know and understand all that — both human and non-human — he serves. Thus, his intelligence is reflective, just as it is constituting.

The Emperor is referred to as the Key of constituting intelligence. This is because he makes up the components or elements of form. The Emperor knows the substance of form and, simultaneously, is the substance of form. He knows it because he is it. This is one of his mysteries.

The Emperor is Key IV. Four represents stability and security. It is substance. Four represents the physical plane. It is the number of building physical structures. It is also the base number of the cube. The cube, which is the Emperor’s throne, has six faces and is composed of twelve intersecting lines. Twelve is a complex juxtaposition of four — the ephemeral — and three — the eternal. The six sides of the cube unfold into the Calvary Cross, which represents sacrifice. The most poignant aspects of sacrifice are symbolized by the death of Jesus.

This is the base of the Emperor’s experience: He retains his influence through sacrificing. As the mediating force between the light realm of the universal force of emission, Chokmah (the Eternal Father Principle), and Tiphareth, the One Light manifested on the Material Plane (the Sun, divine son, beauty), the Emperor provides resolution for a basic male conflict. He understands well that Christ was crowned as King because he sacrificed himself for the higher good. This is not to say that the Emperor is manipulative and would sacrifice himself in order to gain. Rather, it is by his very nature that the Emperor sacrifices his life for his subjects. He knows that true gain comes through surrender. If he does not serve, or becomes too enamored of himself or his power, he will face rejection, the fall from grace. Thereby, the Emperor knows the mysteries of Death [card 13] … and Divine Resurrection [Judgement, card 20] … . The Emperor understands the essence of the Father as well as the Son. He is fatherly. He is benevolent, compassionate, understanding, protective. He is the archetypal savior with the power to redeem the falsely accused and pardon the sinner.

He is also the father who engenders the child. Although the force is unseen, it is the father who impregnates the mother who in turn brings form into being. This is the capacity of the Emperor as originator.

In mythical expression, Father Time holds the hourglass as well as the scythe. His sense of timing is of the essence. Timing is of the essence in impregnating the universal female force. The Emperor is successful because his is an expression of the primal will to yield fruit and he understands the nature of all things. The Emperor, as Father Time, is the perfect archetypal mate for Mother Nature [embodied most by The Empress]. He enters Mother Nature — the dark, cool, receptive force — and plants the seed of form. Therefore, the Emperor has been called He Who Sets in Order, or He Who Constitutes. Although unseen, he is the supreme architect of the universe.

The Emperor, working through you, frames the constitution of your personal world. This means that, as if framing a picture through the lens of a camera, you constitute your world through the focal points you select. You have power over your subject matter, but only if you understand its nuances. Your timing is of the essence. You must understand the workings of the camera, frame the shot and capture the light. The outcome depends on how well you “serve” your subject. To do this, you must project yourself into your subject and understand it. You must also understand your tools. You become the artist, the tripod, the camera, the landscape, the frame, the light, the photograph. You are the path of light. You are the stuff from which every form is built and the supply for every need. You are the master. You are the progeny.

Once you have the vision — once you have constituted your “frame” — you also have the voice. You speak your truth through your vision. For those who have ears to hear, this is the way of the word. In truth, you utter your Self by the way you see.

When the patrons of art come to view your works, however, they do not see you. They see only your product, your work. This is as it is with the unseen creative force of the universe: the Emperor. So, it is said: existence is a veil of concealment, for “Thou shalt never see me as I am, but thou mayest know me in what I have done.” [Paul Foster Case, The Book of Tokens, Tarot Meditations]

The lesson of the Emperor is this: whatsoever you wish to conquer, you must serve. Whatsoever offspring you wish to beget, you, alone, must father. Therefore, let thy deeds be the offspring of the path of light.

Michael Owen — The Maya Book of Life: Understanding the Xultun Tarot

Through the proper application of masculine energy and discipline he serves his subjects by assigning the appropriate position to all things and promoting what is best for all in his realm. Psychologically, the Ruler [The Emperor] is the part of the ego that has the strength, fortitude and determination to take ourselves in hand, and not let one desire or appetite rule us. He represents the concrete meaning of the God-given right to rule in our inner world when we are connected to the Self. Robert Bly said, “The inner King is the one in us who knows what we want to do for the rest of our lives, or the rest of the month, or the rest of the day. He can make clear what we want without being contaminated in his choice by the opinions of others around us.”

This inner authority that enables the ego to make its mark on the world requires a courage that does not flee at the first sign of conflict and an emotional certainty that does not collapse when things go wrong. This is what is called “self-esteem” or “self-confidence”… .

Gerd Ziegler — Tarot: Mirror of the Soul

As long as the Emperor’s powers are used for transformation and new beginnings, their effect is beneficial. But beware using them to preserve the status quo. When used to preserve the status quo, the structure of the Emperor’s realm petrifies, his boldly determined expression becomes frozen. His authority, once grounded in wisdom, expresses as authoritarian domination. Living in fear of change, he attempts to nip any rebellion in the bud. He is then doomed. His own resistance to the flow of the Tao sooner or later will topple his reign.

Indication: This is a propitious moment for a change or a new beginning. Trust your own energy and move with it.