4 – Control
Keywords: Stability, Permanence, Form, Structure
The Emperor sits on a stone throne surrounded by mountains. He has a golden scepter in his right hand, a golden ball in his left hand, and a golden crown on his head. Beneath his red robe he is clad in full armor, prepared to fend off potential usurpers of his throne. He keeps his eyes focused on his peripheral surroundings.
This is a tricky card because on the surface all the symbols seem to suggest that the Emperor’s rule is stable and under his control. However, this is only an illusion. Though the Emperor’s rule appears to be as permanent and enduring as the highest mountains of Earth, in time, like the mountains, it too will eventually crumble, disappear, and fall forever out of memory. Therefore, the lesson of this card is that control and permanence are nothing more than temporary illusions.
In a tarot spread the Emperor represents experiences in your life that make you feel stable and in control. It can also signify a period of accomplishment after spending time struggling to achieve a desired goal. However, it can also negatively represent a period where you resist change or find yourself clinging to the past because of attachment and comfort.
8 Comments
Is (and can) the Emperor (be) content in his role at the top? Or is he paranoid and fearful because he is wise enough to know it won’t last?
As far as cards in the Major Arcana are concerned, The Emperor seems to possess very human qualities.
You’d have to ask the Emperor those questions, lol.
Andrew,
I remember back in our college years you figured out what our cards were somehow. It would be pretty cool if you could do that again for all of us, Babelers. If I recall, correctly my card was the Lovers…oooh lala.
He did some sort of numerology magic to get everyone’s card. It was pretty cool. I think I got the Hermit, quite fitting.
Ooooh lala indeed.
Yeah I’m definitely gonna do a post with everyone’s cards very soon in the future.
Andrew, I think that would be sweet. Especially once you have finished profiling all of the cards in the Major Arcana.
I discovered a secret pattern in the Tarot that might shed some light on the Emperor (and the other cards I’ll be posting in the future). I’ll put this info up as an official post when I finish with the Major Arcana. If you own tarot cards try this out…
To gain deeper insight into the Tarot, break up the The Major Arcana into 7 sets of 3 cards: [(1,2,3)(4,5,6)(etc..)(19,20,21)]
By organizing the cards in this pattern what you’ll find is that certain cards are tied together and express the same basic concepts:
(1,4,7,10,13,16,19)
(2,5,8,11,14,16,20)
(3,6,9,12,15,18,21)
So to fully understand the Magician (1), you need the Emperor (4). And to fully understand both of these you need to compare them with cards 7,10,13,16, and 19.
If you doubt that this is a valid pattern, then try it out with the set that begins with The High Priestess (2). There is a repetitive pattern to the imagery that remains consistent throughout. Look for the pillars.
Interesting stuff Andrew, I’ll be paying close attention to see how these patterns shake out.