Everyone knows an “Emperor.” He comes in many forms – and can even cross the genders. The Emperor is a “do-er.” He makes up his mind and moves forward. He is decisive, confident and bold. Basically, the Emperor (Major Arcana card 4) is your quintessential “man-of-action.”
While everyone reading this can certainly think of an “Emperor,” not everyone likes the emperor with whom they are in contact.
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Unlike his counterpart, The Empress (whom we discussed last month), the Emperor is the epitome of dominance. Whereas the Empress has a softer, motherly approach to problem solving, the Emperor takes a patriarchal tack. Expect the Emperor to weigh the facts and make a decision devoid of emotion. His focus is on maintaining order, promoting structure and exercising control. The Emperor does not believe in the gentle domination his female counterpart practices. He issues a command and expects it to be obeyed. He has no qualms about using brute force if necessary.
And that is exactly why people have mixed feelings about the Emperor.
At his highest, he is a man of vision with a clear mission. He believes in his cause – whether it is running a country, a municipality, an organization, a business or a family. He rules from his head and makes decision about what is best for the entire group. He is all business.
Unfortunately, this approach can be a difficult one to appreciate. While the Emperor’s intentions are in the right place, his lack of emotional consideration when making decisions can leave some of his “subjects” in a state of discontent. Mind you, the Emperor isn’t one to care too much about this – except for the impact it will have on his ability to govern.
When the Emperor is functioning at a lower energy…… Watch out! This is a man who is not really in control of himself. In this state, his thinking is skewed and he is distracted by the dangerous emotions of arrogance, fear and paranoia. This is the problem with power. When some people get a taste of it, they lose their perspective. They forget the reason they wanted power in the first place – which was to make good things happen. An Emperor corrupted by power is being driven by the sole purpose of having power for the sheer sake of it. This is dangerous for both the Emperor and his “constituents.” A person corrupted by power can create nothing good. The focus is gain for selfish reasons, not the common good.
Therein lies the lesson of the Emperor card. Basically, it is hard to be a good leader. A strong leader makes difficult decision s/he believes are the best interest of the entire group. It is rare that everyone will be happy with these decisions. However, everyone can understand why the decision was made. This is the Emperor you should aim to be. Even though you may not be liked, you will most likely still be respected.
Conversely, the Emperor who rules for the sake of attention, glory and greed is a leader who is imprisoned by his own vices even if he doesn’t see it himself. Like any vice, his need for power will become an insatiable monkey-on-his-back. In the quest to feed this vice, he will completely sell his soul and become the very thing he originally came to power to destroy.
Being the Emperor is tough. When the Emperor card shows up in a reading, it represents a person or situation where control must be exerted in a responsible manner. It is about connecting with your more masculine side and making logical, difficult decisions that create the most benefit for the group as a whole. While the Tarot does recognize the importance of the softer nuances of human emotion, when the Emperor shows up we are being told to shift our focus to structure, logic and decisive action.
