All week I struggled with The Emperor. I put him aside with the plan to write a bit about him later but he was pulled daily, mostly by myself for my one card draw. He came up in my personal life as I pondered what it means to be paternal. It has been an ever-present issue over the past year as I draw this card often for daily meditation. The Emperor asks, “What would dad do?” Or, better yet, what would your idealized version of father do? WWTED? The Empress is Tarot’s archetype of Mother and The Emperor is Father.
Father is the one with authority. You know that he keeps a cool head. You know that he is leading you towards your best interest, always mindful of the path. The Emperor is pragmatic and intellectual, he isn’t flippant in his responsibility of leadership. Add it all up and most essentially he is the masculine figure that is most deserving of your trust. You know that when he speaks, he tells you what you need to hear, his guidance is helping you to develop your own sense of independence and leadership. He is wise in the ways of the world and he wants to assure you of the power of your own will. Your success is his own.
When The Emperor is around, he brings a sense of assured safety and comfort. But this comfort and safety doesn’t come from not taking chances, actually the opposite. The Emperor wants a degree of risk and challenge, for this is how you move forward in the world. You need to be disciplined as you steer your life. You have to take life with command. The steps you take with The Emperor aren’t impulsive but calculated and driven, a clear vision not clouded in delusion or emotional overload. A vision driven by a collection of your unique attributes.
You don’t need to be a man to draw on the strength of the father archetype. Regardless of genitalia we can all benefit from the development of authority, keeping a cool objective view when it is time to move forward. When we want to do the work that needs done and to take the chances that give us confidence. The Emperor believes in you when it’s time to take that frightful step. The Emperor has you put your feelings aside so that you may become your greatest self.
Draw Tarot’s The Emperor enough and know that you are learning to be the one who is calling the shots. That you are coming into your own place of authority. Know that you are learning to enjoy and be responsible for the state of your life and possibly others. Celebrate being in charge of your own temperament and destiny. That you are learning to maneuver the weight of being in charge. You may now act assuredly, and bravely as the ideal father figure. You will know when you are achieving with The Emperor, others will give you the highest of compliments by rewarding you with their trust. Trust as profound as love.
