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An Interpretation: The Meaning of The Emperor Tarot Card

2009 July 5

by aurarcana

This is my initial interpretation of The Empress Tarot card.

Tarot Deck: Universal Waite Tarot

4-emperor-universal-waite-tarot

My immediate reaction to The Emperor is that he is representative of power, no restraint, passion, desire for status in life and perseverance. There are more typical masculine themed images in this tarot cards as opposed to that of The Empress. They are polar opposites, but represent the power of nature versus nurture and the importance of balance in life.

The Emperor is sitting upon a stone-like throne and is as rigid in stature as he appears to be. The throne represents power and royalty, or a person in a strong position. Two ram heads decorate each side of his throne, a symbol of power, determination and strong initiative; the opposite can lead to be stubborn behavior.

Although he is sitting forward, his eyes are peering to the left. The left side of the brain is associated with logical and analytical thoughts; the right side of the brain is associated with creativity. The gaze to the left direction could be a metaphor for the strong undercurrents in the theme of this card. The Emperors gaze in one direction could also symbolize concentration in one area–a target–which can change when when it shifts towards a different direction.

His grey/white bear, which symbolizes maturity and a person who has become wise in his old age.

He is wearing red robes–which symbolize strength, passion, desire and intuition. There are also purple splashes of color in it, symbolic of victory, power, royalty/authority. Underneath the red robes, is a bright blue shirt, representative of intellectual thought. A jeweled crown is on his head–gold, a symbol of power–and red and bright blue gems denote the same symbolism in the color theme of his attire.

Armor decorates his body, offering a physical shield that makes him invincible to a degree. But, armor can be broken down, a metaphor for strength that can be weakened. However, right now, he is still strong and at his peak.

He is holding a gold scepter in his right hand an an orb in his left hand–an astrology symbol that denotes power–as does the color gold. In contrast to The Empress card, the scepter and orb are separated and held in The Emperor’s two hands, perhaps representing power split or conflict.

The background is bright orange with yellow undertones and close range mountains. Orange symbolizes harmony and intelligence, and yellow represents clarity and enlightenment. The mountains are behind a thin stream of water. The mountains symbolize obstacles that have been overcome and goals that have been achieved. The small stream represents minimal emotional contribution to the outcome. Strong will has lead to power and success and emotions have been restricted.

Possible Meanings in a Tarot Reading:

In a reading, The Emperor represents the strength behind the completion of goals, including but not limited to, education, work, successful projects and ventures. Intellect will aid you in this journey and will help you develop skills of logical reasoning to take on a position of authority.

There is no sense of the cycle of life in this card, just achievement at a pentacle moment.

You can achieve due to strong will and desire, even if you have left the emotional side of things out of the picture. However, even though there are benefits to being headstrong, one can achieve the even higher status and persevere with balance between being rational with intuitive, intellectual and emotional thoughts.

Symbolism: