Thoth Study Group - The Emperor

[CreativeFire]

Originally posted by Centaur
Does anyone know what he holds in his hand? I cannot quite seem to find that information.

Centaur - found this in Banzhaf's Handbook to the cards as well:

Hands (scepter and orb)
The symbols of his power are the scepter and the orb (world rulership). Where the Empress signals a willingness for openness and devotion (she holds a blossuming lotus in her hand), the ram staff embodies the will to assert oneself and the striving to conquer a sovereign realm of one's own within the boundlessness of the eternal, creating a fixed structure of one's own within that realm. The orb symbolises power, or the self-realised control that strives for security and peace.

Also found some interesting info on the lamb and flag in this book as well:

Lamb
The white lamb belongs in the ram symbolism as a sacrificial animal. The flag of victory shows it to be the power that conquers through humility (willingness to sacrifice). The halo around its head defines it as the spiritual perception of "eagle knowledge", of how to freely develop oneself within the structures, knowing very well that the law not only means limitations, but to the contrary, also freedom.

CreativeFire

[Centaur]

CF,

Thank you for posting that information re. the orb. I have always thought that it looks like some form of religious instrument of sorts. At times it also looks like a cannon-ball. LOL. Interestingly, in the Bosch Tarot, the Emperor also holds a similar ball, but with a strange pink, almost skinned, looking creature perched on top. Anyway... back to the Thoth.

Also, very interesting re. the bees. I was thinking last night of the bee, and of the bee when it is angry, and eager to use it's sting. I guess that this could also be taken into account when considering the more negative aspects of this card.

[CreativeFire]

Originally posted by Centaur
Also, very interesting re. the bees. I was thinking last night of the bee, and of the bee when it is angry, and eager to use it's sting. I guess that this could also be taken into account when considering the more negative aspects of this card.

Centaur, I have also been giving the bees some more thought, in that in a hive the Queen Bee is the ruler and the mother of new life. The male bee (drone I think they are called), go off to mate with the Queen Bee and from memory I think they die once this is completed (please correct me here if this is not right anyone).

I can relate however to the very "structured" life of a beehive with the Emperor but to me the Empress would be more the "key" figure to relate to the bee (Queen bee) and the Emperor just being the male to fertilise (and perhaps sacrifice his life) to perpetuate new life in the hive. Not sure if I am making sense here

CreativeFire

[Centaur]

Originally posted by CreativeFire
I can relate however to the very "structured" life of a beehive with the Emperor but to me the Empress would be more the "key" figure to relate to the bee (Queen bee) and the Emperor just being the male to fertilise (and perhaps sacrifice his life) to perpetuate new life in the hive. Not sure if I am making sense here

Yes... you are making perfect sense!

I too can relate the 'structure' of the beehive to the Emperor... structure, order, and kingdom. I think that the bees may also represent the fact that the Emperor and the Empress are connected. Queen Bee & Male Bee (drone? I don't know if they are called drones either... but it sounds about right, hehe).

[RedMaple]

Rams are pretty sexy, but also stubborn - or persevering - depending on your point of view. Being an Aries myself, I am sometimes known to bang my head against a wall needlessly.


Wasn't that lamb with the banner used to indicate Christ during the crusades? Is this emperor willing to sacrifice children?

I checked out the notes on the old thread, and the notes on Tzadi are definitely wrong. It has nothing to do with feminine qualities.

Tzadi has to do with righteousness, justice. A Tzaddik is a righteous man (or person). Another word beginning with the letter Tzadi, is Tzimtzum, which means making yourself smaller so another may grow, something a father must do for his children.

So Tzadi is seen as the foundation of the world, a rock (Tzur.)

Perhaps Crowley associated Tzadi with the Emperor because the Emperor needs those qualities to be balanced.

[Moonudjat]

Interesting comments on Tzadi. I found some more info on http://www.sover.net/~bethelvt/tzadi.html “The shape of the tzadi is formed from a bent nun with yod on its back. The meaning of tzadi is to hunt or hunter. It also represents the tzadikim, the righteous ones or pursuers of justice...The tzadi also represents being created in the image of the Divine because the first letter in the word tzelem, as in to be created b'tzelem elohim (Genesis 1:28) is a tzadi. The numerical value of tzadi is 90...at ninety [one becomes] bent over" (Avot 5.21). In the Kabbalah ninety symbolizes total life, or fullness of life. We learn this from Sarah, (In the Bible) who was ninety years old when Isaac was born. Sarah, though bent with age, was also pregnant with new life.”

[Dean]

The Emperor A power that brings order and structure and a strong will to transform thoughts into actions.