The Emperor

"Use all Thine energy to rule thy thought: burn up thy thought as the Phoenix" - Aleister Crowley

Correspondences;

- Colour: red
- Herb: eucalyptus
- Astrology: Aries

- Rune: Ansuz, voice of the Gods. Skill involving language, persuasion by spoken word. Expect the unexpected, transformation, enthusiasm. An answer (seek advice). The power to effect others with the spoken word.

Hebrew: Tzaddi (fish hook, value 90) A symbol of womanhood in a social sense. Indicates movement towards an end or solution. The mind penetrating into the mysteries of the feminine (nature) and drawing rational ideas and concepts from the source.

Analysis:-

The globe with the Maltese Cross is an indication of the united wisdom and world mastery. The throne has the rams which iss indicative of the astrological influence to this card. His sceptor also reflects this (a symbol of power and adventurousness). The reclining lamb with the peace flag is the other aspect of Aries. That of humility and submission to the cosmic law, as well as dynamism and power. The double headed eagles are a symbol of inner and outward changes brought by the creative energy of the Sun. He marks the beginning of an enterprise or new phase in life. Just as the turned away head of the Empress expresses the subliminal dliemma of being able to deal with the inner instincts, the head of the Emperor turned in this manner reveals the ego's will to hold onto a rational view of the world for fear of not being a match for external situations. As the glance of the Empress takes in the dove (legacy of the Priestess), the ram of the Emperor incorporates the magic of the Magus (Mercury an Aries symbol) and it originates in the intention of asserting itself in this world.

Hi MystiqueMoonlight: Thanks for the tip about this study group. I'm going to try to catch up over the next few days and try to get involved in this. I've got three books coming from Amazon on the Thoth deck, I believe the same ones that everyone else has referred to. I've just finished reading Pollack's books on the Haindl deck. I really like that deck so I think I will be drawn to the Toth deck as well. I am a little bummed that I bought the large US Games version after reading about the differences re: colours between the various publishers. Maybe I'll pick up the small one as well. The big one is a bit unwieldy. OK, got some homework to do.

Lawguy51

emperor

~kaz

A few quick observations:

The Emperor is holding the Maltesse cross globe whereas the Empress is crowned by it. Perhaps coupled w/the Emperor's Aries energy, this suggests taking action.

Both where clothes adorned w/bees (?) and swirls although the Empress' swirls close in on themselves whereas the Emperor's end in barbs. Again, this seems to indicate to me strong Mars/Aries energy.

The way the Emperor's legs are crossed is interesting. Could this (as well as the lamb) be a foreshadowing of impending sacrifice symbolized in the Hanged Man?

Clever observations.

The beauty of the Thoth deck is that it is open to all new interpretations. With it's eclectic mix of Pagan, Egyptian, Greek, Hebrew, Helenic etc symbolism the reader has a very unlimited resource at hand.

I'm not convinced that the Emperor's legs are really a foreshadowing of the Hanged Man, but I definitely think there's a connection. They both form a 4, which is the number of social stability...the Emperor embodies it, the Hanged Man turns it on its head.
My question is about the Hebrew letter...Crowley said he switched it because, while receiving the Book of the Law (of which I'm not a big fan, to say the least), he asked if his Kabbalistic attributions were correct. He received the answer, "All these old numbers in my book are aright, but the Star is not Tzaddi." After some experimentation, he switched it with the Emperor. Now, Crowley's is the only deck I've seen that does this...is there another, more quantifiable reason for it, or should we just put it down to eccentricity?

Questions!

You guys so great at observing! I should ask more questions since you guys are so great at solving it! Why there are 2 moons in the empress card and 2 suns in the emperor card?

MystiqueMoonlight said:

"Hebrew: Tzaddi (fish hook, value 90) A symbol of womanhood in a social sense. Indicates movement towards an end or solution. The mind penetrating into the mysteries of the feminine (nature) and drawing rational ideas and concepts from the source.

.

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Where did you get this information?
I think it is wrong.

another observation about his position...
if you look at the relative position of his arms and legs, he is representing the alchemical symbol for 'sulpher', a triangle with a cross below.

in an earlier version of this card, Lady Freida had the sun radiating from behind the emperor's head. but i like this version better, as it shows the light coming down upon him (from Tiphareth?), showing that the Emperor's power is bestowed from above.

the bees represent the qualities of leadership of the masses, and can also be found on the Empress (Atu 3) and Art (Atu 14).

to me, this card is decidedly masculine, and represents structure above all else, even over 'authority'. the number four is also representative of this, and a cool correlation can be seen between this card and the 4 of Discs ('Power'), an almost perfect depiction of structure.
however, the structure of authority and power must be able to bend without breaking, and i think this can be seen in the shield where the two faces of the eagles are facing each other in a position of 'self-examination' (if you will), a desirable quality in a balanced leader... structure without rigidity.

one interesting quote i saw somewhere regarding this card (but i can't remember where, unfortunately) is...
"I rule by serving,
I serve by ruling".

a few years ago i had the good fortune to 'play' this card during a four day long 'tarot ritual' at a local festival.
if anyone is interested, i'll post more about it when i get home from camping.
see ya!

Alobar said:

another observation about his position...
if you look at the relative position of his arms and legs, he is representing the alchemical symbol for 'sulpher', a triangle with a cross below.

Click to expand...

look at this simbol a cross below a triangle: 4

in an earlier version of this card, Lady Freida had the sun radiating from behind the emperor's head. but i like this version better, as it shows the light coming down upon him (from Tiphareth?), showing that the Emperor's power is bestowed from above.

Click to expand...

no no no it is not from to tipheret but from nezach[ eternity] [7] to yesod [foundation][9] This is a major break from earlier tradition [linking the emperor with TZADIKand not with HE]. However in the book of thot crowley "makes a mistake" in the decription [ I thing it is a mine put there for beginers only, and for others to defuse]:
"His authority is derived from Chokmah, the creative Wisdom, the Word, and is exerted upon Tiphareth, the organized man."

a few years ago i had the good fortune to 'play' this card during a four day long 'tarot ritual' at a local festival.
if anyone is interested, i'll post more about it when i get home from camping.
see ya!

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A wonderful experience please tell more