Leisa
(From the Book)
"Use you toward me such devotion of hearing as I shall bring unto you magistry of doctrine and wisdom, for I show to you a true testimony of those things which I have seen with my own eyes and felt with my hands."
--Rosarium Philosophorum (pg. 9)
Whereas the Empress is the expression of feminine energy grounded in the physical, the Emperor is the expression of the masculine physical. In addition, he represents the element of air, which in turn symbolizes intellect. Thus, the Empress is the body and the Emperor the spirit. The latter term, spirit, was used during Renaissance times to mean the mind.
The Emperor also represents the ego. He is related to Apollo, the light of reason. Here, he sits high lofty on his rock in his element, air. The eagle, sacred to Zeus/Jupiter, the emperor of gods, is testimony to his regal position, and connects him to the heavens.
In alchemy, the eagle represents the volatile, which transforms the fixed, that is, the agent that has the power to transform matter into its most refined state. The volatile is none other than Hermes/Mercury--the Magician--the living spirit of alchemy. Like the Empress, the Emperor continues the process of dissolution of the prima materia, which was initiated by the High Priestess.
The Emperor's number, four, is the number of the physical world: there are four seasons, four directions and four elements (air, earth, water and fire). Four symbolizes completeness, solidity and stability. Four also represents the three dimensions of our physical plane plus the fourth dimension of time, and thus establishes the space-time continuum.
Tarot wisdom: The Emperor grounds us and stabilizes us. He establishes his firm domain over the physical realm, ruling with a keen intellect and confidence in his powers. Yet, he is linked to the otherworldly dimensions that must be traversed not in body but in spirit. He keeps us anchored while we penetrate those uncertain frontiers, giving us a lifeline before we feel ready to let loose our earthly bonds and fly.
This drawing was inspired by the title page of Anatomia auri, 1628, by Johann Daniel Mylius.
"Use you toward me such devotion of hearing as I shall bring unto you magistry of doctrine and wisdom, for I show to you a true testimony of those things which I have seen with my own eyes and felt with my hands."
--Rosarium Philosophorum (pg. 9)
Whereas the Empress is the expression of feminine energy grounded in the physical, the Emperor is the expression of the masculine physical. In addition, he represents the element of air, which in turn symbolizes intellect. Thus, the Empress is the body and the Emperor the spirit. The latter term, spirit, was used during Renaissance times to mean the mind.
The Emperor also represents the ego. He is related to Apollo, the light of reason. Here, he sits high lofty on his rock in his element, air. The eagle, sacred to Zeus/Jupiter, the emperor of gods, is testimony to his regal position, and connects him to the heavens.
In alchemy, the eagle represents the volatile, which transforms the fixed, that is, the agent that has the power to transform matter into its most refined state. The volatile is none other than Hermes/Mercury--the Magician--the living spirit of alchemy. Like the Empress, the Emperor continues the process of dissolution of the prima materia, which was initiated by the High Priestess.
The Emperor's number, four, is the number of the physical world: there are four seasons, four directions and four elements (air, earth, water and fire). Four symbolizes completeness, solidity and stability. Four also represents the three dimensions of our physical plane plus the fourth dimension of time, and thus establishes the space-time continuum.
Tarot wisdom: The Emperor grounds us and stabilizes us. He establishes his firm domain over the physical realm, ruling with a keen intellect and confidence in his powers. Yet, he is linked to the otherworldly dimensions that must be traversed not in body but in spirit. He keeps us anchored while we penetrate those uncertain frontiers, giving us a lifeline before we feel ready to let loose our earthly bonds and fly.
This drawing was inspired by the title page of Anatomia auri, 1628, by Johann Daniel Mylius.