The Emperor

[poivre]

...and why is the background so orange?

Does this show creativity in stability or responsibility or does Mars and Aries have something to do with it?

[Rusty Neon]

In Golden Dawn (GD) tarot lore, in the four GD colour scales relating to the path on the Tree of Life occupied by the Emperor, the colours are Scarlet, Red, Brilliant Flame and Glowing Red.

Moreover, in the GD correspondences, the Emperor is assigned to Aries, a Cardinal Fire sign which is ruled by Mars. A lot of reddish type colour possibility there.

Frankly, though, I ain't sure, because, although the deck is GD-inspired in general, the background colours in the deck don't generally follow the GD that much.

[Fulgour]

Originally posted by ros
...and why is the background so orange?

The Empress reclines upon cushions of orange and red,
and while her background is yellow, if this is blended
with the 'red' of her progeny (as Mother of Emperors),
here could be the significance of the Emperor's orange:
She is the Power Behind The Throne ~ in every sense.

[Vincent]

Originally posted by Rusty Neon
In Golden Dawn (GD) tarot lore, in the four GD colour scales relating to the path on the Tree of Life occupied by the Emperor, the colours are Scarlet, Red, Brilliant Flame and Glowing Red.

Moreover, in the GD correspondences, the Emperor is assigned to Aries, a Cardinal Fire sign which is ruled by Mars. A lot of reddish type colour possibility there.

Exactly so, regarding the Qabalistic correspondences..
"Here we have the great energizing forces as indicated by the varying shades of red. It may be noted here that the red paths remain red in all planes, varying only in shade. Thus Aries, the Emperor, the Pioneer, the General, is blood and deep crimson, red, pure vermillion or flowing fiery red."
GH Soror - The Golden Dawn - Israel Regardie

Originally posted by Rusty Neon

Frankly, though, I ain't sure, because, although the deck is GD-inspired in general, the background colours in the deck don't generally follow the GD that much.

The Empress Scale for Pentacles is a reasonable fit, which might also be an answer to Ros's other question concerning the Knight of Pentacles. You have to take into consideration how limited the palette was for the RWS printing.



Vincent

[Fulgour]

Originally posted by ros
...or does Mars and Aries have something to do with it?

The Golden Dawn Tarot IV The Emperor:
exactly according to "their" specifications.

RWS Tarot IV The Emperor: clearly not Gd-Dn specs.

Thoth Tarot IV The Emperor: clearly not Gd-Dn specs.

[PheLoNy]

If im not mistaken, The Emporer card is IV.
Which would be 4... correct?
if that is the case, then the reason for the red would be representative of the fourth house of the Zodiac. Which happens to be the house of Aries(Mars) .... Mars rules the color Red and also Germany. Hence the term "Hothead" as a nickname for those born in the month of April (( FIRE!!!))... a presumption that all Aries are mean! You Meanies! hehe Just a nice little tidbit of information.

[krazymayj]

spontaneaty, a mothers caress. the infinite feild of possibility within the confines of a railroad track, destination;destiny

[noby]

My personal take on the Empress and Emperor card is that in one sense they represent the dual and complementary forces needed for the cycle of death and creation that is life: fertility and potency.

I have a slightly complex system of viewing the divine, in which God is the male force which draws us towards the transcendent and eternal, and Goddess is the female force which draws us into the world and its mortal cycles. I see both God and Goddess as having consorts, dual forces which in some ways are similar to their divine counterpart, and in other ways, move in a slightly different direction. In my cosmic casting, God's consort is the force of universal love and compassion represented in such figures as Kwan Yin Bodhisattva and Mary, Mother of Jesus. Goddess's consort is the force of chaos, wildness, and violent potency represented in such figures as the Horned God and tricksters like Coyote.

I say all this to say that I associate the Emperor with the Goddess's male side, and all that has to do with archetypes of male sexuality, and male gods with their destructive, wild, fiery power. This male force of potency is full of fiery creativity, as well as the power of destruction. Without death and destruction, there could not be new life and creation. This male force presides over the hunt and other activities which link violence with life. I also see the Emperor as a card representing male authority and dominance, direction, shaping. I think all of these ways of seeing the card work well with a quality of fire and the colors associated with it.

[Rabbit]

Why does he has armored legs and feet, but not the rest of his body?

[arya ishtar]

i'd really like to know about the emperor's armored legs, as well. anyone? beuller? beuller?....