Welcome to part 5 of my 22 part Tarot Meanings Deep Diveseries – each week we explore ONE major arcana card and uncover it’s secrets, symbols and messages.
Today we’re diving into The Emperor – perhaps one of the most misunderstood figures in the Tarot. Everyone thinks he’s a stuffed shirt, but he’s actually quite the rebel!
Have your pen and notebook handy, grab yourself a drinky-poo and get comfy….
Keywords
Father archetype, authority, sovereignty, power & control, stubborn, maverick, rebel, trailblazer.
Symbols
Ram’s heads (Aries- aggression, war), Throne, long beard (wisdom, experience)
The dark side of The Emperor
Being overly stubborn, inflexible and rigid. Wanting power and control over others, to compensate for feeling powerless and out of control on the inside.
1. Sovereignty
The Emperor, in his highest, most positive expression, has complete power and authority over himself. He lives by his own value system and set of rules – always doing things his way. Forging his own path, he becomes a trailblazer and some may even see him as a bit of a rebel.
Journalling questions:
♥ Where in your life have you been a bit of a rebel?
♥ How comfortable are you with self governance? Are you always looking for a set of rules or a formula for doing things?
♥ What values and rules do you use to “self-govern”?
2. Stubborness
There’s a time and place to be stubborn and dig in your heels, but sometimes this can be a fault if you’re totally inflexible all the time. The wise Emperor knows when to be stubborn and when to be flexible. The unwise Emperor derives his sense of self from maintaining a “my way or the highway” attitude at all times, closing himself off from people, experiences and growth.
Journalling questions:
♥ How stubborn are you? How has it served you?
♥ How has it stunted you? (Think of an example of when you were stubborn and later regretted it).
3. Power & Control
The Emperor is all about stability, power and control. A wise and healthy Emperor is a master of himself who practices self control and cultivates inner power. A dysfunctional Emperor lacks self control and inner power and so he seeks power and control over others, becoming an oppressive dictator who is obsessed with draconian laws and mandates.
Journalling questions:
♥ What is your relationship with power and control like?
♥ When you are put in a position of authority, how do you feel?
♥ When someone else is in the position of authority, how do you react?
The Wisdom of The Emperor
The Emperor advises you to turn your desire for power and control toward development of your self, not the control of others. If you notice yourself wanting to change or control others, it’s time to check in with yourself and observe how you’re using your own power.
The wise Emperor tells you that when you focus on developing the power within, as opposed to power over others, you become empowered and sovereign. This makes you capable of walking your own path, charting your own course and being a wayshower to others – becoming a powerful figure in your own right!
Tell me your thoughts!
Did you enjoy this exercise? Did you learn anything new about The Emperor? Or about yourself? Let me know in the comments below…
♥ Join me next week as I dive into The Hierophant – stuffy and uptight on the outside, but a fascinating wealth of knowledge on the inside!
The following post and video is inspired by Andy Matzner’s book Tarot for Transformation.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret – a juicy Tarot secret that will help you truly understand your cards and make your readings POP!
But first, some boring backstory….
I first discovered Tarot when I was young and impatient and I immediately set about trying to learn and memorize all 78 Tarot cards.
A typical Tarot beginner move!
Not to brag or anything, but I kind of succeeded. Within a fairly short amount of time, I had a surface level grasp of what most Tarot cards represented. But I was a shitty reader and I still didn’t understand what Tarot was really all about.
Fast forward to now. I’m slowly working through Tarot for Transformation:Using the Major Arcana to Discover Your Best Self and Create a Life Worth Living by Andy Matzner.
It’s a deliciously slow process, like eating a box of chocolate caramels while stoned.
This slow process, which I’ll describe in a hot minute, allows me to stay with a card way longer than I normally would – to really climb inside it and roll around in it. And at the same time, to climb deep inside myself (which sounds a bit creepy, now that I think about it).
The more I get to know each card, the more I realize that the cards are simply there to help me get to know myself. Mind blown!
So what exactly IS this juicy Tarot secret I speak of? And how do you apply it to your readings?
The secret is this: each Tarot card is alive within you – it’s like a map of your soul. Once you understand how the themes of each card play out within you, you begin to develop a personal relationship with the Tarot. And once you come to know the Tarot intimately (seeing your self in the cards and the cards in you), the cards will open up to you and reveal their mysteries.
I’m going to take you on a little journey – we’re going to dive into The High Priestess together. Or rather, we’re going to dive into ourselves to find our inner High Priestess! Woo hoo!
Exploring the Subconscious
Mystic Meg Tarot
In Tarot for Transformation, Andy Matzner writes that The High Priestess is associated with water, intuition, repeating cycles of change, the moon, wisdom, the subconscious and many other things. Basically, all the cool stuff.
He asks: “how can we best move between the conscious and subconscious parts of ourselves?”
So let’s start there. How indeed?
I’ll let you go first. Have you found any methods or activities that help you tap into the partially hidden realms of your mind? Take a moment to ponder.
A few years ago I was hypnotized and while I was under hypnosis, the hypnotherapist asked my higher self to come forward and answer a list of questions that I’d prepared in advance. Holy moly! My higher self said all kinds of wild stuff! The session was recorded and when I listened back to it I was blown away by the wisdom, advice and insights that I got. Who knew?!
Dream Journalling, lucid dreaming, meditative journeying and various automatic writing exercises have also helped me tap into my subconscious and unearth my inner wisdom.
Often, when The High Priestess shows up in a reading, she’s telling you to go deeper. Don’t just be content to fuddle about with surface level stuff. Go deep. The answers are within you.
Honouring Your Intuition
In Tarot for Transformation, many different methods of tapping into your intuition are suggested, along with a list of journal questions like how do you know when your intuition is communicating with you? and Describe a time when listening to your intuition changed your life.
Everyday Witch Tarot by Deborah Blake
So let’s go there. What is your relationship to your intuition like? Are you in the habit of ignoring it? Have you been making attempts to honour it or even explore it in a feet first, New Age Adventurer kind of way?
For years I tuned out my intuitive feelings like you would a pesky younger sibling. My intuition felt like an inconvenient distraction from logic, reason and the goals of the ego.
But as I got older and more desperate to find real meaning in my life, I began to re-discover my intuition. And look at me now! Blogging away about intuition like I know what I’m talking about! 😉
The High Priestess reminds us to acknowledge our intuition because the way we treat our intuition mirrors the kind of relationship we have with our soul (our deeper, expanded self). Honouring your intuition is a great way to show yourself some love and respect.
Cycles & Rhythms
Now let’s shift gears a bit and talk about the moon, cycles and natural rhythms, which are all in the realm of The High Priestess.
Just as we aren’t really encouraged (in our current society) to honour our intuition, we are actively discouraged in following our natural rhythms and cycles. Tampon ads are the perfect example of this.
Google image search “tampon ad” (go ahead, I’ll wait for you) and you’ll see an array of women playing tennis, doing gymnastics, climbing walls, doing back flips and playing soccer alongside phrases like “my period doesn’t slow me down!” and my personal favourite “Serena SHUTS OUT mother nature’s monthly gift” (a Tampax Pearl ad featuring Serena Williams). Cold and flu medication ads pull the same shit.
But is it wise to push your body when you’re on your period? Or trying to get over a cold? The High Priestess says NO! Work with your cycles, not against them. There will be times of high energy and times of low energy. There is a time to shine and take action and and a time to rest, recharge and go inward.
The Anna K Tarot
In Tarot for Transformation, there are a bunch of great journalling questions about this, like “how familiar are you with your own natural rhythms?” and “when do you typically feel most drained during the day? Most energized?”
A question I want to add is how can you better honour your natural energy cycles?
Take a moment now to ponder this. Journal about it if you want.
I’ve found it much, much easier to honour my energy cycles since I became self employed and started working from home. From ages 4 – 30ish, I was always on someone else’s schedule and feeling like I had to meet the energy demands that others placed on me. Since I became fully self employed, I’ve been in control of my own schedule and the type of work that I do, allowing me to work with my energy and cycles.
Of course there are plenty of ways to honour your cycles without quitting your day job! A really neat book on how to sync your diet and exercise to your menstrual cycle is Womancode by Alisa Vitti.
Learn about the moon phases and experiment with syncing up your activities so they correspond to the moon’s energy. For example, focus on manifestation and taking action on goals when the moon is waxing and releasing things when the moon is waning.
Is there a particular time of day when you’re most energetic? Or most creative? Plan your activities accordingly. It sounds ridiculously simple but we often overlook this sort of thing.
So now you know!
Now you know the secret to really, truly understanding your Tarot cards. Dive deep, take your time and don’t just explore each Tarot card and it’s symbols, but use your cards to explore your SELF. Use your cards to ask yourself questions and don’t be afraid to get nosy and personal (it’s just you, after all!)
If you liked this approach to exploring Tarot…
Make sure you check out Tarot for Transformation by Andy Matzner. It’s a big book with plenty of great info on each Major Arcana card, along with journalling questions, exercises and tips for diving deep. Your relationship to your cards (and your self) will never be the same!
Did you learn anything new about The High Priestess (or your self) from doing this exercise? What was this exercise like for you? Feel free to share in the comments below 🙂
As 2015 comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on everything that sucked about this past year (I can’t help it! I just do stuff like that!). But you know what didn’t suck in 2015? The 10 Tarot blog posts below…..
I’ve sifted through all my Tarot blog posts over the past year to find the ones I think you’ll enjoy the most, because even if you’ve been reading my Tarot blog religiously, I know you probably missed a couple!
It was hard to come up with this list, believe me! Leaving some decks off this list made me feel like I was abandoning my less loved children...an unsettling sensation, indeed. Beware! This list may induce an Amazon deck ordering frenzy...
Well, the title says it all so I won't natter on about it, but this was one of my absolute faves! Bust out your Tarot journal before doing this one, 'cause you're gonna need it!
Since you're an "outside the box" kind of person, why would you read Tarot any differently? Here's a Tarot exercise that will appeal to the rebel in you....
Looking for a way to rope your friends and family into a card game? Here it is! Put your Tarot cards to good use in this fun, fresh Tarot game that EVERYONE can play...
Here's a fun little series that managed to offend a handful of readers. Will it offend you? There's only one way to find out.....read it!
I promise you'll never look at Court Cards the same way again.
Here's another post about those pesky Court Cards....but this one isn't quite as dirty as the one above (at least I don't think it is). There's even a free worksheet that you can print out and go to town on!
If you got a new Tarot (or Oracle) deck for Christmas, you absolutely MUST try this exercise with it! It will totally change the way you relate to your cards...in a really, really good way.
After a two week hedonistic vacation, my evil twin Veronica is back!
When someone says “I’m a team player!” I immediate mistrust them.
Why?
Because “team player” is corporate slang for achieving success by climbing on the backs of others without them even knowing it! Ha!
And also because the term “team player” is just creepy. It makes me think of flourescent lighting, MJB coffee, crying in a public bathroom, and selling my soul for $12 and hour. Just an experience I once had.
What does all this have to do with the Knight of Cups? Let me tell you….
The Knight of Cups is not to be trusted. He’s a sneaky little bugger who will charm your panties off only to try to sell you Amway products or protein powder. Don’t fall into his sticky, sugary trap!
Others may present themselves to you in a highly appealing manner. Enjoy the show, but don’t get sucked in. It’s all a performance.
And for goodness sakes, don’t “invest” your money into anyone’s dreams or schemes (except your own) today.
Veronica Noir is my batshit crazy twin sister. She is just like me except she’s brilliant, has no sense of guilt or shame, speaks her mind and does whatever she wants, when she wants! Kind of like a psychopath….but with a heart of gold. Oh, and she also reads Tarot…
Housewives Tarot
It’s okay to care about other people….
But don’t care about what they think of you.
Now reread that phrase because it’s important!
You can be a kind, caring, boring person AND go about your day without ever giving a flying fuck what other people think of you.
The Queen of Cups over here knows this shit. She knows it well.
She is compassionate, nurturing and really does care about people. But she sure as hell isn’t going to self-censor and pussy foot around town trying to be all P.C. and fit into the woodwork.
No. She lives her life her way and does it without feeling all guilty and shit.
Be like this Queen today and don’t make the mistake that you’ve probably been making all your life….telling yourself that you’re helping others by caring about what they think of you.
You’re not. You’re just failing to inspire them to live life on their own terms.
Veronica is my evil twin/alter ego and she takes over my blog on Friday’s to impart her bitchy wisdom. When she isn’t Tarot reading, she’s seducing some buff young thing at the gym, penning sultry smut on her laptop and knocking back the martinis while laughing maniacally at some mediocre romantic comedy…
Osho Zen Tarot
Today it’s time to turn inward…..and tune out any obnoxious voices that distract you and make you feel like total shit.
As boring as it sounds, spend a few minutes meditating. And notice what voices show up.
This is what some people call “self talk”.
When I did this I heard all kinds of silly chitter chatter like “you really shouldn’t sleep in past 11am”, “eating chocolate hazelnut hedgehogs for dinner is immature”, “leave those young men alone” and “you should be saving for your retirement.”
Where were these voices coming from?! Who were these jerks?
If I was in a room with people who said things like that I would start chucking beer bottles.
So as you observe your inner voices, don’t judge…but ask yourself this: “if a person I knew said this to my face, would I want to shank them?”
If the answer is yes, then why on earth is it okay for you to say that shit to yourself?
It’s not! So laugh at your judgy self-talk like it’s the funniest joke in the whole world.
In the comments below, tell me what crappy self talk your going to laugh at today….
Veronica is my alter ego – she says the things I have always longed to say and does the things I’ve always longed to do! When she isn’t whizzing around the world in her private jet full of boy toys, she’s yelling at crows (they are so loud at 5 am!) and sneering at what other people are buying in the grocery store. Here is her take on the Six of Wands…
Anna K Tarot
Do you remember that obnoxious scene in Titanicwhere Leo Dicaprio shouts “I’m the king of the world!” from the bow of the ship? And then dies later?
Well, that’s what this card reminds me of.
And do you know someone in your life who is an annoying overachiever? Some dick who runs marathons, buys “investment properties” and has a “career”?
I know, those people are everywhere!
Or heaven forbid, maybe YOU are an overachiever. It’s okay, there’s still hope for you.
The Six of Wands depicts the fleeting glee that arises when you “succeed” on society’s terms.
It’s all sunshine and silken red loincloths at first, but then you realize that being successful isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, it demands a certain amount of those sinister traits called responsibility and maturity. Um, yuck. No thanks.
If your “success” brings you more unpleasantness – like more work, more busy-ness, less free time, etc – then you need to re-think what success really means for you.
My personal idea of success is long stretches of uninterrupted free time, anonymity, fancy bedding and not giving a shit about what others think of me.
Veronica Noir, The Daily Tarot Girl’s evil counterpart, is here to kick some sense into you with her uncompassionate style of Tarot reading. She usually writes these half-drunk, so take her advice with a grain of salt…or a tablespoon!
Hezicos Tarot by Mary Griffi
Are you tired of spending your hard earned money on totally boring things like insurance, taxes, RRSPs and toothpaste?
The Four of Coinsnymph is here to suggest that you start spending your cash on the things that matter – lavish dinners, theater tickets, Turkish towels and gigolos!
That is what money was made for! Not all this boring shit that seems to consume 100% of your income. Good God!
Some people think the Four of Coins (aka Four of Pentacles) is about being cheap or feeling the need to pinch pennies. But it’s not!
Its about feeling pissed off that you have to spend so much money on totally pointless stuff that brings you absolutely no pleasure whatsoever. Like spending tons of money on a modest, unsexy car….so you can drive to work everyday.
So this weekend, blow your dough on something totally delicious. Something totally extravagant. Something totally….hedonistic!
In the comments below, tell me what one awesome thing you are going to spend your money on this weekend….and please don’t say “penny slots” or Doritos. Fuck!
Q:I am having trouble learning the Tarot card meanings. It’s a boring process and I can never remember the meanings. Do I really need to learn them? Or can I just learn to read “intuitively”?
A: Reading Tarot “intuitively” without first learning the structure of Tarot and the card meanings is kind of like visiting a foreign country without learning the language.
Sure you will be able to get by with charades style communication and drawing pictures, but things won’t be smooth and you will feel like a total moron! Even learning a few key words and phrases can make a world of difference.
This is what I have found to be true….
1. Tarot is like a language – its a way for you to communicate with spirit and with your Inner Self.
2. Sometimes there is real value in tossing the “traditional” Tarot meanings aside to explore the cards more deeply and engage my intuition as I interact with the card figures, symbols, etc.
But…
3.The traditional card meaning always acts as a trigger or a doorway into my inner, intuitive landscape.
So while you don’t need to learn the Tarot card meanings in order to get guidance from your Tarot cards, your readings will take on a richer, more grounded quality when you do.
But if learning the Tarot card meanings feels boring to you, I suggest you vamp up the way you study your Tarot cards.
One of the techniques I love to teach is the “creating a story/character” approach.
Here’s how it works:
Step one: Choose a Tarot card that features a person.
Any court card will work good for this, as will Major arcana cards like The Magician or The Empress.
For this exercise I am going to be working with the Knight of Pentacles from the Crystal Visions Tarot.
Step two: Consider the traditional meaning of this card.
The Crystal Visions companion book describes the Knight of Pentacles as being “cautious, thoughtful and hardworking” with an “all work and no play” attitude.
Step three: flesh out the character by imagining other details and quirks.
I bet this Knight is the kind of guy who loves to read non-fiction and will spout off “facts” about things at dinner parties.
But I also think he would make a mean apple pie and is particularly talented when it comes to making curries and casseroles and stuff like that. Yum!
Step four: Imagine a backstory & create a history for your character.
When I imagine the Knight of Pentacles as a real person, I see him working in a “safe”, repetitive job – like a factory or office.
His home life growing up was average and uninteresting, but then he met the love of his life and suddenly everything changed. He had never been happier.
But he was slow in proposing to her and she ended up running off with a rich playboy on a yacht in the Bahamas. That was years ago, but his heart still aches, so he wears a thick layer of emotional armor….etc, etc…I could go on all day.
What’s the point of all this? you may be wondering…
When we craft our own stories about the Tarot cards, we are adding our own creative spice to our studies.
Not only will you now have an easier time remembering the meaning of The Knight of Pentacles, or whatever card you chose to do this exercise with, but you will feel like you know this dude and he’s no longer a stranger on a Tarot card.
In the comments below, tell me….
What card did you pick for this exercise and what sordid personality quirks did you uncover? I can’t wait to read your response 🙂
Veronica Noir is my batshit crazy twin sister. She is just like me except she’s brilliant, has no sense of guilt or shame, speaks her mind and does whatever she wants, when she wants! Kind of like a psychopath….but with a heart of gold. Oh, and she also reads Tarot…
Ah yes! The Ten of Rods (aka Ten of Wands) – a warning for you to plug your ears to the siren call of wanting more.
Here’s a depressing equation:
feeling empty + wanting more = taking on lots of responsibilities, roles, hobbies and friends to make your life more meaningful and important + realizing your still empty, but now your also exhausted = resentment x 100
I was always crappy at math, so the above equation may not make sense to you, but that’s not the point.
The point is, all your roles and duties will only weigh you down on the adventure of life!
Do you knowsomeone who is always informing you of all the different roles they play? For example, a friend who says shit like “I’m a wife, mother, sister, chef, girl guide leader, janitor, blah, blah, blah” and you all you can think is holy fuck, when do you have time to fap?
While the Urban Dictionary defines the termfap as “the onomatopoeic representation of masturbation”, I would like to extend that definition to include all activities that are pleasurable but ultimately serve no purpose – like watching Entertainment Tonight, googling hot celebrities, organizing your nail polish collection – stuff like that.
Make time to fap. A life without adequate fap time will only foster resentment.
On a different note.....the second episode of the Menage A Tarot podcast is up! Click here to listen 🙂
After a two week hedonistic vacation, my evil twin Veronica is back!
Veronica Noir is my batshit crazy twin sister. She is just like me except she’s brilliant, has no sense of guilt or shame, speaks her mind and does whatever she wants, when she wants! Kind of like a psychopath….but with a heart of gold. Oh, and she also reads Tarot…
