Major Arcana 4 Tarot Emperor (Master)

Description: An elderly ruler sits on a throne, with mountains behind him. The head of the ruler is crowned, in his right hand he holds a scepter.

The main meanings of the card in the upright position:

1. Head of the family, boss;
2. Rough, ruthless power;
3. Superiority of reason;
4. Denial of feelings;
5. Defending one's authority;
6. Divine mercy;
7. Strength and power based on experience;
8. Leadership, ambition;
9. Aggression, stubbornness and, at the same time, inner wisdom;
10. Discipline;
11. Persistence, determination;
12. Success depends only on the strength of the questioner;
13. Pragmatic approach to business;
14. Reliability, strengthening relationships;
15. Loss of illusions;
16. Protector from external threats.

The main meanings of the card in the inverted position:

1. Weakness;
2. Lack of power;
3. Emotional immaturity;
4. Cruelty, petty despotism;
5. Inferiority complex;
6. Rebellion;
7. Dependence;
8. Impatience, indecision, unreliability;
9. Excessive responsibility;
10. Reluctance to grow;
11. Dominance/submission.

The Master, also the Emperor. In the Egyptian Tarot — the Throne.

The Master sits in a tense pose on a simple, even primitive throne carved from stone. His gaze is preoccupied, but firm. The mountains, poor in vegetation, and the reddish sky in the background symbolize the planet Mars, the sign of the god of war and the aggressive masculine principle. The throne is often decorated with rams' heads, signifying the zodiacal sign of Aries, the astrological house of Mars; this card in the Major Arcana opens the circle of the Zodiac.

In general, this card symbolizes rational, secular power. The Master is the head of the family, the boss, the leader. But his power, unlike the power of the Mistress, is rude and ruthless, for it is based on a pure idea, on the supposed superiority of reason, denying feeling.

However, he was late in asserting his power: the Mistress appeared in the house before him, and he has to defend his authority — which he does, often without choosing the means.

Other names of the arcana: Lord; Son of Tomorrow; Ruler over Rulers.

SPIRITUAL EXPLANATION: The Emperor in the Tarot is associated with Chokmah on the Tree of Life, the sacred sphere of consciousness and the personification of the Great Father. As an archetypal figure, the Emperor symbolizes divine mercy and extends his ss suffering to all his subjects. In relation to the manifested Universe, he is the active masculine principle, just as the Empress — the Mother of the Universe — is the supreme feminine principle (the High Priestess and the Magician are potential principles rather than active ones).

MEANING IN THE TAROT SPREAD: This card symbolizes strength and power based on experience and if you pull this card, you definitely have or want to have these qualities. You are a natural leader, you have ambition and a desire to leave your mark on this world. You organize all your affairs with knowledge and are responsible for your family and your business. You can be aggressive and stubborn, but at the same time you have an inner wisdom that balances your judgment and decisions.

REVERSED MEANING: You are weak and lacking in power. You show a tendency toward emotional immaturity and may be susceptible to flattery. You do not take responsibility for your actions and have little understanding of the future consequences of your actions. In addition, you may show a tendency toward cruelty and petty despotism — these are the signs of an unjust ruler.

SELF-DEVELOPMENT LESSON:True leadership requires a balanced outlook on life. This does not mean that you need to impose your will on others and demand that they do everything your way: your leadership must be based on a broader, holistic vision and take into account the needs of others.

WORK: This card means that we are primarily striving to put things in order and implement our long-standing desires, intentions and plans. The Master is a clear concept, discipline, persistence, determination and willingness to take responsibility for our decisions. At the same time, we will have to work hard, because no one will give us anything (or almost nothing) or give in, so the success of the matter depends entirely on our own efforts.

CONSCIOUSNESS: In terms of consciousness, the Master indicates realistic thinking, a pragmatic approach to business, methodical adherence to a plan and sober reasoning. This is a period when vague, vague dreams are organized and acquire a structure. Wishes become specific plans, are subject to critical analysis and can be accepted for implementation. At a deep level, this card can mean a conflict between different sides of the father image: on the one hand, a protector, a giver of blessings, on the other, a cold, unapproachable despot.

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS: A period when our relationships are strengthened, become reliable, durable. The sober, critical aspect of the Master's card can mean the loss of previous illusions. At the same time, his desire for maximum stability and security can lead the relationship to a dead end, limiting it to only the most necessary.

Names in other languages: L'Imperadore, L'Empereur, The Emperor, Der Weise.

Astrological correspondences: Aries and Mars. Sun in Sagittarius: preacher, teacher, religious figure.

Kabbalistic meaning of the Arcana: ruler.

Occult meaning of the Arcana: breast (nursing).

Physical meaning of the Arcana: ruler, patron, guardian.

Places: a place significant in ancient times, and still significant; fortress; castle; ancient part of the city; town hall.

Upright

Key words and phrases: Refusal to grow and mature. Avoidance of problems. Lack of control or discipline. Tyranny. Pressure from authority or superiors. Insubordination. Immaturity. Inferiority complex. Problems in relationships with authorities. Peter Pan syndrome. Rebelliousness. Dependency. Roughness in relationships. Belligerence. Rudeness. Impatience. Indecisiveness. Unreliability. Laziness. Narrow-mindedness. Logic that suppresses feelings. Arbitrage. Following the “letter” rather than the “spirit” of the law. Difficulties. Excessive responsibility. Lack of direction. Attachment to “mother’s skirt”. All logic and no feelings. Unwillingness to grow. Who will take care of me? Wringing yourself up. I am Tarzan, you are Jane.

Situation and Advice: Something is currently blocking your progress. When you reflect on the situation, you do not take into account your feelings and are guided solely by logic. Strictly following the principles may lead to violating the spirit of the law. Perhaps you find yourself in a situation in which you feel incompetent or oppressed. Perhaps you want to run away from problems. Perhaps an immature man is causing you problems. The Emperor in the inverted position can mean a refusal of responsibility: it seems that you are more satisfied with being dependent on others, since in this case you do not have to make independent decisions. It is time for you to grow up and stop living in the world of childhood. There are extremes in your behavior. Perhaps you provoke others or behave like a tyrant yourself. Your love relationships at the moment can be characterized as a relationship of «dominance — submission», «master — slave»; perhaps they even contain sadomasochistic elements. If your question was about work, you probably shouldn't expect a promotion. You can't handle someone else's will, power, or authority.

People:An immature man. A coward. A tyrant. A provocateur. Someone who abuses their power or strength. A person who is weak and ineffective at work. A boring person. People who are prone to emotional outbursts. Someone who submits to parental authority. Someone who depends on others and is a «burdensome burden» for them. A mama's boy or mama's girl. Someone who refuses to grow up. Someone who rebels for no reason.

The meaning of the Emperor card

After an unsuccessful struggle, you have come to terms with the realities of the world around you and have organized and adapted your life to them. Now, everything seems to be going as you planned; but for some time now you have been haunted by the fear that everything could go to hell. Therefore, you try to drown out your inner voice, suppress your feelings and emotions in order to remain faithful to the idea. This is a mistake: give yourself freedom, listen to your inner voice! Remember that there are things and affairs in the world that are much more important than you and all your Napoleonic plans. But do not despair: the lost can always turn back and find the right path.

On a purely mundane level, the Master can mean advice to seek help from a «strong» one (father, boss, etc.) or to show strength yourself. However, it is necessary to know the measure, because the force that continues to be used by inertia when the need for it has already disappeared becomes destructive (the vice of all revolutions). In rare cases, it means some superhuman force, a «heavenly patron», help from above.

In the inverted position, on the contrary, it does not advise using force. If we are talking about a «strong» (influential) person, then he is not on your side and will rather oppose than help you. The same applies to superhuman force: «Space» in this situation is against you.

In the position of the past, the inverted Master can mean exceeding the required measure of force, which will cause the effect to be opposite to the expected one.

For businessmen — advice not to be soft-hearted with unscrupulous employees, partners, mistresses, otherwise the business will perish.

If the Empress teaches people to work together, then the Emperor Tarot protects the house from external danger. You are able to fight for people, property and treasures.

The Emperor is a wise teacher. He teaches the meaning of life and the use of earthly power. There are forces that neither good will nor proper training can overcome; sometimes it takes determination to take up the sword. The Emperor teaches that conscience cannot be compromised; that a worthy existence sometimes requires a struggle.

As a man is the protector of the home, the Emperor is the legislator and patriarch, the defender of his world. The Emperor Tarot symbolizes another type of earthly wisdom: the understanding that it is not enough to desire peace and tranquility, or even to teach it, sometimes one must have the determination and ability to defend it.

Type of person in the upright position: father; husband; ruler; a person with great authority and strong will; a man who is happy with public recognition of his merits.

Type of person in the inverted position: a man who wants to dominate and strives for power at any cost; a tyrant, despot and madman.

Psychological meaning of the Emperor Arcana: if your struggle with obstacles does not bring any results, you must come to terms with reality and adapt to it, but at the same time you cannot suppress feelings and emotions. Listen to your inner voice, it will direct you in the right direction. Do not insist on the correctness of your path — it is possible that you have chosen the wrong road and it is time to change it. Give yourself the opportunity for free choice! But do not forget that there are things in the world that are much more significant than you and your «Napoleonic plans». And remember that even if you make a mistake and go the wrong way, you can always go back and start all over again.

The Master is a structure-forming element, it symbolizes our desire for stability, security and consistency. This is our desire for independence from the conditions of existence of Nature and our own nature, often unpredictable. Thus, it corresponds to our desire for civilization, thanks to which we build houses, install heating and air conditioning in them to protect ourselves from heat, cold and dampness, create cars and planes to shorten distances and make travel more comfortable, and open schools to improve the level of education. Even the fact that much is done too persistently does not erase for us the positive aspects of this often allergic card. The owner combines not only the desire for order, sober mind, discipline, sense of responsibility and pragmatism, but also their extremes — stubbornness, inertia, the desire to «improve» everything ad infinitum, thirst for power and despotism.

Did you like the article? Share it on social networks or give it a plus.

When copying information, please leave a link to the article and a few kind words in the comments =)