Tarot - The Emperor

Well, another day, and I have seen the surgeon again. I have to make up my mind about surgery. It seems that though I have had less pain, that may not all be a good thing, as I have had more numbness and tingling which means that the nerve might be having more damage. I am not sure what to do at this point. It is looking more and more like surgery.

The Emperor

The Emperor is the patriarch of the family, the wise ruler or leader. He is a man of strength and will, whose passions lead him to make the necessary choices to rule with wisdom. He does not make his decisions blindly, but first seeks out the truth.

Being a number four card, the Emperor often stands for a plan coming to fruition or the space or foundation for things to grow or the manifestation of an idea.

In the Fantastical Creatures Deck, the Emperor is represented by a pegasus flying across a chasm. Over its' head a wind or cloud seems to take a shape showing three faces, all masculine. One face looks forward, one which appears to have glasses on looks down and the third appears to be looking skywards. The pegasus is flying beneath the cloud and does not seem to notice it. Around the neck of a the pegasus there is a cord with two white feathers wound into it. Small rocks are stirred near the back hooves of the winged horse and also further in front of it. It appears it is just taking flight. Some red flowers cling to the face of one side of the chasm face.

As many other people have spoken much about seeing fire signs in their Emperor cards, I find it interesting that I am seeing mostly air signs in my card. I also see a very different meaning then what I would normally say for the Emperor from this card as well. I am seeing the chasm as an obstacle to be overcome. It is one that is overcome with wisdom and knowledge and by correctly using the information one has to make a decision. So, I suppose that is not too far off from what I did say. The main difference is that there is an obstacle to be overcome.

I see the winged horse as a symbol of air as well as action and energy. It is a means to get over the obstacle of the rocky chasm in front of it. Above it are the onlookers, the three faces in the clouds. One looks down, looking for further dangers, one looks forward doing the same. The third face looking up is thanking the Lord and Lady. Also, the three faces could be representing body, mind and spirit. The red flowers growing are the place I see a fire symbol, passion and tenacity growing on the side of a cliff.

The concern I see with this card is that it is knocking rocks off into the chasm and may not notice what is below in the chasm that it may harm. So, a reversal may be that there is the possibility of overcoming the obstacles but not looking around to see who may be hurt in the process, being too focused on success to see a larger picture.