The Emperor and the Kings in the Tarot
The Emperor and the Kings in the Tarot. It's officially 2020, the year of the Emperor. In the past few weeks we've talked a lot about birth cards, personal year cards, and the collective year card. As you know, 2020 adds up to 4, thus, the Emperor is our card of the year.
What an Emperor Year Will Look Like
How will the Emperor energy as our primary leading energy affect us all this year? Let's take a moment and review these details. An Emperor year is going to bring a lot of action, right from the beginning. Starting now, you can expect to see things that were once all hung up (by The Hanged Man). start to come together and take off.
The Emperor card is associated in Astrology with the planet Mars. Mars is the natural ruler of the sign of Aries. We see many corresponding traits between a card, and its associated sign and planet. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac. These are the pioneers who boldly set out and pave the way, trying new things. This is the sign of ACTION, and so too, the Emperor signifies action, and is filled with the same fiery energy. There is usually a lot of red in this card.
Mars can also signify anger, hot tempers and aggressive behavior. This IS a fire sign and planet. So again, we can often see this type of energy with the Emperor. Especially because these attributes are often associated with testosterone, a male hormone.
Which brings us to the next point, the Emperor is a masculine energy, just like the sign of Aries it's associated with. In Astrology, it's ruler Mars is the male energy, representing the counterpart to Venus's feminine energy (the Empress). Seeing the similarity with the tarot? The red in the card symbolizes not just anger, but also passion. So with the Emperor, we are dealing with men and patriarchy more, whether we like it or not.
The Emperor and the Kings
In the tarot, the Emperor is related to each of the four kings. In history, an emperor was a ruler of a vast land. Far too vast for him to maintain direct control over the entire area. Therefore, "kingdoms" were established. The area was broken up into smaller subsets, with each one being presided over by a king. The king was the highest authority in the land, in his "kingdom". The kings answered only to the emperor, the highest of all authority. The emperor answered to no one.
Can you already see the correlation in the tarot? In a tarot deck, the kings are the highest court member, and really the ultimate authority in each suit (his "kingdom"), just like kings in history. Each king presides over a specific area, like in history, but these days, it's a specific area of ours lives.
The kings answer to no one in the minor arcana. Not any of the pips, nor any of the other ranks of the court cards. But they DO answer to the Emperor in the Major Arcana. He is the kings King. The Emperor here in the tarot also answers to no one. He is the ultimate authority.
The Emperor in the Tarot is the full embodiment of all 4 of out minor arcana kings. He is the complete holistic ruler that embodies all 4 suits energies. The energy of the Kings of Wands, King of Cups, King of Swords and King of Pentacles are all found in the Emperor. When you receive the Emperor in a reading along with one of the Kings, you can be certain that the tarot is calling your attention strongly to that Emperor energy, and particularly, it's manifestation as that particular king.
How does the Emperor show up in each king?
The Emperor and the Kings: The King of Wands
This is where we see The Emperor as the leader. The King of Wands is an amazing leader. He is a man that is "for the people". He leads by example, and is a man of his word. He wants the best for those he rules and makes it a point to be approachable. If you are having difficulty with something, this king will show you how to move forward, by showing you how HE has gotten there. He has a lot to share, and often, it is something that he is very passionate about.
While all kings are at the top of the food chain, this king stands out as a leader not just because he is in charge, but because he makes it a point to be a teacher as well. He'll share with you how to achieve your goals, and provide you the encouragement and a pat on the back necessary to keep you going.
Are you an expert at something? When you are passionately sharing with others, teaching others, and setting examples by doing, you are embodying the Emperor's leadership qualities through the King of Wands. He is generous, and wants to take others with him where he is going. This king represents having new ideas, creating something out of them, and taking others along with him as he expands their experiences too.
I'm Liza, professional Tarot reader, writer and mentor, and this is Tarot Liza. Everyday we're working to bring our mission of delivering more value and Tarot education to the Modern Reader to life! Welcome! Read more...
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