A Peep at the Emperor…

…if you´re not too chicken!

The Emperor…

…has not been put away since the 3rd October, when he was drawn for my altar.  Sometimes I do that with cards and I can´t exactly explain why.  I´st just a the feeling from the card that it has not finished with me, or, I haven´t done my homework on it.  I´m a great believer these days, that if I work with the energy that is presented to me in the moment, then I will use it to best effect.  So, when I really registered the energy of the Emperor card beside my bed this morning, then later tripped into Dea Animi´s excellent post on The Current Moon in Aries, I was therefore not very surprised to see the Moon in Aries sign on my little Lunabar desktop almanac.  Moon in Aries = Emperor: I knew today that I must work with it. 

I am still trying to get to grips with this astrology thingy and combining it with tarot, whilst it makes perfect sense for adding another layer of depth to the subject, it increases the complexity hand-in-hand.  In this case though, the Cosmic Tribe Emperor gives his Aries roots away with his two ram guardians, one on either side of his shoulder.

It had been my idea to pop the CT Emperor on the screen now, so you could all get an eyeful of him in his full glory ;-}  However, I am sat outside in the glorious sunshine of autumn and so I can´t scan him in at the moment.  Instead, I will attempt to describe the card, as if to someone who has never seen it before – first impression style.  The exercise will do me good!

I´ll start at the top of the card with the solar symbol above the Emperor´s head; so this is a Sun King.

The background of the card is brick red; first of all, this says “passion” to me.  He is passionate about what he does.  On a personal note, this also jogs me about the brochure changes I have to finish for my daughter-in-law´s hair business, Passion Salon.

The Emperor is sat in a room, with a gold-framed door behind him, to his left.  He is looking away from the direction of the door; not looking for a quick exit then.  He is seated and ready for anything.

Under his feet is a carpet of yellowish grass.  It is ankle-deep, yet the colour belies that this is arid territory.  The Emperor rules over a land of fire, “doing”, energy; as opposed to his Empress, who rules over fertile land, with watery, “feeling”, energy.

His solid, carved, wooden throne, with the rams-heads that I have already described, reminds me of a piece of heavy, Victorian furniture, like an old piano, or a commode chair.  This shows that the Emperor is solidly in this world, despite only keeping one foot on the ground.

I´ve just seen another significance to the golden door behind him.  This is the portal to the material world, the world we move about in physically, touch, feel and interact with.  Below the throne is a different portal: to the Underworld we might call it; or the world without form and physicality; the void of all potential; or again, it could be the Emperor´s Shadow, caught in the glare of the sun.  Reaching up from the void is an outstretched hand, that makes ripples in the nothingness.  Against the hand (rather than in the hand) is a green ball, that glows yellow and has an eye looking out from its´ centre.  This is a strange one: the CT deck frequently uses eyes as symbolism of the Cosmic Eye looking out at us (from us?!?).  This makes me think of The Prisoner TV series; “Who is Number One?”  Well, it turns out to be him in the end: and does he survive his madness when he discovers this fact at the end of the series?  You will have to watch it and decide for yourself.

On his head he wears a red and golden crown; symbol of his power, his authority to rule. 

Our man grasps an elaborate, golden sceptre in his right hand, his thumb pressed over the top and his forearm sinews stretched; shows me that his grasps on this potent symbol of his imperial authority, is absolute.

His left hand toys relaxedly with a grapefruit-sized orb, silver coloured with a golden band at the top.  The thing is, he is not holding the orb, but levitating it about five centimetres above his palm!  He is looking away from this activity, so there is no question of his mental focus being maintained on it through his eyes; no he is using his intuition.  Yes, our Emperor knows what exercises he must do to strengthen and balance his intuitive, female side, against his dominant, rational, male side. 

Hmmm, is this guy perfect?  Well, the way he looks, he is certainly all male!  If you are not familiar with the Cosmic Tribe deck, I will warn you now, all the Courts and Majors, plus some of the minors, are nude, very “in your face” nude.  I like them a lot but I equally expect that some of you may loathe them.  The Emperor is the worst offender of all!  Due to his pose, his genitals are in the centre of the card and yes, I do believe that this is significant but I don´t intend to go into it in any more detail – draw your own conclusions!

I must say something about the Emperor´s posture.  He is looking over his right shoulder and the lwb jokes that he could be looking with some irritation or envy at the chaotic beauty that is created by his wife, the Empress.  I couldn´t say about that, but I do know that I´ve read somewhere (possibly the Pollack´s “78 Degrees of Wisdom” that I appear to have leant someone!), that his legs and body position form the alchemical symbol for Jupiter. My little book of Cornish Witchcraft has the following to say about working with Jupiter:  positions of power, leadership, improving social standing, achieving recognition, reward, honour, responsibility, wealth, business success, expansion and legal matters.  These tags could be written into a fairly accurate job description for the role of Emperor.

I found a great thread about this Emperor at Aeclectic Tarot Forum.  If you glance down through the page, you will discover some finer points that I had overlooked, plus some different perspectives on the subject. 

On a finishing note about this particular card, I note that the whole picture is surrounded by a silver picture frame.  The thought amuses me that this card is actually the bedside picture of the Empress :D  However, I actually think it represents the four sides of a rectangle i.e. a symbol for the material world, of physicality again, what is solid and can be felt.  After all, he is the Four!

Key spread…

While editing my journals, I came across this spread that I designed in 2008.  I am rather fond of key symbolism and usually draw a key in my journal whenever I think I have unveiled a useful insight.  I posted the spread on Aeclectic Tarot Forum at the time and a few people seemed to find it useful: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=104485

This is the original journal entry, that includes the cards I drew at the time:

Swords

Quotes from the journal that I have been editing today (see http://quintanet.blogspot.com/2010/10/journal-editing-life-cut-ups.html for background):

“Swords are brilliant, shining, beautiful, like the best chosen words.”

“Cutting through – to clearer communications.”

The Death Card by Dea Animi…

…a great new perspective for anyone who sees Death as a “scary” card in a reading.   As a Scorpio, the Death card is my card.  I really enjoyed this post from the Tarot Elements Study Blog (excellent resource btw):

http://www.tarotmuse.co.uk/2010/09/tarot-for-thought-death.html

How to see Patterns in a Reading…

…my second “borrowed” post in one day.  Must be slipping!  I found this information at The Tarot School .  I found it very useful and I thought it was worth sharing.

HOW TO SEE PATTERNS IN A READING

by Peggy Firth, CTM

Tarot cards relate to each other in patterns, and
these patterns influence the overall significance
of a spread as a whole. You may have been reading
each card individually as you turn it over.
However, if you examine a spread for patterns,
they will begin to emerge and reflect a stronger
meaning. Some patterns are obvious and others are
subtle.
First, see what is missing. If, for example, no
Cups appear in a spread, it may be sending a
message that a relationship may require some
attention, or that your querent has intimacy
issues. If no Pentacles appear, you may see lack
or limitation. A lack of Swords may indicate an
absence of the rational thinking necessary to
solve a problem.
Here are some other things to watch for. The
advantage of this system is that it does not
require detailed knowledge of divinatory meanings.
Suit. If one suit is dominant, your reading will
point towards the issues of that suit. For
example, if Cups are predominant in a spread,
relationships and emotions may well be the primary
concern.
Color. Do the colors of the cards in the spread
intuitively feel happy, sad or neutral? This alone
can tell you how things are likely to work out.
Water. Water signifies mystery and the feminine.
Depending on the body of water - a pond, droplets
of water, a waterfall, an ocean, a lake or a cup
of water - this can add depth, softness, flow and
feeling to issues of a reading.
Weather. Do the skies look threatening, full of
light or just neutral?
Flora. Is there an abundance of flowers, trees and
grassy land or are the cards devoid of nature?
Landscape. Desert, mountains, hills and buildings.
Look for multiples that enlarge upon the overall
meaning.
People. How do people in the cards relate to each
other? Look at the way they are facing towards or
away from each other in a spread. Is there a lot
of fighting, celebrating, ruling, discontent, etc.
Major Arcana. If you have more Major Arcana cards
than you would ordinarily expect, the reading will
take on more importance. The 'pip' cards or Minor
Arcana are often called the mundane cards.
Minor Arcana. If most or all of the cards in a
spread are Minor Arcana you may be able to read
the cards like a comic book, using the above
imagery to help form your reading.
Numbers. Numerology is often used when reading the
tarot. Each number from one to ten represents a
certain value. Numerology has changed over the
decades, and different cultures place different
meanings on the numbers. Higher numbers, including
the Page, Knight, Queen and King represent a more
mature nature.
Elements. The four elements of FIRE, WATER, AIR
and EARTH, associated with the four suits, impact
each other and are a whole system of reading unto
themselves, called Elemental Dignities. Some
research into this subject will yield a lot of
valuable insight.

Symbols. Some of the cards, such as The Chariot,
are full of symbols. Your spread may contain an
abundance of stars or other meaningful symbols
that take on more significance if they appear next
to each other.
Positive, Negative or Neutral Cards. How do the
images make you feel and how do they act next to
each other? You may have dealt a spread full of
images that affect you strongly one way or
another. Remember, an abundance of similar images
accentuates the overall meaning.
Royalty. Elaborate costumes from the Middle Ages
are prevalent in the Rider-Waite deck, and in many
others as well. Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings
were considered above the average person. Today we
might regard them as abstract symbols of maturity,
power, strength and influence.
As you read all of the ways that relationships
between the cards can affect a reading, you might
feel a bit overwhelmed at first. However, those
relationships are valuable additions to overall
interpretation, and will be helpful in determining
your feelings about a spread. Whatever immediately
strikes you in these patterns is your subconscious
or higher mind revealing an important message.
You should trust your first response.

Visit Peggy Firth on the web at http://www.tarotdoorway.com/