The Emperor in the Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot
Images and Symbols
An emperor sits on an imposing throne made of stone, with rams heads carved into the arms (symbol of Aries). He holds an orb and sceptre, and in the background there is a bleak and barren mountain range.
Numerology
The Emperor has number four. An unmistakably masculine number with its sharp angles and straight lines, four is also quite contrarian in nature. This is the number of hard work, rules, and control. But four can also be demanding, intransigent, and overly strict.
Interpreting The Emperor
The Emperor is the obvious counterpoint to The Empress. ). The Fool met The Magician and obtained his tools, developed his intuition with the help of The High Priestess, and nurtured his ideas with the help of The Empress. He must now impose some much needed structure and order on his plans, and exert some control if he is to succeed. And so, like a good father, The Emperor steps in to show The Fool how to achieve this.
This card can also warn against being too ruthless or dogmatic, as well as continuing with the same old set patterns which no longer serve you, or continuing with something which has long lost its enjoyment and become a tiresome chore.
We are reminded that with power comes great responsibility. We cannot lead effectively if we are intolerant of the diversity of people in our team. Each one of them will have skills to offer and lessons to teach. Just because their life is different to yours does not mean they cannot enrich your journey. When you are entrusted with power, be mindful to be a good steward of that power. Do that and control of your destiny will become effortless.
Whether read upright or reversed, (I tend to integrate both significations, regardless of how the card appears, and invite the querent to search themself for which aspects apply to them) this card has both positive and negative connotations for the querent. Give the necessary structure to what you’re doing, but don’t obsessively micromanage it or the people who are trying to help you.
