IV – The Emperor
“order and mind, controlling nature”
symbol: dominance, authority, sovereignty
zodiac: Aries
ritual: asceticism, sacrifice
archetype: Anu, Odin, Yaldabaoth, Kronos, Zeus
path of Tzaddi: Netzach – Yesod
The traditional display on a throne was replaced by a platform, since this emperor is not near to his people but keeps distance from the world around him. Such a being of power hides behind veils and does not display his force in plain sight. “IV – The Emperor” is either a wise king or a tyrant who keeps his empire or domain together.
The card of “VII – The Conqueror” represents the young agile form of an emperor who expands and still has a goal, a focused sight, and the idea that there is more to accomplish, to conquer or to gain – pure fire. The emperor on the other hand does not focus on a bright future. He has conquered it all, is tired and old, but also wise and experienced. The next step in this archetype’s narrative is to eventually get betrayed by someone close, traditionally by his queen, or a close relative. There are only a few exceptions in history and literature. An old sun who is set to die soon. Compared to the Conqueror (the rising sun) there is no target for the setting sun. One of the strongest motives found in this archetype is the distance, the sight directed downwards (on his empire and people) and the beginning of a frozen, detached relationship to the world. The pyramidal hierarchy/caste system which supports the emperor is still vital and fruitful in his functional domain, but his aura is not vivid anymore. The golden days are over, all that remains is keeping hold of the power which has become a restriction for this archetype.
Restriction, which means the inability to act out of own will, always increases in pyramids as we climb up their steps. Furthermore, the connection to the real people, who are subjects of the empire, disappears entirely at a certain point. Patriarchy itself encounters symbolic problems at this point: Godly rulers like Osiris, Odin or Anu do not represent the male element of fire. Even Zeus just seems old and bored. His adventures on earth are not conducted as the archetype of the emperor himself, but always in disguise or using certain masks. These myths offer countless examples of the isolated position at the top and the inability to act freely – another reason for the absence of fire near the emperor. It can also be noticed that the emperor does not wear a crown. In Malkuth (=the kingdom) the crown is a symbol for control over the elements and the chakras, but these primal attributes have been forgotten and the crown symbolism changed with time. Therefore it is replaced by an orphic egg to show the connection of the emperor’s crown chakra with the controlled domain (quantum entanglement of the mind and the kingdom). If one falls, the other one will collapse too, which hints at cautious thinking.
Exerting control over an empire, a domain, or a realm, means to transcend the consciousness into the crown chakra and become the aura of the whole domain, so that the entire realm is comprised in it. This means that a relationship of dependency has been established, which can’t be broken so easily. This archetype works in a historic, mythical or daily-life context, just replace him with patriarchal orientated caste-systems, economic giants or any global leadership or government. The comet escaping the cosmos symbolizes that one pattern in the cosmic matrix which an emperor can never control (compare it to the anomaly, the rebelling son or the lucifer symbolism). It is the intervention of a higher power which eventually leads every structured domain to its downfall and onto the path to chaos that must follow each stagnating order.
