Tarot · The Major Arcana
The Emperor
- Order
- structure
- responsibility
The picture
A bearded ruler in armour and a red cloak sits on a stone throne carved with rams' heads, holding a sceptre and an orb, with bare mountains behind him.
The meaning
The Emperor sits firmly on his stone. The tradition reads him as order, rules and reliability. He stands for someone who takes responsibility and draws boundaries so that something can last. His strength lies in clarity, not in volume.
Reversed
Reversed, he is read as rigidity, or as control that holds on more than it protects.
In love
In love he is read as steadiness and protection, with the request not to hold the reins too tightly.
At work
At work he stands for leadership, planning and structures that hold.
As your card of the day
A little order helps today. Decide what comes first and stick to it.
The Emperor stands for clear boundaries. A friendly, firm no can tidy up a great deal today.
The Major Arcana are the 22 trump cards, from the Fool at zero to the World at twenty-one. The tradition reads them as stations on a life's journey: large themes that touch everyone at some point.
Picture: Pamela Colman Smith, Rider-Waite-Smith tarot, 1909, public domain (Wikimedia Commons).