The Emperor - Who's in charge here?
A Tarot offering for Aries Season
Chaos, crisis, entropy and upset are endemic to our planet, our species, and the universe itself—but not to the Emperor. He’s the counter-balance:
stability
order
wisdom
endurance
The harbinger of Aries season, the Emperor observes the explosive vitality of spring (in the Northern Hemisphere) with a discerning eye. He appreciates the natural abundance of the Earth by setting himself these tasks: to chart avenues of future growth, strategize sustainability, and allocate resources.
Pulling this card in a tarot spread portends great capability. The Emperor is a creator. With him, you will get shit done.
Yet, too often I see people draw this card and assume that it means they need to put themselves under a stricter regimen. Get up earlier, work harder, stick to the program. If that’s your read of this card—I hear you. With three personal planets in Aries, I’m also a fan of a harder, faster, longer approach to problem solving.
But the Emperor shows up just as often to tell us to SLOW down, consider non-reactionary options, wait and see a little bit.
Build your Empire.
We are all masters of our own domain. We may feel that we are subject to the whims of chance or the needs of our communities, our country’s leaders or our families’ needs, but ultimately we are responsible for our actions and how we show up and take up space on this planet.
Unfortunately, western models of Emperorship leave a lot to be desired.
Authoritarian, carceral and narcissistic, our historical (and present-day) emperors have mostly fallen into the business of expanding wealth and power for its own sake—at all costs. Their methods trickle down into our communities and our relationships. They shape the ways we interact with others and ourselves.
This is a critical moment to engage the imagination in crafting a new vision of balanced authority relating to this card and its archetype. Tarot can help, as can nature.
I’ve often heard the Emperor of the tarot compared to the towering redwood tree or imposing saguaro cactus. These giants of the natural world know how to protect themselves (with thick bark or cactus needles) while also providing shelter and sustenance for whole ecosystems.
What if we recognized caregiving, not conquest, as the purview of the Emperor?
I want to hold up the Emperor Penguin as a prime example of Emperor energy, not for his size, but his adaptive capabilities. This animal is a master of endurance, nurturing and cooperation; one of the only creatures to survive the harsh conditions of Antarctica. Were you enchanted by the 2005 documentary March of the Penguins? I was! These tubby birds are cute AF and totally inspiring. Penguins trek for miles to frigid breeding grounds, where males incubate their single eggs through winter months that look like Armageddon. Meanwhile the females quest for far-flung hunting grounds. Once the chicks are hatched, colonies of Emperor penguins form a creche (the French term for nursery), where chicks huddle together for protection in a fluffy little cuddle fest.
How do we care for our young? Our communities? Ourselves?
The balanced Emperor works diligently toward finding sufficient answers—then puts them into action.
Reclaim your power.
“There has never been an epoch that did not feel itself to be ‘modern’ in the sense of eccentric, and did not believe itself to be standing directly before an abyss. The desperately clear consciousness of being in the middle of a crisis is something chronic to humanity. Every age unavoidably seems to itself a new age.” —Walter Benjamin, The Arcades Project.
Like the saguaro cactus towering against the dry, desert night or the penguin huddled against the harsh, Antarctic winter, perhaps humans are chronically situated on the edge of the abyss. The crises of our time, of Walter Benjamin’s time, can’t be denied. But for me, it’s helpful to hold space for the possibility that sometimes what feels like a crisis, might be us riding the ever-shifting edge of evolution. As a writing mentor of mine, Bethany Hegedus, said of the creative process—to breakdown is often to breakthrough.
The Emperor shows up to remind us that HOW we deal with the breakdown is significant. Despite what our modern and historical emperors might model for us: This is not a card to claim that our ends justify all means.
In fact—it’s the opposite. The Emperor calls us to CHECK our motivations and means—Are they aligned with our highest good? Are they non-harming? If so then this card is here to reassure you that YOU’VE GOT THIS.
Ultimately—YOU have to be the one to decide if you need to tweak your methods. The Emperor is not here to tell you how to handle your situation. Do not give this card (or any tarot card!) that much power.
YOU ARE THE EMPEROR. YOU HAVE THE POWER.
If we read the Emperor as a message that we must be strict, unyielding, and (possibly) punishing with ourselves to get results—we’re locking ourselves (and likely others) in a painful box.
Only the shadow-side of the Emperor is forever stubborn in their objectives and endlessly strong of will. Yes, he routinely places longterm stability over short-term satisfaction, but he remembers that his efforts are in the service of joy and fulfillment for all. Himself included.
The balanced Emperor facilitates full, abundant springtime profusion, but with compassion, clarity, and conscious intention.
I like what Tarot for the Wild Soul creator, Lindsay Mack says about the Emperor—that he comes to remind us that “We are here on purpose.” We exist by design, not by accident. The Emperor prompts us to ask: “What do we want to bring to the world? What do we want to offer to the world? What do we want to come home to?”1
As our own authorities we determine what ‘purpose’ our being here entails. Like the Justice card that forms its astrological counterpoint in Libra, the Emperor asks us to get clear about our values and act accordingly.
In the last days of Aries season, may we learn
to step into our fullest, most compassionate means of leadership.
to experience break-throughs that bring us into greater alignment with our values.
to find (and give) the support we all need to keep ourselves upright.
Tend your growth.
Try this three-card spread to dig deeper into the Emperor/Aries energy showing up in you this season:
CARD 1 — What kind of Emperor am I?
CARD 2 — How can I best show up in community with others?
CARD 3 — How can I best care for myself?
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From Lindsay Mack’s Tarot for the Wild Soul Episode 285: Equinox Medicine, May 21, 2025.
Another powerful piece! Thank you so much for this. I continue to enjoy the photos you share (both your own and others - especially featuring bluebonnets and loaned sticks). This really resonated with me, ". . . it’s helpful to hold space for the possibility that sometimes what feels like a crisis, might be us riding the ever-shifting edge of evolution." LOVE. So grateful to learn more about tarot from your beautiful, rich writing.