Tarot Meditation 5: The Emperor, Key 4

The theme of finding balance in one's life continues in Key 4, The Emperor. He sits on a throne flanked by rams' heads, symbolizing Mars energy. In his right hand (the active, male side of the body) is the Egyptian ankh, also called the Cross of Life. The ankh also is a symbol of Venus, here representing the need for balance with love and power. In his left hand (the passive, feminine side of the body) he holds the same globe found in The Empress' right hand. Again, this denotes the need for balance between love and power and between Spirit and matter. The red of his cloak symbolizes action and determination, as we have seen in The Fool, The Magician and The Empress.

The Emperor, as Key 4, numerologically represents all that is secure, with a four-square base of stability. Four is one of the building blocks of divine thought: the four elements (fire, air, earth, water), the four seasons, four points of the compass, the four rivers in the Garden of Eden, and the four letters of the sacred name of Jehovah: IHVH.

The mountains in the background are the same mountains we saw in Key 0, The Fool. Just as they represented cold intellect in that Key, they represent mental activity and authority in this Key.

To review, The Magician is the active principle of life connecting with Spirit and The High Priestess is the passive principle of life connecting with Spirit. As The High Priestess becomes The Empress after initiation, so the Magician becomes The Emperor.

The Emperor reminds us that the Spiritual world and the Material world must come together in balance and harmony if we are to move forward on our life path. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.

Be blessed,

deb

Tarot Meditation 4: The Empress, Key 3

The Empress is Mother Earth. She is fertility, pregnant with new life, new creativity, new pathways to intuition. She is the High Priestess coming into her own. She represents Venus, the Goddess of Love. She is Isis unveiled.

Wearing the white of purity and the red of passion, she is Mother of balance and harmony. Seated on a throne in a blooming garden, she is surrounded by Goddess symbols, including Venus' zodiac symbol on her heart-shaped shield, Venus' sacred cypress trees, Venus' sacred myrtle in the wreath binding her hair, and a necklace of pearls around her neck, also sacred to Venus. The field of wheat at her feet is saced to Isis. Those studying The Empress should also study Greek, Roman and Egyptian mythology to learn more about these, and other, Gods and Goddesses.

The Empress wears a crown of 12 stars, each with six points, denoting dominion and her relationship to sacred geometry and its symbolism with Hebraic thought - the Star of David and the 12 tribes of Israel. Her scepter is topped with a globe, another symbol of her mothering of all that is.

The stream that pours from the bottom of The High Priestess key reappears in the background of The Empress key, signifying that the stream of consciousness continues to flow through our lives and guide us, if we pay attention.

The Empress denotes our ability to bring to fruition our desires. What we believe we can manifest, we can, indeed, bring forth. However, we must use caution, being certain of our desires before we create them, for they will come to pass! The Key also reminds us of our responsibility to nurture, honor and love. Just as The Empress as Mother Earth cares for all her children, we too must care for all our brothers and sisters on the planet.

Be blessed,

Deb