The Tarot of Eli 2: The Manara Erotic Tarot -Key 4-The Emperor & Rider-Waite- Smith Tarot-Key 4-The Emperor.

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THE EMPEROR-Key 4, is the 15th Path of Heh that runs between the 6th Sephiroth- Tiphareth (Beauty-the Solar Logos) to the 2nd Sephiroth Chokmah (Wisdom-Lesser Creator who rules over manifestation) and is known as the Constituting Intelligence (Paul Foster Case).

Because of our Divine Inheritance from the Demiurge (Lesser Creator) and the Great Mother (Binah-Female aspect of the Demiurge) we are all the "Sparks" of consciousness. Modern psychology has called these Sparks of Consciousness, the Unconscious, the Subconscious, and the awake Consciousness which about every elementary school child has heard of. However, hearing of a thing is not knowing the thing.

The RWS-Key 4-The Emperor is displayed as the "Ancient of Days", the traditional Supernal Father, who is older than time itself. The Traditional display of the Ankh Cross in the Emperor's right hand and the Orb of Dominion in his left hand. The Ankh is traditionally the "Union of Goddess & God", inseparable and all creating. The Orb is considered the solar sign of the 6th Sephiroth-Tiphareth (Beauty) or "Son of God". The ram headed throne symbolizes the 1st house of Aries.

Thus, in this Card, we have the term Constituting Intelligence meaning that THE EMPEROR assists in the building up of Light of Tiphareth from the utter darkness of Limitless Light of the Supernal Triangle. This Path of Heh could also be considered as the "start of Time" in infinity. The Emperor-Key 4 also represents the 4th Sephirotic Being known as Chesed- The Architect.

The Erotic Tarot of Milo Manara depicts a scene of mystery and water. Here we have a woman at the edge of a river, with a misty figure of an Emperor rising out of the foaming waters. He represents security, fecundity, authority, and order. He is an Aries who is "I AM Authority". Hence, we have Milo's rendition of Aries rising out of the Water, the water also representing the mysterious female element here. For there is no Emperor unless the Empress calls him Emperor. So, one might suggest that Milo Manara illustrates the Empress, while bathing, invoking the Emperor from the Magnetic element of the Universal-Water, which is Her element of Form. Magnetism invokes electricity.

The Tarot also realizes that the Emperor is responsible for human life as he defines the Laws of Physics, so in the background, of the Erotic Tarot Emperor are clouds of "star dust". The Sun shining bestows life on earth and the wholesomeness of humankind. The Emperor has a sword which may imply his rule (laws of physics) over the "crystalline light", or "star dust" that all manifestation is made of, he sets the boundaries of all the created. The sign of Aries suggests the first house of the Zodiac-Aries/Spring.

The Erotic Tarot - Key 4-The Emperor is dressed in chainmail armor and helm of steel, representing power, command, and authority. His decisions are based on solid foundations of measurement and with his conceptual mind over matter he has firmly rooted his goals. The cross shaped guard and handle of his sword is also associated with the solar power while the Crux Ansana, an ancient Egyptian symbol of life known as the Ankh. The Cliff in the background represents hope, power and eloquence. Mountains or cliffs can represent faith, hope, courage, wisdom, and ambition.

In Western Hermetic Qabalistic philosophy, The Emperor is a lesser influence than Empress. Even Carl Jung saw the mother more important to the psychological formation of the child than the father. However, a woman may argue that Jung could only speak and see from the reason of the Animus, the Amina's counter-sexual component. Jung's own difficult experiences with his own father certainly may influence his psychology; However, this doesn't subtract from the utilities of his theories.

The 22 Major Arcana promotes a primary consideration of the mother-Empress and Son (emerging self-consciousness from the water) while the son becomes the father-Emperor who stands as the guardian of the process of measured creation. Unless the metaphysical imagery and process are applied to mundane experiences, they are as useless as a "house of cards". Consequently, one must try to experience The Emperor as the father in their life experiences, for he is the inner sovereignty and nature self-possession. The Empress created Him and gave him the authority to measure and/or set boundaries and structure for the Forms of Life she gives birth to. You are one of those forms birthed by the mother. In Tarot, the mother gives the father the authority of measurement. You may know this authority as the "rational mind".

As previously stated, THE EMPEROR, is the Path of Heh and its function is determined by Binah-the 3rd Sephirotic Being who is pure fruition. The Path of Heh is a formative path of rational and classifying activities. Its bright red color is that of Binah (The Great Mother) in the World of Pure Spirit known as Aziluth. Albeit, that the male and female forces are seen as more interwoven in the lower levels as we go down the Tree of Life, the assumption that Chokmah and Binah are the only "Pure" states of Male and Female force is in error; As Chokmah (Wisdom), meaning the primary quality of maleness, is a Hebrew- female noun equivalent to the Greek Goddess of Wisdom-Sophia. Taking the point of view that whatever gives birth is exercising a primary female quality at the moment of birth then all that is inherent in the male is inherent in the female and vice versa. We can see this by understanding that the Creation of Chokmah gave birth to maleness, and therefore, defining femaleness, simultaneously, for 0=2.

The students of Carl Jung know that he stated the "male harbors the perfect female image in his unconscious, as the female harbors the perfect male image in her " unconscious", these being the "counter sexual component" necessary for the transformation of force and form. Jung also called the "counter-sexual components", the Anima (female) in males and the Animus (Male) male in females. The Anima means spirit in Latin and the Animus is Latin for soul. Thus, we can see that THE EMPRESS is Anima and THE EMPEROR is Animus, making the perfectly developed male type on the Paths THE EMPEROR and the perfectly developed female type, THE EMPRESS. These are the pure intelligent forces that we meet and converse with on the Paths of the Universal Collective Unconscious.

If we think of the One as a Human Brain, albeit a simplistic comparison as it is a copy of the Soul, then One has become two, female and male in One Intelligent organism (The Tree of Life) on The Path of Heh.

Since the Sun/Son of Tiphareth is in the sign of Aries, which is the sign of This Path, indicates that THE EMPEROR exercises some control over the Solar forces of the Higher Self. Hence, in a personal interaction or conversation, the emperor can be verbal, rational, conversational----and can often seem cold. Although he may administer punishment, he is very protective of his own. He becomes the provider of strength, support, and Fatherly love. However, in the mundane world, this support and strength may not be shown. This isn't because the emperor isn't in the Animus identity, but because men are not in union with the inner Anima, as their society forms the male identity for them, rather than the Soul forming it. A man-made man isn't what the Anima created as her Animus-Male counter-sexual partner.

In Western Qabalistic philosophy, The Creatrix (Empress) gives the authority to "measure" (rationale) to the Creator. She Understands the paradigm of formation while he must be the architect of measurement and thereby set into order the creations of Self as the "law giver". In the Western Qabalah, the 4th Sephiroth of the Emperor is called Chesed-Mercy. This is because as boundary setter, (law giver) he often forgives those who step beyond the boundaries if they are supplicant enough. However, the Mother-Empress does not forgive, nor does she "blame" as she oversees the developing spiritual child, where knowledge becomes "life paths" and she is often the "adjuster" that keeps us on the Spiritual Pathways of Self. Even failure is knowledge gained, hence, no punishment.

When THE EMPEROR card is thrown during a reading it emphasizes the principle of:

• Personal Power and Leadership.
•  Building a pure base of Knowledge while remaining open minded, pointing towards success, authority, stability and ambition in gain or achievement.
• Self-realization of Life Force and Personal Power.
• Taking authority over themselves rather than blaming others for their actions.
• Moderation and control.
• Discipline.
• Temperance. 
• Harmony between the spiritual and material aspects. 
• Patience.
• Frugality. 
• Positive influence.
• Good omen.

If reversed the querent is up against:

• A dominant boss, or authority figure (s) who sets rules, boundaries, definitions, and analysis. 
• A self-centered personality.
• Cruelty.
• Oppressive male.
• Unstable efforts and actions. 
• Intemperance.
• Disharmony.

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