The most striking aspect of this Emperor, for me, is the posture. He is not sitting, as seems to be usual for most decks, but standing (he reminds me of the Gill Tarot Emperor, standing with a foot covering the opening of a volcano). At his back is a city, and he stands at a podium. The city is an image of chaos, dostorted buildings. But the Emperor looks at us with a serene half-smile, as if to say "I'll take care of this mess". His arms are raised above his head; in one hand he holds a sceptre, and in the other the orb. On the podium is a coat-of-arms with pictures of the four suits: the cup, pentacle, wand and sword are portrayed here in an orderly composition, in contrast to the city background. The Emperor rules all the suits, and places all aspects of life in order. Rays of light shine down upon him, as if he had a divine command to impose order, as if his power came from above.

To me, this Emperor stresses the organizing principle of life. The city seems to have srputed like a bunch of wild mushrooms from the Empress' generative drive, and the Emperor must now create order.

Brian Williams offers the following description:
"The Emperor, leader and warrior king, rises proudly from his podium, lifting high the emblems of his authority. In one hand he holds the scepter of power and spirituality, and in the other the orb, the earth-apple, showing his dominion on earth. He is the consort, complement and opposite, of the Empress. He embodies the masculine principle. The Emperor brings order out of chaos. He lays down the law and brings order into the life of society and the individual. At his feet geometric shapes and forms jostle each other, showing the intellectual ferment of the masculine mind, but from this jumble rise roofs and spires, an orderly cityscape. In the midst of this modern, cubist chaos, his figure is architectonically steadfast- he almost merges with the structure of his throne. Emblazoned on his shield are the emblems of the four suits-signs...of sovereignty over the world of matter. His wide face and staring eyes resemble the golden mask of Agamemnon of Mycenae, high king of the Greeks. Contrasting eages, like the two-headed imperial eagles of Russia and the Holy Roman Empire, create a triangle at his heart. A Caesar's wreath of triumph, a halo of laurel and oak, surmounted by a pagan cross of matter, rises from his simple crown. Rays of light emanate from the little cross, filling the sky of the Emperor's capitol. The watery, fertile, dark forces of the Empress are given constructive shape by the Emperor. We all emerge from an inchoate, chaotic beginning and must make our journey through confusion toward harmony. The Emperor's power is to bring clarityand order to that great task. Like the human brain, the Emperor organizes and edits the information and phenomena we take in, so we aren't overwhelmed by them. With the aid of the Emperor's scepter and orb, we can master our circumstances and build a worthy monument of our existence".

Meaning:
"The Emperor promotes all aspects of the active male principle. He builds, rules, leads, decides, judges, administers, organizes. He begets sons and daughters, marshals lieutenants and followers, protects neighbors and citizens. He is culture itself, especially as the construct of markets and courts, libraries and forts. Tyranny, too, is his unhappy effect, as well as war. All the excesses of masculine ambition and competition must be laid at his feet. But when disciplined and wise, he embodies the highest human aspirations: to rule ourselves with prudence, vigor, and kindness; to foster splendors of human thought and handiwork in society - in a word, to create civilization". (pages 18-20).

Marisa