IV. The Emperor – The Brady Tarot

In the Thick Of It

It seems we’re in the thick of it all. Everything we’ve sown is preparing to be reaped. Good or bad; I guess it’s in the eye of the beholder.

As I sit here feeling the frigid North Wind arrive, chilling everything it touches and stealing my breath, I ask if there is anything we should be aware of or contemplating as we take refuge from the harshness ‘outside.’

I decide to ask for a message from a deck Karl gave me for completing my 1111 Devotion, The Brady Tarot. This deck is comprised of images (hand-colored linocuts) created by Emi Brady and is accompanied by a guidebook written by the renowned author and master tarotist Rachel Pollock.

Besides the exquisite artistry, I love how this deck is dedicated to the biodiversity of North America, and a portion of the proceeds is donated to some very worthy causes (Earthjustice and the Indigenous Environmental Network).

The Cards

I chose the way I usually do, shuffling the cards with both hands and holding my question in my mind. In this instance, I simply asked what we’re learning or need to be aware of unfolding in our lives.

I chose the Emperor card with the 5 of Roots underneath (ha – at the ‘root’ of the selection).

IV. The Emperor

“Rules, structure, authority, Father figures, including one’s actual father, but also anyone who fulfills that role. Some mothers are more Emperor than Empress. Dominance, control, but also the security that comes from structure and rules. In a conflict, the Emperor, as you, can tell you to stand your ground.”

There is much more descriptive information contained in the guidebook. Simply viewing the image, though, and using our intuition is instructive and illuminating. Plus, it’s not as though the ‘theme’ of patriarchy hasn’t been coming up in all sorts of contexts over the past several years.

5 of Roots – Scarcity

“Difficult times, hardship. This is one of those cards people do not like to see in their reading. It shows a time when we cannot avoid suffering, but must carry on, with the hope of better things to come. At the same time, the figures are not alone. They help and support each other.Thus, the card can indicate a relationship in which people become closer. But what will happen if their lives improve?  Will they reap the benefits of that closeness they have forged, or will they drift apart without the glue of hardship?

(…)

A family of moose trudges through the snow of a New Hampshire winter. (…) Winters are hard for moose, for they have nothing to eat but bark and twigs. The father seems to stand alert, while the bedraggled mother leads her child on the quest for food.

(…)

The mother looks particularly ‘ghostly,’ with the father less so. What we can see of the child looks healthy.

Even in such hard times there are signs of hope. Below the ground, still not accessible to the hungry family, five grass seeds have begun to sprout. Things are bad, the card tells us, but if you carry on and help each other, change will come.”

My Take

Our ‘emperors’ – those who have been in power and have no intention of giving it up easily – or even sharing it – are front and center in our experience right now. There’s been a lot of conquest to achieve power ‘over’ hence the top of the mountain) and heads on spikes are a good indicator of that ‘taking,’ as is the clenched restraint of the eagle. Allowing the eagle to fly free and unrestrained is not an option that’s going to be willingly offered by The Emperor.

The struggle around us is going to become more stark and the refusal to cede any ground more adamant.

The ‘Scarcity’ represented by the 5 of Roots is an apt, if unfortunate, foundation. But really, does this come as a surprise to any of us? No. The result of the struggle that’s playing out in the effort to bring more equality to the situation (topple the Empire – um, I mean The Emperor) is taking, and will continue to take, a harsh toll on all of us.

Ultimately, we will be asked to work together, in community, to overcome the oppression. We’ve planted seeds of concepts that can nourish us and make our country and world stronger. Before they truly take root and flourish, we’re going to have to help each other find nurturing and sustenance where we can.

As has been told to us by so many of the oracles we’ve consulted:  realizing that those in power retain their power by dividing the rest of us and pitting us against each other, and choosing instead to work together to survive and create a better world is what will save us.

The Old Way of power over is unacceptable. Those holding that power will, sadly, do everything they can – including not only hurting us but even going so far as to ‘sacrifice’ us – to remain in control. But working together, we can save each other and ourselves and create something far better.

(T+34)