04-The Emperor – Upright Thoth Deck

Your Chosen Card – The Emperor Upright Thoth Deck

Hail to the chief! When upright, the Emperor represents a person of authority, will, planning, organization, analysis, strategic thinking and phallic masculinity. Lo and behold! The Emperor is the Father Archetype, the Lord and Master who knows how to get things done. A powerful leader, he takes charge, puts things in order, and protects those in his domain. He rules with his mind rather than with his heart. The Emperor appears in a reading to remind you to step up to the plate, be true to your principles, and use your power to structure your life to accomplish what must be done. You need to set clear goals and establish firm limits so that you can provide stability and get the job done.

Keywords Upright: Authority, splendor, power, awe, ambition, leadership, order, control, dominion, logic, reason, objectivity, visibility, setting limits, potency, forcefulness, courage, self-confidence, discipline, responsibility, majesty, impressiveness, maturity, protection, realization, will, decisiveness, life force, fathering, masculine power, the phallus, stability, structure, realism, firm foundations, taking charge, ability to get things done.

Key IV: The Emperor
Myths/Archetypes: The Great Father. The Ruler. The Knight of Knights. Zeus. Yahweh. Ouranos. Priapus. George Washington. Head of State.
Dates of Aries: 21 March–20 April (tropical); 14 April–13 May (sidereal)
Astrology: Aries, the Ram (a Fire sign ruled by Mars)
Numerology: 4 (Emperor) ~ 1 + 3 (Death) ~ 2 + 2 (The Fool)

Hebrew letter: He or Hey (a man with his arms erect; a Hebrew word meaning to look, reveal, to behold a great sight, ‘Lo and behold!’ Also the article the, and a breath or sigh). Aleister Crowley paired the Emperor with the Hebrew letter Tzaddi, a letter the Golden Dawn associated with XVII, the Star.

When The Emperor is upright you can pretty much take it that life is going well but that’s when life takes us by surprise.  If The Emperor is unclear it may help to choose a card from the Major Arcana to provide more insight into what it is The Emperor is trying to tell you.  If you had a particular issue in  mind, or want to seek clarification on something else, you can also choose again to get more guidance.

This chosen card is part of your upright card reading for The Emperor using cards from the Thoth Tarot Deck. You will find many more tarot pages that will be of great help if you need tarot card meanings. Use the search at the bottom of the page. We have some amazing tarot books for you to browse. Please see below.


Here are some snippets from a few of my favorite books

Complete Book of Tarot
Book Details
Complete Book of Tarot: Ruled by the warrior god Mars, Aries comes first in the zodiac. An enterprising cardinal sign, Aries the Ram marks the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, which in many cultures is the beginning of the new year. As the first sign of the annual cycle of seasons, Aries is associated with the Emperor, trump IV, a card often depicted in fiery red tones. The Queen of Wands falls largely under Aries, a sign whose natives are characterized by these traits:

Tarot Books

World of Psychics: You don’t have to be given your first Tarot deck – that’s another myth. You can go out and buy it if you like. I use the Thoth deck – you can use whichever one you want!

Complete Book of Tarot: Over the years the term divination has broadened to include any method that ‘attempts to foretell the future or to discern unknown matters, as though by supernatural means.’ 1 In this definition, the word ‘supernatural’ refers to methods that cannot be proved by the scientific method—that is, methods hard science cannot yet or perhaps never will be able to explain. Scientists regard such techniques as ‘pseudoscience’ because they fall outside the area of knowledge the scientific method is designed to explain. There can be little doubt that, together with practices like Freudian psychoanalysis, divination with tarot cards is one such pseudo-science. On the other hand, many individuals testify that they have benefited greatly from tarot readings as well as from sessions with a psychoanalyst.

  • Do get in touch if you looked for The Emperor and we don’t have it listed. We would be more than happy to source the information for you. We hope you visit again for more online tarot information!

Complete Book of Tarot: Myth 3: You must never make a major decision without first consulting the cards.