Tarot card meanings › Major Arcana
The Emperor Tarot Card Meaning
The Emperor tarot card means authority, structure and stability. Structure, order and a steady hand.
Upright
- Authority
- structure
- stability
Reversed
- Rigidity
- control
- weak boundaries
Yes or no
Yes
The Emperor is card IV of the 22 major arcana.
What the card shows
A bearded ruler sits on a stone throne carved with rams' heads. He wears armour under a red robe and holds an ankh-topped sceptre and an orb. Bare mountains rise behind him.
This is the card as drawn by Pamela Colman Smith for the 1909 Rider-Waite-Smith deck, which is in the public domain.
Upright meaning
The Emperor is read as order and leadership. He points to rules, plans and firm boundaries that make things safe to build on. He can stand for a boss, a father figure or your own disciplined side.
The Emperor reversed
Reversed, he is read as control for its own sake, a stubborn authority, or the lack of structure where some is badly needed.
Yes or no?
In a yes or no question, The Emperor is usually read as a yes. Readers differ on some cards, so treat this as one common reading. You can ask a yes or no question and draw a card for it.
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More Major Arcana cards
The FoolThe MagicianThe High PriestessThe EmpressThe HierophantThe LoversThe ChariotStrengthThe HermitWheel of FortuneJusticeThe Hanged ManDeathTemperanceThe DevilThe TowerThe StarThe MoonThe SunJudgementThe World
‹ The EmpressAll 78 cardsThe Hierophant ›
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