IV The emperor - No Doubt
A man sits on a stone throne adorned with carved rams heads. He has long white hair, and a beard and stares directly ahead. He wears a gold and bejewelled crown, and a bright red gown. A dark red mantle, that’s embroidered with a rams head insignia, drapes his shoulders. Beneath his clothes, full metal armour can be seen. He holds a gold sceptre in his right hand and a golden orb in his left. Behind and far below him, a thin stream of water passes through a sandy beach and before a range of high, craggy mountains. The whole background of sand, mountain and sky appears dry, and are shades of yellow and orange.
IV The Emperor from the Rider Waite Smith tarot
The people who seek therapy from me will often describe experiencing anxiety, depression, or stress - as primary issues. Sometimes, this is followed closely by feelings of low confidence, self-esteem, and self-belief.
How does a lack of self belief show up in your life? How does doubting yourself effect your choices, presence, demeanour?
Because I mostly see women I may have a bias toward seeing this more as a women's issue. Men of course can suffer the same. However, because of how women have been socialised under a patriarchy (be nice, sweet, obey) many women may be uncomfortable demonstrating the sort of confidence exhibited by the Emperor.
Interestingly, this time last year I also drew the Emperor card. At that time I spoke around theme’s of power, authority, and leadership, as well as masculinity and expectations and ideals of the father. I encourage you to revisit this article - as it still offers relevant prompts and reminders that I won’t repeat here.
This time, I’ll add some nuance. I’m drawn to the regalia adorned by the Emperor, and ceremony implied in the image - and am curious how these symbols within the archetype have potential for transforming self doubt.
The Emperor as highest, male royalty wears a crown, and holds both a sceptre and orb. His mantle is adorned with insignia and he sits on a throne. These are universal and ancient symbols of power and sovereignty. Crowns in particular exalt the wearer with majesty and glory. Sceptres act like wands - here it’s an ankh - that draws in and holds life force (magic?). While the orb is a symbol of both the world as dominion, and wholeness.
Together the objects, garments and act of holding and sitting, is theatre - a ritual act. Obviously it’s not practical for an emperor to hold these things and wear these things. Some haters would even say it was silly and pointless. But it’s performance that holds meaning. His warrior day job “uniform” is underneath, he’ll get back to that in good time.
In his book ‘The Disappearance of Rituals’, Byung-Chul Han speaks of rituals as being “….constituted by symbolic perception” And also as:
…the symbolic techniques of making oneself at home in the world. They transform being-in-the-world into being-at-home. They turn the world into a reliable place. They are to time what a home is to space: they render time habitable. They even make it accessible like a house. They structure time, furnish it.
All of this together is a poetic-philosophical way of saying rituals help us 1) slow down, and contain important information in a form that can be absorbed, and 2) see something - recognise it, know it! - as reality. So for the Emperor, his regalia helps those who bear witness to the performance, to immediately understand, and recognise him as leader, who possesses the qualities of power, authority, and confidence - how he is meant to be seen.
I would add, the ritual act has power to activate those qualities within the wearer. This is where is where we can use the Emporer in all his pomp and regalia as medicine for healing the wound of doubt.
Who holds you as exalted ?
Who in your life recognises your gifts and uniqueness? Who affirms those qualities that are the source of your strength and confidence?
This being who has blessed you and holds you in your highest, could be present in your life now, be someone from your past, or came and went in your life momentarily. If your doubt is strong, you may have troubling locating this being - but they exist. It’s important you find them.
The next step is to develop a simple ritual to absorb this recognition and activate the courage to bring the gifts into life and reality.
The ritual act:
This could be as simple as sitting in meditation or prayer, and truly receiving the gaze of that person and acknowledge what they see in you - take it in.
But I would also encourage going as far a making ceremony of throne-mantel-crown-sceptre-orb. Either through active imagination - feel it, see it as if it were happening. Or, embody it and perform the gestures, even gather objects to enliven the act. Rope in witnesses if possible.
In both cases, name and affirm what is exalted - “ I see ______________ in you, and it is good and necessary”
What’s a simple project you can start (to activate esteem and courage) ?
Succumbing to doubt as a habit and defense is a kind of self-abandonment - you kill off an aspect of Self that holds power and potential. The Emporer as a responsible leader would not sacrifice his world. Stay in your power and honour your responsibilities by using your gifts to lead, facilitate and initiate.
Much love,
Mendy