The Emperor as Advice: Take Charge and Set Structure

Written by Chaya the Medium.

The Emperor as advice asks you to lead your own situation. Here is what that involves, and the reversal's warning about control.

If you want the short answer, the Emperor as advice says: take charge. Set the terms, make the plan, create the structure, and follow through. The situation needs someone to lead it, and the card is pointing at you.

What the Emperor advises upright

Tina Gong's the Emperor guide at Labyrinthos associates the upright card with authority, structure, control and fatherhood. In an advice position I read those meanings as an instruction: the attitude or action the card is asking of you, rather than a description of what will happen. The Major Arcana overview at Biddy Tarot is a useful second reference.

Upright, the Emperor advises order: a budget, a schedule, a boundary stated clearly, a decision made and enforced. Be the adult in the room, calmly.

What the Emperor is not asking you to do

The Emperor is not asking you to dominate other people or to be rigid for its own sake. Structure is meant to protect, not to imprison.

The Emperor reversed as advice

Reversed, the Emperor as advice says loosen your grip, or pick up the reins you have dropped. Either you are controlling too much, or nobody is in charge and you need to be. A reversed card in an advice position is usually pointing at the habit that is getting in your way, not at a punishment.

The Emperor as advice in love

In love, the Emperor advises clear expectations and boundaries: say what you need and what you will not accept.

The Emperor as advice for work and money

For work and money, he advises planning and discipline: the structure that will let your goals actually happen. Advice from a card is reflection. For decisions with legal, medical or financial weight, take it to someone qualified as well.

One step to take this week

Write one rule for yourself that would make your situation more stable, and keep it every day this week.

For comparison, the Empress as advice and Justice as advice ask different things of you. The the Emperor card meaning page covers the card in full, and the Emperor as a yes or no, the Emperor as feelings and the Emperor as timing cover the other questions people most often ask of it. You can draw a card for yourself with the free daily tarot tool. For a personal interpretation, my guide to an online psychic reading explains how readings work, and the three-card tarot listing and customer reviews are worth reading before deciding whether to order.