Tarot cards, as we know them today, and of which the Rider Waite cards are among the most popular today, consist of two groups: the large and the small arcana. The word Arkana is the plural of Arkanum, the Latin word for mystery.
Therefore the arcana are already plural, the word arkanan or arcane does not exist, though they are sometimes mistakenly used. This is also the reason why the adjectives “big” and “small” are always bowed to the plural.
The cards have both numbers and a symbolic image. Symbols from numerology and astrology are also hidden in the optics of the picture. In the Rider Waite Deck, two cards have been exchanged in the order with cards from the Aleister Crowley Deck. A Tarot set consisting of both Arcana is called the Tarot Deck.
Today you work almost exclusively with an entire tarot deck, whereas it used to be common to only use the small or large deck.
The Minor Arcana and its meaning
This card group consists of four times fourteen cards and has its origin in a normal card game. The cards are reminiscent in their appearance and their statement in many respects to normal playing cards. The cards have different colors and symbols. There are the cards 1 to 10 plus four so-called court cards. The symbols of the four groups correspond to the symbols of normal playing cards. There are four symbols: swords (corresponds to the spades), goblets (corresponds to the heart), bars (corresponds to the cross) and coins (corresponds to the check).
The staffs symbolize the fire and stand for will, power and inspiration. The chalices symbolize the water and stand for feelings and instincts. The swords symbolize the air and stand for the thinking and the intellect. The coins symbolize the earth and stand for everything practical. The cards 1 to 10 are numbered. There are as a card with 10 coins or one with two bars, one with three goblets and one with four swords, etc.
A two-rod card makes a certain statement in terms of willpower, a card with ten or nine coins tells something about the practical situation. The exact meaning is known to the respective cartographer. Generally, however, a round number is considered a positive statement and a non-round number is a danger. “Five swords” is thus a critical card, while “six swords” can mean something positive.
The four yard cards, which are available for each color, are similar to the normal card game King, Queen, Knight and Dame.
The meaning of these tarot cards can be seen from the drawings. On closer inspection of the cards they symbolize a certain type of person. The page of the coins is z. B. a black-haired child. The king of the goblets, on the other hand, is an older, blond man. So each of the farm cards can be assigned to a certain type of person.
The numbers in the number cards can also be interpreted and assigned Kabbalistically. For example, the number 2 stands for wisdom and the number 5 for severity, to give two examples.
In order to know and to understand the whole variety of the symbolism and statements for each map, it usually requires a lengthy and thorough training, because the symbolism is very hidden and often not directly recognizable.
The big arcana
The situation is quite different with the great arcana, which consist of 22 different pictures, each of which tells its very own story. Especially in these pictures, the creative power of the illustrator is best recognized. Here, her inspiration shimmers through, here you can clearly see what inner images she had in front of her when she dealt with the question of prophecies and deeper meanings of maps.
The Rider Waite cards are generally still considered to be particularly accessible compared to other Tarot cards. Many of them have a yellow background, but this is not necessarily the case. There are a lot of symbolic hints on the cards, and those who hold the cards longer and look at them longer will always find something new. All 22 cards are equally important and all have a special meaning. All cards also symbolize a star sign or a specific planet.
These 22 cards are numbered and start with the number 0 (The fool) and end with the number 21 (The World). The numbers are generally represented by roman letters. Some cards like The Fool, Death, or The Tower are often misinterpreted by inexperienced advisers. Even if you put the cards yourself, sometimes a misunderstanding may arise here. It is also always important to include cards of the small arcana or to consider other neighboring cards.
These special cards are also often Heroes’ journey associated. In this journey, all the cards appear and show the way. The fool undertakes the journey, meets the magician and the high priestess and wanders through the world and the life in his search for the destination. Only at the very end does he find the destination of his journey, which is symbolized by the map “the world”. So the story of the journey shows, step by step, what a card can mean in a person’s life.
The Emperor Tarot Card Meaning
The Tarot Card The Emperor or Ruler stands for order, continuity, pragmatic ways of thinking and discipline. The ruler’s tarot card is marked by the 4, The 4 is the most stable number, it stands with its rigid construct, without even the hint of a round, for all unyielding in life.
Analogies to the Tarot Card The ruler is the father, the patriarchy in general, firmness, the long arm of the law, security and reality.
General meaning:
If the ruler is drawn as a person card, then the sitter, or the sitter, knows that this is a man (sometimes a woman) who is used to hearing all at his command. Depending on the quality of the surrounding cards, you can limit the tarot when making a reservation whether the person is sovereign and responsible, or whether one of the dark sides of the ruler comes to bear here. The ruler listens to compromises but rejects them most of the time, and he is barely humble in any way.
Situations in the mark of the ruler, however, are quite clear and stable in card fortune telling, which is not particularly favorable at the beginning of a development. Astrologically, the Tarot card The ruler is assigned to the ram.
In love:
It depends on which phase the relationship or marriage is at the moment, when the ruler appears in the context of card-reading. When laying cards with Tarot The Ruler is in relationship issues not rare for the beloved as a father substitute, but also as a fatherly friend.
In the family context, one can speak of solid structures, nice if the surrounding Tarot cards show that this type of strength and stability is healthy for all family members. The spurned friend or husband will fight for his relationship. The ruler is directly related to struggles when these can not be avoided, because he wears armor under the red cloak, that he does not do it in vain, knows anyone who has ever been with the ruler.
At work:
It is not uncommon to see fortune telling through card reading that the quality of the ruler is the boss. The goals that arise in the professional context, are in the ruler quality unusually clear and realistic.
The ruler expressly reminds us to practice and that’s the way to success. The ruler is professionally connected to everything that has a hand and a foot.
In everyday life:
As a day card, the ruler announces a structured course of the day, but he can also announce a patron, or the noticeable progress in the realization of ideas and intentions.
If the cardholder or the depositor holds the ruler as situational card in fortune telling with tarot cards, then a lot would have to happen to topple the existing order. But it may also be that the path to order and stability is being taken or should be taken.
Dark side:
Misuse of power and authority, unnecessary rigor and intransigence, violence, brutality, imprisonment, exaggeration, megalomania
You are called to deal with the norms, laws and conditions of your life. Now is the time to bring structure into chaos and organize your affairs. You are challenged to realize your desires, put your plans into action, and create something that will last in the world.
Professionally, the map stands for a time in which you have to orientate yourself on clear guidelines and follow solid structures. You are now going to be particularly realistic and pragmatic, developing clear concepts and taking responsibility for what you do. You can also consolidate your professional power position and position in society. In your relationships, the Emperor points to a period of reliability and stability. You strive for a solid foundation for your relationships, make clear agreements and work hard to realize your wishes. If you live alone, your expectations for a relationship may clarify and clarify.
The Root of the Problem: The cause of your troubles is your overly rigorous, overly perfectionistic beliefs, acquired early in life. You go to court with you hard. Performance, discipline, and appreciation are your drugs, but they stand in the way of your vibrant creativity. The downside of the fourth card is the suppressive control.
Perhaps you are faced with rigid regulation and oppression, or you are the one who sets such strict standards and puts others under pressure. The degeneration of patriarchy, the power to put power in place of power over something, is the dark face of the emperor, for if he loses his close connection to the goddess and mother earth, he becomes a cruel despot.
Inner attitude: You see things rather soberly, orient yourself to facts, to concrete experiences and to what is actually feasible. More than ever, you are in a position to organize your affairs and give them a solid foundation. At the same time you have a great need for order, clear structures, reliability, consistency and clear agreements. You are in a position to clearly represent your point of view and act in harmony with it courageously and energetically. The card can also stand for an intense engagement with the various forms of power. Perhaps you are suffering from the structures of patriarchy and are looking for livable alternatives.
The Gift: The Emperor teaches you to take responsibility for your life. This assumes that you recognize your share of your present situation. But it also means to recognize the influence of existing structures and to solve them step by step. You can not do that by losing yourself in accusations and blaming, but only by facing reality and courageously facing the challenges that await you. If this succeeds you, the experience of the “power from within” is waiting for you, the discovery that you can make a difference and shape your life according to your wishes and ideas.
Important notes: Order is now an important food for you. This is the right time to clean up radically, do whatever is left, and reorganize your time management. Surround yourself with clear patterns and structures, e.g. Mandala or geometric patterns. Even rocks, mountains and stones are now important allies for you. Look for a mineral-rich diet and a disciplined lifestyle that leaves enough room for physical activity.
Healing Powers: Determination, perseverance and discipline are now in demand. Think well of who you are entrusting to, but once you have made your choice, it is necessary that you abide by clear agreements and medical or therapeutic prescriptions. It is salutary to question the norms and commandments that you are guided by. Are they serving life or paralyzing you and locking you in? Only where structure creates room for growth or allows us to focus on the essential, does it remain alive in the core. Find out which norms and morality you want to orientate yourself to. Bring order into your life and create clear relationships.
