Today would’ve been my grandfather’s birthday

He would be well into his second century by now if he were still with us in this life.

A Sagittarian through and through, he was sharp-witted, fiercely curious, and had a wicked sense of humour. He loved languages, art and music. He liked to write poetry (often humorous), published two war novels, and left behind a memoir that would answer at least some of the questions we had left unasked during his life. He was a devoted husband and a father of three children, the eldest of whom is my father.

After serving in the Army during WWII, he returned to England to run a cattle farm and was incredibly fit and strong. Tall and well-built, he had an immense presence which was reassuring, commanding and authoritative.

To his grandchildren, he could be intimidating, scary sometimes, but mostly he was great fun. And he was kind and generous.

I loved him and still miss him. And tend to think of him when I am out walking in nature because it reminds me of long walks on the farm, always with some purpose like checking on a gate, pulling up the ragwort, or assessing the rabbit situation. Looking back, I’m sure the main aim of these long expeditions across the fields was to get us out from under my Granny’s feet.

He was the Achetypal Emperor

It’s no surprise I now associate his stable, guiding energy so strongly with The Emperor – the card from the Major Arcana most commonly associated with father figures in particular and authority figures in general. I see in this card his strength, authority and benevolence.

The description above makes that part of my childhood sound idyllic, but it wasn’t always. My grandparents were strict, highly disciplined, resilient and self-reliant people. They had no time for tears or tantrums and didn’t believe in giving much praise or any form of molly-coddling. And in post-war Britain, they couldn’t abide any form of waste, especially with food – to this day, in my family, each generation has gruesome tales to tell of historic battles played out over the dinner table.

They were from another time.

Like all archetypes, the Emperor has many faces and his Shadow can be expressed through rigidity, judgment, control and coercion. The Emperor card, and what it represents, often holds some discomfort for many, especially women.

As a depiction of authority, it’s a reminder that although much has moved on in the last couple of generations, we still live in a patriarchal system. Women are still striving to achieve equality in a world built by men for men. Still required to compete with men at their own game, display our ‘strength’ to get ahead, and then criticised for being ‘too much’, ‘difficult’, ‘nasty’, and, of course, ‘unfeminine’.

The Emperor cautions us that ‘might’ is not always right, and true leadership looks less like dominance and control and more like service, protection and commitment. Inspiration, not intimidation.

Sagittarius I – Magic & Alchemy

The first Decan of Sagittarius comes under the influence of Mercury and is associated in tarot with the 8 of Wands.

This card suggests fast-moving, purposeful, ‘no time like the present’ energy. My grandfather embodied that energy too: when he saw a thing that needed doing or fixing, he would just get on and do it, and then see how it turned out. This was true whether he was fixing a fence or carving the Sunday roast.

Mercury connects this Decan to the Magician, a card that channels thought into action. This character is the super-manifestor of the Tarot. I think my grandfather had that too – he was someone who didn’t just think about things or make plans in the abstract. He took action, trusting his instincts and moving forward with conviction.

Sagittarius is represented in the Tarot Major Arcana by Temperance, a card that highlights patience, moderation, forgiveness, and tolerance. I now recognise that in his later years, there was a ‘tempering’ of his more prominent Emperor traits. He grew gentler. Slower to judge. Still intimidating, but more patient and open.

I think this ‘tempering’ also relates to the ‘luxury’ afforded to grandparents with their own children’s offspring. They can afford to be softer, kinder and more tolerant. There’s not so much skin in the game when you are separated by a generation.

Reflections on The Emperor

Blending The Emperor with The Magician and Temperance feels like a powerful trinity. As you reflect on these archetypes, and especially The Emperor, I invite you to consider:

• Who are the Emperor figures in your life? Who has shaped your understanding of structure, protection, authority, or responsibility – for better or for worse?
• How does your relationship with those figures deepen or complicate your understanding of the Emperor as a Tarot archetype?
• And conversely, how might working with the Emperor in Tarot offer you new insights into those people, their choices, their limitations, and into your own relationship with leadership, success and power?

The Still Small Voice Tarot Deck

In the Still Small Voice Tarot, the Emperor is not depicted as a stoic father or grandfather figure. He’s not based on my grandfather – or my father, for that matter.

I wanted The Emperor in my deck to be confronting, not comforting. To force us to recognise over-reaching, corrupting power when we see it in others, and ourselves – and to question what drives it. Does it exist to serve, or to dominate? To build and support, or to control and coerce?

Because power for power’s sake is not leadership.

As a single woman in her fifties now (with kid and a cat and my own business), I’m beyond asking for permission or hearing ‘explanations’ from the old guard or anyone who wants to uphold it. We are all, men and women, products of the patriarchy, and it’s time for us all to wake up to how much needs to change in our society, in leadership and personal relations, inside and outside the home.

I am my own Emperor now – and I love that energy.

In the spirit of ending on a lighter note on this bright Sagittarian day, and what would be my grandfather’s 109th Birthday, I remember, with love and gratitude, a man who was both fearsome and kind-hearted. A flawed human, like the rest of us, but whose strength and power were most often expressed through care and good humour.

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