A new week. A new lesson. I dreamt that I was in charge of the entire country. I had to make all the decisions. Everyone, absolutely everyone hated me, but that couldn't matter. I still needed to make all the hard decisions. Someone has to lead, and this week, that person is the Emperor.
The source of the Emperor's power is that he knows who he is. He isn't afraid to be unpopular. He insists on owning his truth.
As the Fool arrives at the Emperor, he realizes that he needs to know who he is. Knowing yourself, from inner to outer is the crux of your power. That complete confidence in knowing what you are and what you want is the key to your happiness.
The Emperor symbolizes something that I know I've always struggled with. I don't like the idea of telling other people what to do. I like being independent and the captain of my own ship, but I don't want to have to tell others what I'm doing or where I'm going. It's so easy to just plot my course and ignore the rest of the world. That can't work; not really. Every ship sailing blindly where it will; it leads to chaos. Chaos leads to unhappiness.
Even in my own more intimate relationships, I flounder with trying to establish my boundaries. I prefer easy. I prefer no conflict, but real life doesn't work that way. If I want to find happiness in a relationship, I need to be clear and precise in what I want and what I need. I can't float along in a bubble and expect my partner to read my mind; let alone respect boundaries if I never say what they are.
Owning my truth and owning my identity is difficult for me. In the past, the people in my life suppressed me; tried to dictate who I should be. I let them, not by conforming to their dictates, but by never vocalizing my objections. I found it easier to just ignore what they wanted and continue to go my own way.
That led to be shutting out real connections and, eventually, putting up walls. You can not really connect unless you own who and what you are; unless you are willing to scream from the mountain what you want and what you find acceptable.
That is the power of the Emperor: standing up for you are. Don't let the world try to tell you your truth. Only you know what that truth is, and unless you tell the world, it won't ever truly know your who you really are. Don't let them write your story for you.
Become the Emperor. Know yourself and share that truth with the world.