22 days of BATS 2014. Day Fourteen: The Emperor

Most of the time, the Emperor card is associated with authority and command. But today I think about patience. After all, the emperor is a seated figure; from his central location he relies on agents, spies, advisers, couriers and others to both bring him information but also carry out his instructions. He waits for answers, results, information. He broods and ponders and plans while things happen at the speed of horse, or train, or light. He knows the models in his head are incomplete; he can’t know everything but he must make decisions. And the information he needs will come to where he resides: his throne. The Emperor is as much his throne as his authority. In a modern world it’s his cellphone, his computer; his connectivity to the world at large.

So when the Emperor comes into a reading consider: Where is he getting his information? Who is reporting to him and who is acting on his behest? What fact or datum is he waiting for to decide the fate of his empire? How does he see the world with the information he has, versus the information he doesn’t have?

Tomorrow’s card is The Hermit, which seems appropriate for a Monday.