EMPEROR
Define the boundaries of your life to create a kingdom -- Father figure. Habits and strategies creating success and results. Authority and domination. Defense and protection. Established rules. Asserting boundaries when needed and moving them when necessity calls for it. Self possession and, above all things, self control.
SHADOW: Controlling others rather than exerting control over the self. Not thinking of how your actions affect other people. Bullheaded and forceful, even when the situation does not call for such an approach. Having a "my way or the highway" attitude. Refusing to listen. Refusal to budge.
The Shadow Witch moves through a rocky, craggy landscape as vegetation becomes scarce and the air grows humid. She hears the crackling of a bonfire. She stops to catch her breath while the eerie feeling of being watched creeps across her skin like a spider. She looks up to discover pair of glowing eyes peering down.
The Emperor is the male consort and partner of the Empress. He is the energy of boundaries and restrictions. He takes the expansiveness of the Empress and gives her shape and form. He is the builder and protector. The Emperor and the Empress court and dance with each other but never consummate their attraction. Their mutual flirtation is what gives shape and form to the world.
The Emperor is numbered four and reflects ultimate stability. He is the master of his domain. This is where habits are formed, order is created, and results are seen. He is the underlying structure of the tarot deck, as solid as the foundations of a house and with a sheer force of will that cannot be broken. He is you on top of your game, laying down the law, and showing up and getting things done.
The ram is the symbol of Aries and the embodiment of strength, initiative, determination, rules, and order. This is a card of power. The cliff reflects his boundaries. He would destroy them at a moment's notice when they no longer serve his purpose. The symbol of an Egyptian ankh is carved into the cliff beneath him, suggesting everlasting life. His compact, muscular body denotes strength. His horns are used to batter through opposable forces.