The Emperor
Veni, vidi, vici.
With great power comes great responsibility.
And I shall call it, “this land”.
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The Emperor is a challenging card for many, given its association with “The Man”, and authoritarian structures, dominion, and power systems. And make no mistake, that is indeed what the Emperor stands for. There’s no one above him; his word, his rule, is law.
And yet, is anarchy better than monarchy? Or are they both dependent on circumstance and execution? On the personalities and systems involved? Can a good ruler be a boon to their people, fostering sound economic policies and just resolutions and fair societies? Or is the power imbalance inherent in a top-down hierarchical system inevitably toxic to those enmeshed in it?
The Emperor is not asking whether you are in charge, or how you got to be in charge, or whether you want to be in charge, or even if everyone else thinks that you’re in charge- that’s all water under the bridge by the time he comes to call.
The question is simply this – how are you going to rule?