Major Arcana · IV
The Emperor Tarot Card Meaning
- Arcana
- Major Arcana
- Number
- IV · No. 4
- Yes or no
- Yes · Reversed: Maybe
Upright meaning
Order · responsibility · leadership
Set clear rules and push forward without wavering. Plans and structure will bring stability.
Reversed meaning
Stubbornness · control · abuse of authority
Trying to control everything, or refusing to bend, is causing clashes. Step back instead of forcing it.
In a yes-or-no reading
- UprightYesThe card says things are moving the way you hope.
- ReversedMaybeIt isn't settled yet. It could depend on conditions or timing.
Its place in the Major Arcana
The 22 cards of life's big currents and turning points. They are read as one person's journey from 0, The Fool, to 21, The World, and the more of them in a spread, the more the matter goes beyond personal choice.
Cards 1 to 7 are the stage of finding your place in the world. Outward matters such as will, learning, relationships and achievement are at the centre.
The 22 Major Arcana
- The Fool
- The Magician
- The High Priestess
- The Empress
- The Emperor
- The Hierophant
- The Lovers
- The Chariot
- Strength
- The Hermit
- Wheel of Fortune
- Justice
- The Hanged Man
- Death
- Temperance
- The Devil
- The Tower
- The Star
- The Moon
- The Sun
- Judgement
- The World
Draw your own
Now that you know the card, think of one question and shuffle the deck yourself. Which of the 78 cards comes up is decided the moment you shuffle.
Meanings follow the widely used Rider–Waite tradition, and the pictures are simple designs drawn for this site. Please treat tarot as a light-hearted aid to reflection.