November Affirmation: In the midst of turmoil and chaos I create peace and build up the energy of our Mother Earth.
We continue our journey of the soul with an exploration of the Sacred Masculine energy found in the major arcana of the Emperor and what is traditionally called the Hierophant or the Pope. Like the Sacred Feminine, these archetypes offer us two different perspectives of the masculine energy, and actually bring us a paradox. The Emperor energy creates and builds on the physical plane and we each carry this creative force within us, no matter our body type. However, this energy can become divorced from the Sacred Feminine of Mother Earth and then it seeks to dominate and control. The Emperor can be a force for positive good only when this energy works cooperatively with the nurturing compassion of the Empress.
The Inner Child cards highlight what can happen when the Emperor ignores the energy of the feminine. Here we have the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes. As the Emperor builds and creates with the goal of attaining earthly power, he represents the power of the material world and the resources accumulated from the four corners of the globe. When the Emperor becomes greedy, unaware of his surroundings, blind to the folly of his self-centered ways, he becomes a dangerously foolish representation of humanity. This could be any of us! The Emperor’s New Clothes teaches us how foolish it is to totally focus on our material perceptions. The Emperor is being swindled by tailors who flatter his ego and convince him that his new clothes are absolutely elegant and without comparison. But they don’t exist! It falls to the innocence of a child to wake up the people to the reality that the Emperor is parading around naked! When the Emperor is aligned with the Empress, there is the potential for grounded cosmic power and spirituality of the highest order, for the polar opposites of male and female become harmonized and work in cooperation. Note that the Empress precedes the Emperor in this soul journey. In many early civilizations, kingship depended on the choices of women. Marriage with the earthly representation of the Goddess, in the form of a queen, was essential to the position of kingship. We move toward the future from the wisdom we have gained from building on the past. The Empress is the wisdom of life; the Emperor is the application of that wisdom in the attempt to create a better world.
Our teacher in this process is symbolized by the Hierophant or in more traditional tarot decks, the Pope. This major arcana is the masculine reflection of the High Priestess and in the Inner Child Cards is known as the Wizard. We find this energy represented by Merlin who taught the boy Arthur how to be a great and compassionate king. Once again, we have the opportunity to drink from the well of our own inner wisdom and be lead by this teaching. Take this opportunity to connect with the deep well within you and know that this wisdom is always there to guide and protect you. You are not alone. Thanks be to God the Father.
Gentle and merciful Father, there are many times that we focus on the outside when the solution to the challenges in our lives lies within. Out attitudes, our thoughts, our inner feelings all create the reality that surrounds us. Lead us within, O God, and cleanse the error of our minds and hearts. Focus our attention on your eternal Truth and those things that endure. Remove our foolish obsession with the material and the physical, for we know that ultimately they will both pass away. Teach us that we truly are spirit inhabiting a physical form, not a material body with an inner spirit. Reorder our priorities so that we may become clean vessels for your precious Spirit. So it is.
