2020 Reflections With The Emperor

2020 was a collective year 4, which we arrive at by adding the digits of the year together and reducing until we have a single one. In this case, 2+0+2+0 equals 4, which is associated with The Emperor among other things. There is much that can be said about what The Emperor meant for our year and how we could apply its lessons. I wrote a good chunk about this in my 2021 Personal Year Guide which you can still grab if you want to know more about the collective and personal energies for the coming year.

The Emperor, besides its obvious implications around building foundations, enforcing stability, creating boundaries and understanding authority - harbors another auspicious aspect, and that is its relationship to vision. The Hebrew letter associated with The Emperor is heh, which translates to window, and the physical sense associated with this key is that of sight. The year 2020 (as in, 2020 vision) may be interpreted as one where we had the opportunity, even through challenge and chaos, to see with more clarity. Yes, there were many distractions and a lot of the outside vying for our attention - but beyond this, what else were you able to glimpse? In the comfort (or discomfort) of our personal homes (houses as well as bodies) maybe we had the chance to look out and witness things about ourselves or our worlds that we haven’t noticed before.

With that in mind, I wanted to share some of my biggest Emperor breakthroughs established (or solidified) in the last 12 months.

You can do the same if you wish by taking the sentence to follow and filling in the blanks yourself:

In 2020 I was able to see with more clarity…

…that my emotions are a precious resource. I have always resented being told how to feel or what to think or where to place my energy (my resentment being a natural defense). I now realize that this, while likely not malicious, is actually a massive overstep of my personal boundaries. As a sovereign being, I (and you too) can decide independently what to feel about something and where that feeling will lead. To hijack one’s emotional response system by telling them what to feel is short-sighted at best, so I will question those who do it to me and in turn, double question myself if I ever feel the inclination to do it to another.

…that inner authority will always reign supreme over outer and in this, I can more confidently decide where my energy and resources will be collected and used. Why would an outside entity care so much about what I feel? Why is it important for someone to see me express upset? What do they have to gain? When I let my inner authority light the fires, that energy is far more sustainable and productive than that which gets fanned by an external agenda. This is why drama is so captivating - it provides a short-lived burst of energy, and energy is exciting! We could all use a bit more if it, in fact. But, imagine if we could cultivate that level of intensity from our own passions, interests and ideas. Well, maybe we’d be able to spend more time building our rightful kingdom and less time maintaining someone else’s.

…emotions are not random or erratic. There is a reason I feel the way I do, whether it serves me or not. This is where The High Priestess and The Emperor unite. Yes, it has taken me years to figure out why some things elicit a particular response (see the first point). But, if I dig enough and use reason, I will find the root cause. This is why it’s important to listen to gut reactions, even if they don’t make sense. Somewhere in your being, your memory or the mechanisms designed to protect you, is a reason. When that reason has been uncovered, then it can be decided if the reaction is warranted. Sometimes it’s a true defense and sometimes it’s a triggered response. Often times, we just need to sit with our instincts long enough and dare to challenge what is coming up to figure it all out. With that being said - taking responsibility for those feelings and how they manifest is just as important as proving their validity.

…how rigidity impedes my growth and shuts down dialogue. The Emperor appears fixed, but that is more a showing of poise. The Emperor arrives at their seat of conviction through their ability to balance intuition with what makes the most logical sense. In that vein, my own thinking must remain malleable. It does not serve me to be so flexible that I allow anything, without discernment, to sway me, but on the other hand, I cannot become so rigid that I refuse to change when evidence supports adaptation.

…that I shouldn’t follow the volume. It’s taken me so long to figure this one out and I have been fooled many times along the way. It is easy to get completely drowned out by a loud opinion, but the pitch of screams doesn’t always move in tandem with the value of the message. Of course, a booming signal COULD hold a ton of weight and live in alignment with my ideals - but I will no longer let volume confuse me or be the determining factor. I have also seriously questioned myself when I see that I'm spiking - why do I need so badly to be heard? So WHAT if people disagree? If I can turn down the noise and tune into my own devices, I do a much better job making sense of just about anything.

…the connection between spirit and matter and how our feelings and thoughts really do shape our environment. This could be very practically speaking, but it could also be a matter of perspective. The Emperor gives structure to thoughts and demonstrates how our inner world grounds into the physical. With this, 2020 has allowed me to become more precise with my visions.

And finally, in 2020 I was able to see with more clarity the positive aspects of this archetype, being a strong builder in the formation of our lives. On the other hand, The Emperor’s New Clothes is still a relevant tale that demonstrates the reverse aspect of this confident visionary. This brand of rule is still alive and well in this world and while knowing that doesn’t make it go away, it does help to dissolve some of its power.

And with that, we head onward into a collective Year 5, the domain of the Hierophant or inner teacher. I am sure I will be sharing more about my thoughts on this and the card it symbolizes (since it’s one of my favourites) in the very near future, but for now we will leave it here.

Wishing you a magickal year ahead!

Julia