Undomesticated Tarot — The Major Arcana: The Emperor 4 🦎
Bringing Back the Wild to a Domesticated World
The Major Arcana: The Emperor 4 🦎
in order to re-wild, the emperor of the domesticated world /must/ struggle — against his history, against his past, against his associates, against the human-systems he both inherited and perpetuated, unknowingly at first, and now with growing awareness to the harm caused both to himself and to his community, whether intentional or otherwise.
and then perhaps, with a slowly broadening consciousness, he /must/ struggle to admit the truths and consequences of his inheritance and subsequent behaviors therein.
the emperor’s lizard brain often moves on instinct, motivated by survival. with a compassionate lens, this yearning can be understood as one of protection for both self and for future generations. however, the emperor of the past five thousand years has centralized fear — again, both for self and for others — it has moved us forward and yet we continuously stand at edges of terror.
so then, we all /must ask/: is this the life we all want? are there other ways?
historically, the emperor, as a leader of “his” people, has privileged terror and control as well as false, and often hypocritical, promises of stability and security.
he has paved the muddied earth and sets launch into the skies; he has clouded the atmosphere and polluted the waterways; he claimed full domain over all without any consideration for his own self-destruction. he still tries to reign terror over all.
but there’s only so far down into the underground one can scurry or even dig before one suffocates.
the newly undomesticated emperor can /choose/ to re-brand, if that’s what he wants to call it. (it can also be called re-birth, re-generation, re-juvenation, re-vivifcation, r-evolution.)
he can /choose/ the struggle, and in doing so, opt for the path of re-wilding. as hard as it may be, he /must relax/ into the journey and /accept/ what may be warranted critiques of his history and trytrytry to /lean/ into spaces of love.
for love is also an instinct as true and real as fear.
and love can provide even more stability and security than any fear-based leadership ever could. so then, the newly undomesticated emperor /asks/: must we wait another five thousand years to realize a true realization of source, of communal abundance?
he invites the questions: what have you inherited? what have you perpetuated, knowingly or otherwise? what can you transform? where can you love? how can you see more broadly, settle into spaces of comfort, expand your lens of empathy, set compassionate boundaries where they are needed, while also listening and learning and giving space to the pause? (not the freeze, as lizards are known to do, but the full breath, full body /pause./)
how can you /pause/ before you /move forward/ into expansion?
how can you /build/ a new world for yourself?
how can you /choose/ (re)evolution?
how can you /choose/ love?
About this project: I’ve been wanting to take the time to learn Tarot for a long while. I pull my cards regularly, but I have a hard time remembering the meanings. I am embarking on this project so that I can dive in deep, internalize, and personalize the lessons of the deck. I’m especially curious about how the poetry of centuries-old intuitive knowledge fits in with our modern lives.
Collage and words by me — Fifth in a series — Taking it seriously, but also trying to lean into play, a bit like a kitten — 🐈⬛ therefore there will be a cameo of my cat in every single card. Can you find her?Open to learning via supportive feedback —
E. Katherine Kottaras holds an M.A. in English and an M.S. in Kinesiology with a focus on Integrative Wellness, and she is a contemplative writer and holistic teacher, having worked at the middle, high school, and community college levels for over two decades. She is a yoga teacher, personal trainer, and health coach while also living with invisible illnesses and neurodivergence, and as such, she is passionate about mindfulness, bodily self-determination, and health equity. As the queer daughter of an immigrant, Katherine believes that holistic and inclusive approaches to expression, healing, and growth should be accessible to all.
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