ROTAE I Trumps 0 to 7Trump IV or 4:
The Emperor
Jupiter as the Tetragrammaton
The Quabbalist: Might, Wisdom, Love, Power put to Use
The number 4 stands for the four elements: Fire, Air, Water, Earth. 4 is the holy number of Jupiter. Jupiter is the force corresponding the Sun within the solar system. As the Sun itself is not associated with "God", being merely a star among many others, so Jupiter is only its mightiest reflection. As a gaseous planet, it is obvious to associate "his" card - Trump 4 - with the second element after Fire: Air. And so the Hebrew letter most directly associated is the first Hé of the Tetragrammaton Yod Hé Vau Hé, though Jupiter, for the student of wisdom, stands for the whole formula. Trumps 1 and 2 were not associated with the Tetragrammaton pronounced in separate letters, for the dynamics of Earth and Moon are only aspects of the whole formula. With Yod associated with Mercury, now this formula enters the Tarot in perfect order, for the last Hé (Earth) reflects the first Yod Hé in number 7, after the magic alchemy of Trumps 5 and 6 has transmuted the gross elements and created mental equivalents of resplendent purity. The will now finds a second vehicle: Air. The astrologic correspondence of Aries is in the whole correct: Aries as Fire of Air, in Tattwa-symbolism. It is also a further expression of the will, associated with Fire, and a further beginning. Every Tarot card is a beginning, after the integration of all "earlier" cards (and therefore also a "door"). The symbolism of the "double eagle" (both black-white) is acceptable, the eagle as the strongest animal in the air, with his strength a fiery aspect.
The possible power exercised by a person who can use the forces made available by Trump 4 is very great. Therefore it should not be forgotten that in I Ching symbolism Trump 4 is the Yin on fourth place, the first line of the upper trigram that will become a Hexagram with Trump 6. This means "obedience" to the intuition of the human conscience. Power is not meant to be applied as a means for domination. Power is given the conscientious pupil having mastered the whole Tetragrammaton, yet this may only be said after having mastered a much larger part of the 22 Trumps of the Tarot, and is not implicitly given already with Trump 4. There is a sense of danger and misuse here, but if the sequence of the Trumps has been correctly observed, then there is no reason for trepidation. In an I Ching variety, called the "Way and Power", an inspiration based on the Tao Te King of Lao Tse and composed of 81 signs of 4 lines each (with an added double-broken line), the sign composed of Yang-Yin-Yang-Yin is called "The Application of Power".
It reminds the individual, in the same sense as the Bhagavad Gita, that victory in the outside world does not give satisfaction, the very use of weapons is despicable and not furthering to human development. The real battle is always within oneself, the battle of endeavour: to harmonise and equilibrate.
Within Hinduism therefore, Trump 4 signifies not a God but the human hero of the eternal battle of Kurukshetra, the forces of Light against the forces of Dark: Arjuna. But he needs his four brothers to succeed, plus the divine appearance of Krishna (as his charioteer) to win the final victory (a victory filled with sadness and followed by total renunciation of the world of matter). The student of the Tarot now approaches this position, if he has indeed mastered the first three steps in their whole scope. He is reminded, that by remaining in a high and dominating position, new experiences rarely arrive, nor is it Man's station to heave himself into the immediate position of accentuated power, for it does not resist the onslaught of time. Humbleness is a correct attitude towards power, knowing that the gentle wind and slowly flowing water always win out over the rigid and inflexible obstacles they may encounter: what bends does not break easily. Or: "it is better to serve than to rule", for by ruling we encounter all manner of vice, by serving we may accumulate virtue.
The aspiring student is here called upon to see himself as the accomplished master of the Quabbala, for he/she is confronted with the image of the Quabbalist as a living person, not an abstract being. If at this point a certain rigidity persists, then this results from an over-eager attitude towards "keeping the law", following the precepts to the letter. This in itself is a good sign, a sign of progress, for it shows that the individual is aware that the ever-changing dynamics of the ever higher standards to be achieved have not yet been integrated. Therefore the symbolism of the "law" associated with this card, points to a lacunae, a lack of civility, for the law - as applied among humans - is only necessary when Man does not respect its principles, or: there need not be a court of law when everyone respects this law. It is therefore a perfect law, of which no one can complain, applying to perfect human beings. In this sense, Trump 4 corresponds to T(h)ora, the Law, one of the major aspects of the Tarot. If Jesus Christ is the last of true Hebrew "prophets", then the "new" Law, T(h)ora, he introduced, is: "Be gentle, soft-hearted, love the other as yourself".
Chapter four of the Buddhist Dhammapada, the spoken words of the Buddha, is called: "The flowers of life". He says: "The wise student shall conquer this world, and the world of the gods, and also the world of Yama, of death and of pain." And: "The path of those who are rich in virtue, who are ever watchful, whose true light makes them free, cannot be crossed by death. As from a large heap of flowers many garlands and wreaths can be made, so by a mortal in this life there is much good work to be done."
Aleister Crowley claims to have made a major breakthrough by finding the proper Hebrew letter for Trump 4: the letter Tsaddi, formerly associated with Trump 17, The Star. As we prefer to proceed in the order of the Tetragrammaton and on the basis of the Quabbala (though slightly changed to maintain the whole dynamics involved), the Hebrew letters associated with the Trumps have already been realigned, but in the view here expressed the Hebrew letters, taken individually, are not of great importance. Greek, Roman and the modern languages have other letters, it is just for traditions' sake finally, that an attempt is made to form a link with any former system. If Hebrew is today a language used for secret transmissions, then be it so, this aspect need not enter the Tarot, for the Cards of Wisdom span millennia and were created before any Hebrew alphabet existed. Still, the association with "The Star" is interesting, for the powers possibly evoked through Trump 17 stand in direct correlation with those of Trump 4.
A four-winged magic circle of protection, of Egyptian inspiration, is an adequate symbol, relating to the two-winged form of Trump 3 and adding the supplementary powers of the four directions: the "Four Winds" as symbols of power and far-sightedness. Indeed, The Emperor looks beyond his immediate surroundings, "he" is concerned with the wider aspects, the further implications of "action", his eyes look far towards and beyond the horizon. Thus he calls upon an Avatar, a divine manifestation, to aid him in his work.
The correct symbolism is a square or a four-sided pyramid , symbolising the four visible sides of the pyramid, not yet fully comprehended but already envisioned. Another, more dynamic symbolism, which leads further to Man's third "Body of Light" (explored from Trump 7 onwards), is shown by the graphic of four circles interweaving to form a first centre:
(Hebrew in counter-sense)
Aries, though symbolically correct, is also reminiscent of the world age of same name, when the violent patriarchy introduced by Taurus earlier was somewhat sublimated during an interval of peace, yet which ended in deadly strife and destruction (Assyrians, Alexander the Great, later Babylon, the rise of materialist Rome, the rise and fall of ancient Greece). Old traditions died and were supplanted, the Aryan conquest (the Ram, Ram the Conqueror) of India was extended over the whole subcontinent and changed the old rules of Brahmanism. This led to the appearance of Gautama Buddha and Mahavira Jain in India and of Zarathustra (Zoroaster) in Persia, as religious reformers and prophets of a high ethereal goal for all of humanity. In China, the final compilation of the I Ching into "Hexagrams with definite, verbal meanings" was achieved. In Egypt, the Book of Thoth, the Tarot, was slowly forgotten and "divine inspiration" fell into oblivion. The remains were secretly collected, transported to inner Asia and this led to the slowly forming society of the "Masters of Wisdom", later known as Sufis.
In the tradition of the 24-sign Zodiac, mainly for the element of time as shown above, Aries should form a double with an Air-sign. It is part of astrologic tradition to associate Jupiter with Sagittarius, a Fire sign. Fire is already associated with Aries. Jupiter is gaseous and his Fire is due to his dominant position among the planets, being (at least by mass) the counterpart of the Sun. The bow and arrow of Sagittarius, reminiscent of Ares (Mars), the Greek God of War, is to be found as "double-bow" of the Aries-sign: 
Should a theoretic and practical astrologer wish to ascribe Jupiter to Sagittarius, he/she is free to do so. Jupiter, with an "Aries connotation", was chosen for reasons of "easy initiation", mainly because Jupiter is - for Man - of much easier access still than the Sun or Mars.
Trump 4 tends towards the Air-aspect of Gemini, which is wholly associated with Trump 6 in many Tarot decks. "Double-polar", the basic aspect of the Tetragrammaton, lead us to adopt Gemini as "associate" of Aries, whereas Virgo-Gemini is best expressed by Trump 6, The Lovers.
Among the Chakras, being traditionally only 7 in number, Trump 4 does not correspond to any single one. Related to the 3rd Manipura-Chakra, as also Trump 5, it is intermediate and "upwardly" tending towards the Heart-Chakra, Anahata-Chakra, symbolised by Trump 6. The student should not forget that the whole scope of the Manipura Chakra extends to Trump 9, and that all Chakras are always in motion, creating a dynamic, living whole. The 4th Chakra extends to Trumps 14 and 16, all is in constant intermingling flux. The 4th Samskara Skandha stands for mental formations, form-creating forces, development of will and character. As a theoretic representative of the whole Tetragrammaton formula, Trump 4 also represents all four ethereal agents issuing forth from Akasha, the Chymic Ether, Vital Ether, Luminous Ether and Reflective Ether. Within Trump 3 we mentioned that a first mingling of the Vital Ether and the Reflective Ether had occurred. Within Trump 4 the emphasis is laid upon the first intermingling or blending of the Chymic Ether, Vital Ether and the Luminous Ether, thus of the three denser forms.
The fourth Sino-Tibetan Skandha is called Samskara Skandha, and it represents the form-giving qualities of the will, the active principle of consciousness. In this way the whole character of an individual is shaped. It is through the balancing of the ethereal form-giving impulses, originating within Man's mental sphere, that the inner foundation of "who one is" is carefully built.
With Trump 4 the whole station of Man is brought forth. The inherent qualities of elemental might and rank or station, in their combination, are visible. What they truly signify depends on inner purity. This is what the step or elevation is intended to show. By the use of might and rank the true inner elevation, Man's "step" is revealed. If the inherent powers of the physical and psychic-astral are bent to base uses, then the step is low. By restraint, the step advances, Man becomes more elevated, he approaches the higher mind within himself. A careful study of these basic components is stressed, especially of the restraint of the factors concerning "elemental might".
On the Tree of Life, in the way proposed at the outset of this study, Trump 4 may be situated either on the "downward path", and is then associated with Geburah and Chesed (Gedulah), though not tending to one more that the other; on the "upward path" we are following, Trump 4 is a "little more" Hod than Netzah, but in fact is both in their entirety, otherwise the Quabbala does not function correctly. In any case: below Tipheret (as also Trump 5), but this tends to be superfluous symbolism, for The Emperor is already well aware of Geburah and Chesed, as well as his course towards Tipheret.
It is important to remember that "God" descends, it is Man who ascends ("God" to "ascend", i.e. "develop further" is true towards ever-widening complexity, but not within the actual, created Universe at this point in place and time; Man can "descend", but that is not his evolutionary goal).
Trump 4, ideally, is the whole wisdom of the Tetragrammaton, but it is not "in the middle", power (even over the elements and the spirits associated) is but an "aspect", a whole and equilibrated aspect, yet only reflective of 4 sides: the square without a center, i.e.: the whole scope of "inner" potential is not yet developed. Already a step outside the normal boundaries of what Man (in this age) usually is, therefore a "born leader" or "wisdom" born out of knowledge, still there is a long way to go in acquiring "all virtues", to be "the whole person".
There is a quabbalistic formula that associates Hod or Hod/Netzah with Jen, the I Ching sign of Thunder, Lightning (
). This is satisfying, for now active forces can be put into motion. Associated with the rising, sprouting forces of spring, this is certainly the station of Jen and of Trump 4. The Luminous Ether gives power and force to the Vital Ether, and the ground-work of the Chymic Ether is balanced and receptive. The Quabbalist begins to understand his powers, they are "sprouting", he is called upon to make good use of this power and respect the gentle aspect of Chesed (Gedulah): compassion.
The appearance of this card in a Tarot spread points to the possibility of problems, the correct choice of which way to follow being somewhat difficult. Not everyone is capable of wielding power. Great forces are in motion. If all is gentle among the cards associated with The Emperor, then a good harvest, the "luck" associated with Jupiter may follow. It is deeply pondered wisdom which needs to be applied, not the "quicksilvery", intuitive action based upon a sharp intellect. The position is all but rigid (except if so indicated by the surrounding cards), a great undertaking may be begun under the best auspices. The Emperor, actually an outdated description of this card, has the power and the means to achieve success, even to "win over foes". He/she should use these means with discretion, not forgetting that the law is restrained by gentleness and good will. A contact with real, physical law, i.e. a court-case, is possible - as always this depends on the associated cards. Let the questioner not forget that only "love is the law".
The Jupiter-sphere is said to be ruled by 12 Genii, thus showing an analogy with the Zodiac in all its 12 aspects. Though no special time is more propitious than any other, Jupiter is associated with summer, the time of greatest light. In relation to Aries, the time span is "from the first light of spring" unto its culmination in late summer.
The sphere of Jupiter can be invoked or evoked in connection with 4 candles or petroleum lamps. Blue is the color of choice. The incense of choice is Saffron, maybe Frankincense mixed with Saffron. A square within a circle is appropriate, or the symbol of four circles, as proposed above. Sword and Wand are the powerful symbols of The Emperor. An eight-pointed symbolism, reminiscent of Mercury, divided into two colors, the light violet of Mercury and the blue of Jupiter, distributed along a circle calls to mind the association with Trump 3, of the Quabbala with the Quabbalist. A positive, confident outlook is appropriate, fate or "luck" will guide the way.
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