Rest and Rejuvenation and The Emperor

I decided to pick an Energy card this week as we have a lot of confusing energy floating around us at the moment as we navigate through the Venus and Mercury retrogrades. Energy cards can sometimes tell us very honestly the one thing that we need to do and it seems this is the case this week as we are told to ‘Rest and Rejuvenate’.

When I look at this peaceful man sitting cross legged in a meditative state he seems to be the complete opposite of the tarot card that has appeared this week, The Emperor. 

The Emperor appears when we are being called to action or needing to take charge of our life in some way. He is authoritative and direct, he is headstrong and fiery (which is also represented by the Aries ram’s heads that adorn his throne). The Emperor is the very essence of someone who is standing in their power and not afraid to go out and get what is rightfully his. 

The Emperor is portrayed as a good leader. He is dressed in armour and is shown to be a warrior King. If there is a battle he is standing front and centre with his subjects, not, shouting orders from his throne way behind the battlefield. 

The stories of Kings and Queens are woven into British history and one of the most historic battles we learn about as young children is the story of how William the Conqueror came to be England’s first Norman King back at The Battle of Hastings in 1066. Seeing these two cards together reminded me of that story (if you are not from the UK and unfamiliar with the story, then here is a very brief overview). 

One of the main reasons cited for William defeating King Harold and gaining the English crown, was because his men were well organised, well fed and rested and he had put a good strategic plan in place to make sure they had the advantage at battle.

King Harold, on the other hand, had already fought off another contender for the crown hundreds of miles away just a few days before William invaded. His soldiers were injured and worn out from battle. Nonetheless, he ordered them to walk the length of the country to engage in combat with William and consequently his army were no contest and they were defeated.

 As a child, learning this story, it always amazed me that a King would place such little emphasis on the need for his soldiers to be in a better condition. No one can fight a battle, if they are not physically and mentally prepared for it. I learned this from my history books, but, it seems quite fitting when facing any metaphorical battle that we choose to fight in our own lives. 

If you look again at the man sitting quietly in the Energy card, light is being channelled above him and around him and he sits on a pure white light too. Energy is all around us and allowing ourselves to channel this energy to nourish our mind, body and spirit is one of the most positive things we can do to help us find our power. 

A good Emperor knows this and has a positive, healthy and balanced mind, body and spirit. Having that powerful essence within is something that can be felt by other people as well, which is why good leaders are respected for their judgement, integrity and decision making. 

I feel these cards are together because they recognise that we are all in the process of deciding how we want our 2022 to be. But, (much like the cards of last week which were urging us to prepare ourselves for the months ahead), these cards are reminding us that we do not have to rush into battle before making sure we are ready. We need to ‘Be More William’ rather than a ‘Hapless Harold’!

Retrograde periods are usually a time when we are being asked to slow things down. I feel that there are going to be many months ahead in 2022 when we are going to be doing exactly the opposite and pushed along at an alarming rate. So, if you are being forced to rest at the moment, or want to start making changes or plans, try not to feel guilty or disheartened if they are not quite happening as you wanted. Take this opportunity to rest and rejuvenate and take comfort that The Emperor is here showing up for us all and will signal the time when action is needed. We have the driving force within us to get things done, but, for now concentrate on being mentally and physically ready for when the action starts. I suspect we will all look back on these quieter few weeks and be grateful we had the opportunity to rest. 

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