Card of the Week: The Emperor

Leadership comes in many forms.  A good leader balances the need to guide followers in a new direction with the importance of also guarding the welfare of those followers.

The Emperor card represents authority.  Whether from the stance of a father, a professional, or a military or political position, an Emperor expects to exercise power to lay down the law and have it followed.  This card suggests a need to assume responsibility, take charge, or set boundaries.  Keep in mind how your immediate actions may be seen by others in the longer term.

An inverted Emperor is a poor leader.  He might be pushing to gain power toward selfish autocracy, or might be unable to lead in any direction.  Watch out for betrayals of trust or principles.

In “Who Mourns for Adonais?” the Enterprise is charting the planet Pollux IV when it is halted by a force field in the shape of a giant human hand.  A small landing party transports down to find a being claiming to be the ancient Greek god Apollo at the throne of a temple.  Apollo prevents them from leaving, demanding that they worship him as humans had thousands of years earlier.  He enforces his whims with god-like powers: a projection holding the ship, abilities to grow to twenty feet tall, to vanish and reappear, and to throw lightning bolts from his fingertips.  Perhaps if Apollo had asked the Enterprise crew to visit as guests, they might have.  But they reject Apollo’s restrictive orders, fight back against his oppression, and are eventually forced to destroy the temple he is using to channel his powers in order to regain their freedom.