Taking Responsibility
GETTING TO KNOW THE EMPEROR
The Emperor doesn’t quibble around with what is right and what is wrong. An authority figure, he knows what is worth having. He is his own person. He is also an important father figure. And, the Emperor may be a person of authority, such as a boss. He is balanced. He brings security and conventional values.
He does these things through rules, systems, discipline, and boundaries. He develops the rules. He fosters disciplines. He creates boundaries and he honors values.
He is not afraid of conflict.
Boundaries have meaning for the Emperor. He knows when to create them and how to maintain them. He does this because he understands and respects the rules of society.
The Emperor lives authority and power. And, he likes controlling it all. He knows how to use things like structure, rules, logic, and reason.
The Emperor is thought of as a man but can also be a woman. Women are the Emperor when they structure their careers and their lives according to the rules. Women who know how to use the Emperor’ skills can find the experience to be a powerful experience.
People think of The Emperor as a warrior but, really, he is a ruler. His job description requires that he defend the boundaries and values he lives. The Emperor believes that if something is worth having, it is worth fighting for.
Whatever environment the Emperor connected with, whether it be business, government, partners, parent, he can take charge as he works with honor and tradition.
STORY
My father was the Emperor in my life. Although he was depicted as a warrior, he was a beneficient ruler.
In the Rider Waite Deck, the Emperor wore robes over a full set of armor. My father wore armor daily. His armor was a bullet proof vest and a side arm which he hid under his arm in a leather holster. When he was in public, I never saw my father without a suit coat over his armor. He even wore his armor at the breakfast table.
My father, a small-town Texas attorney, was good enough at what he did to plead a case in the Supreme Court of the United States of America in Washington, D.C. I never knew the particulars or even the names of the plaintiffs or the defendants.
What I knew was that my mother took him clothes shopping in Austin and bought a special blue serge suit and a white shirt with just the right collar and even more special, somber tie just for the occasion. And, on or about May 15, 1954, he packed himself, my mother, and myself into his late model, dark green Oldsmobile 88 and drove to Washington, D.C. to plead the case.
While we were there, he drove us around Washington, D.C. so I could see the Capitol, the White House, the Washington Monument, and the George Washington University camput.
We didn’t get out of the car to walk around the city or even stay the night in Washington, D.C.
My father, who always carried a concealed weapon, knew the martial arts of the day, served in the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover, and was in the OSS during World War II, did not call attention to himself.
He didn’t want to be noticed by anyone because he was constantly on the lookout for trouble. And, for him, crowds meant trouble. He saw things and people and could pick a person out of a crowd and recognize him/her as “trouble”. This was an attitude I grew up with.
After riding around Washington, D.C. all day, we ate dinner at a fish restaurant, O’Donnell’s. Fish was not readily available in my hometown so my father loved the meal. I don’t remember what fish dish he ordered, but I do remember that when he ordered for us, he asked the waitress: “Do you have jalapenos?”
They were served at every meal in our home. Mother drove across the bridge into Villa Acuna and bought large, #10 cans of them in a bodega there.
After dinner, he drove us to Salisbury, Maryland, and we stayed in the Wicomico Hotel.
The next morning, he put on his fancy new suit, shirt, tie, shoes, and drove back to Washington, D.C. to plead his case before Justices Robert Jackson, Harold Burton, Fred M. Vinson, Hugo Black, Tom C. Clark, Sherman Minton, Stanley Forman Reed, Felix Frankfurther, and William O. Douglas, the Supreme Court Justices of the day.
Then he returned to the hotel in Salisbury, paid the bill, picked us up, and drove home to Texas. He drove nonstop taking the short route through Arkansas.
He returned home to his practice which was primarily civil but included criminal cases because he provided whatever services his small town Texas clients needed.
At a time when women in Texas had few rights, my father was known area-wide for doing much for his clients. In divorce cases, he had a reputation for taking everything for his female clients, especially if there were children involved. The first thing he did was clean out the checking account leaving fifteen cents for the divorcing husband. The washing machine went where the children went.
I recall that every day he used the word “ethical” somehow.
FOCUS IN
What is your relationship to responsibility? Journal about this masculine energy.
MEDITATION
**This meditation is most effective when practiced in the morning. The goal is a meditation that is tranquil and quiet.**
Find a quit and safe place which will be distraction-free.
The goal here is to find a supportive and stable place where you can sit comfortably on the floor or recline on a cushioned chair.
You want to be both relaxed and alert so you can go about your activities with a positive, focused attitude.
Once you are seated, encourage your body to feel at ease while remaining aware. Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose. Hold this breath in and breathe out, feel the support and comfort where you are resting.
Connect to this place. Allow your breathing continue to connect you to this place and this day.
These in-an-out breaths clear away mental stress and clutter. They steady you for the coming events, both scheduled and unscheduled.
Take a moment to settle your intention for the day. Prepare yourself to continue through your coming schedule with clarity and positive intent.
Close your eyes and take calming in and out breaths for a few moments. Take a centering outbreath now to center yourself. Continue with your attitude of calm and positivity.
Take a deep inbreath now and appreciate your readiness for your schedule today.
Bring to mind a powerful attitude reflecting how you will move through the coming hours. Let this attitude resonate with your inner self.
You know it is time for you to move forward with your schedule today. Know that you can return to this meditation whenever you want. Meanwhile,
Take a deep breath to release any negativity. Wiggle your fingers. Open your eyes and proceed with your day.
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