You might not remember these characters to the left, Ma and Pa Kettle. I just had to throw them in because I am talking about the “Ma and Pa” of the tarot, and I just love this picture and it’s an excuse to share it!Some cards can seem to elicit a positive or negative response that I notice in people collectively, I also notice how that can change. More importantly we can become conscious agents of that change.
The Empress and The Emperor are two such symbols. People generally relate to the Empress as maternal energy, nurture and nature, as a matter of fact she is generally depicted AS Mother Nature. The Emperor is often related to as patriarchalenergy….notice something there?
At the same time we have lost the paternal. The patriarchal is often seen as a remote and hard ruler. I had a young woman come into my office with a t-shirt that said “%*#@ the Patriarchy”. I must admit I gave it a bit of a glare because she blushed and said “oh I don’t mean you”. I would venture to say that a lot of what we see today is the negative aspects of patriarchy and in order for that to heal and change we need to re-connect with the paternal.
I have some reference points in my home and office that remind me of what gentle, strong and responsible father energy is about. One well known person who comes to mind that I think of in terms of healthy paternal energy is Mike Holmes. His motto of “do it right” and his desire to help people comes from his strong sense of paternal instinct passed down from father to son.