What does the emperor card mean?

The Emperor Upright Meaning

You have picked up a card that represents the highest leadership, a head of state, or the most exemplary and powerful person in the realm. You sit on top of the throne. This archetypal ruler is responsible for the affairs of a society or community, which are directly proportional to his well being and happiness.

The more enlightenment and cosmic perspective this energy brings, the better life is for all. You are masters the world of matter and physical manifestation. What this card mean is acknowledge your potentials for mastery. Reinforce a sense of sovereignty within yourself, despite any self-limiting beliefs, habits, or appearances to the contrary.

The Emperor Reversed Meaning

When the Emperor card is reversed, you may have a tendency to behave like a petty tyrant, insisting on being indulged, served and flattered. You prefer his own version of events to what is actually true and as such risks losing the respect of his people. Whether this be subjects, friends, colleagues or clients.

Try to curb your ego, arrogance, that might be distorting your point of view. Remember that, though the emperor looks like the king, he is the servant of everyone in his realm. If he doesn’t serve well, the negative impact of his own defects are what will bring him down.

Remember that you no one is 100% correct about everything so you need to allow the possibility that you do not have the complete pictures or truth.

The Emperor Advice Position

Get in touch with your inner sovereignty and natural self-possession. Realize that somewhere deep inside you is the memory aiming for the top. Reach within to find that strain of natural sense of purpose and leadership. These innate qualities will help you manage your current situation.

The Emperor suggests that you have the necessary abilities to lead, and be the master of your kindgom. This situation is an opportunity to showcase your competence and skill. Act with the confidence of someone who knows how to take care of business.

bulletproof your shoulders

understanding the shoulder girdle

The shoulder girdle has minimal attachment to the rest of the skeleton – only directly via the sternoclavicular joint, and otherwise is supported by the muscles holding the scapula (shoulder blade)

The reason for this is that the shoulder girdle is designed for mobility. (Compare this to the hip girdle, which is designed for stability with large attachments to the sacrum/tailbone and large surrounding muscle such as glutes)

Because the shoulder girdle is so mobile, we often develop problems due to issues with stability – most often caused by posture. Being in the same position (often incorrect) for hours on end.

When a person slouches their shoulders forward (rounded shoulders), the scapular will anteriorly tilt. (this is seen on the picture on the right below)

When the scapula is anteriorly tilted, this actually results in the subacromial space (where the rotator cuff tendons are) to be narrowed, resulting in impingement – that causes inflammation and damage over time.

Associated with this are: 1. weakness of the rhomboid muscles (which pull the scapula down and in) 2. decreased mobility of the thoracic spine (from being slouched too much) 3. elevation of the 1st rib 4. loss of shoulder internal rotation

Exercises to do

1. Rhomboids – Wall slides (angels) and band pull aparts as part of warm up
2. Thoracic extension – Foam roller on the thoracic spine and if you want use lacross balls (kelly starret/mobility wod)
3. First rib – often becomes elevated and stiff. Mobilise by smashing it with a barbell and then raise arm over head multiple times
4. Shoulder external rotation – we have two much internal rotation from sitting down at the keyboard

Location of the first rib

Planning an anti-fragile future

Covid-19. There will be continual disruptions due to the wave of infections and reporting. The Covid new norm will likely take the whole summer to bed in before we welcome people from overseas again. The view is unlikely that things will return back to normal in the short term.

All we need to do is look at the forefront at London or LA to see what they are doing. Expect masks to continue and social distancing on paper only. We view that travel will not be on the cards until Q2/Q3 of 2022. And only to limited destinations. The winter will bring covid infections back up in the northern hemisphere when people are indoors and lacking the vitamin D.

Therefore our plan should look at making ourselve anti-fragile with a plans. Not having so much commitment that we are seriously affected by covid.

Summary:

• Probably no return to bjj (likely bankrupt and higher risk of infection)
• No travel plans until later in Q2/Q3 2022 and only to southern hemisphere locations. Expect further restrictions to occur in countries
• Continual WFH for those in the offices for another year, returning in Q4 2022
• Focus on the things that can be done from the safety of the house and increase the ability to do the activties. This is a great opportunity do the things that you always wanted to:
  • improve the quality of the house, clean areas and new furniture
  • Cooking
  • Riding a bike
  • Set up decent video conferencing hardware
  • Learning a language through italki
  • Learning a new skill/information/instrument
  • set up new habits

Those activities that you planned to do this year, think of them being put on the backburner and these will be done at a later date. We think if you plan adequately you could:

• Take a sabatical/ longer holiday (4 weeks)
• socialise with your friends and appreciate that this is long overdue

Listen to your what your body is telling you

We feel like eating something and reach for the chocolate in the fridge or at the store

you have a feeling at that last minute that you shouldn’t but you choose to ignore it

you’re body is telling you something

you eat the chocolate but do not feel well after, the balance of energy is off

you have taken to much energy into your body and it will reach a point where it blow up on you in the future

you’re body knows this

listen to it

If you listen to your body and don’t take that piece of chocolate, your system will be restored and in balance

Karma

The Law of Karma is infallible and everyone, including you, becomes intwined with it.

Sometimes we are unaware that most of our life is experiencing the destiny which we created by our karmas or deeds during our past lives. The law of karma states that every positive deed which we do, generates good energies ‘a merit’; while every negative deed produces negative energy – ‘demerit or sin’. Which we need to balance by enduring happiness or suffering.

All major events in our life are predestined – for instance the family that we are born into, to whom we will get married etc. During our day-to-day interactions, we are either settling an old account or creating a new one. If an account is not settled in the present life it is carried over to the next life.

Although, we are not consciously aware of the give-and-take karmic accounts generated in our previous lives. In our subsequent lives, we may or may not be equipped to settle our destiny and the paradox is that at the same time we are creating new karmic accounts. Thus, this loop of karma and destiny binds us and we remain entangled in it. The only way through which we can nullify our give and take account and destiny is through sustained and regular spiritual practice.

In understanding the Law of Karma, we can see how spiritual practice can be useful to even those of us who have absolutely no spiritual interest and who only wish to be immersed in worldly pursuits. Even for those worldly relations to be fruitful they need to be insulated from destiny.

The meaning of the Empress Tarot Card

The Empress Upright Meaning

The Empress calls on you to connect with your feminine energy. Femininity translates in many ways – elegance, sensuality, fertility, creative expression, nurturing – and is necessary for creating balance in both men and women. Create beauty in your life. Connect with your senses through taste, touch, sound, smell and sight. Draw on these senses to experience pleasure and deep fulfilment.

Treat yourself to a day spa, learn massage, enjoy a fine restaurant or spend more time with your partner. Discover different approaches to expressing yourself creatively, be it through painting, music, drama or other art forms. This may be the perfect chance to take up a new hobby that enables you to access this part of yourself.

The Empress signifies abundance. You are in a period of growth, in which all you have dreamed of is now coming to fruition. When the Empress appears in your Tarot readings, take a moment to reflect on the bounty that surrounds you and offer gratitude for all you have created so you can continue to build on this energy and create even more abundance in your life.

As the Mother Earth archetype, the Empress urges you to venture out into nature to ground your energy and be in flow with the earth. Take a trip to your favourite natural setting, be it a forest, beach, mountain or lake, and sit for a couple of minutes, hours or even days to breathe in the energy that surrounds you while marvelling in the beauty of your surroundings. Allow yourself the time and the space to enter a different frame of mind and receive the grounding spirit of nature into your heart and consciousness. When you do this, you can reach higher planes of consciousness.

When you are in tune with the energy of the Empress, you will naturally take on her mothering nature. You feel a strong urge to nurture and care for others, from a place of loving compassion and support. You see it as a gift and an honour to tend to others, and in doing so you, too, receive benefit. In a more literal sense, you may step into the role of ‘mother’, perhaps as the mother of a newborn, caretaker of other people’s children, or spending more quality time with your kids.

The Empress can also suggest pregnancy or birth. This may be an actual pregnancy or childbirth, or a metaphorical ‘birth’ of a new idea or project. Bring your creative ideas into being by nurturing them and supporting their growth. Allow those designs and their manifestation to flow through you, acting with compassion and love.

The Empress Reversed Meaning

Because the Empress represents Nature, when she is reversed she has tremendous natural power to correct her heedless children. Volcanoes, tsunami, hurricanes and the like symbolize violent emotions triggered by ignorant or foolish humans.

If you feel like being corrective, you are probably justified, but set limits on how punitive you allow yourself to be. You don’t want to go too far and destroy all you have taken so much delight in.

The Empress Advice Position

The Empress advises you to trust in the good sense you have shown up to this point. Recognize your good intentions in carrying out your responsibilities as a compassionate human. You are capable of demonstrating the finest aspects of your personality.

Demonstrate this through caring actions, a forgiving and generous attitude, and wise understanding of others’ needs and struggles. Bring a healing influence to the current situation and take full credit for the supportive part you play.

My lessons from quarantine

I suppose most of the world has been here. Here are my lessons to stay well during what is to be expected 4months of quarantine.

Based on countries all around the world, we can expect a quarantine up to 6 months. This is a long time and there is bound to be some hopium whilst during that time. Here are my thoughts on how you would survive such a period isolated.

Reframe the thought process. Listening to Atomic Habits, great book, we can reframe the idea that you are locked up and there is nothing much you can do about it. If we reframe this lockdown as an opportunity on focus on things that you would not normally be able to.

Did you want to start writing more, eating more healthy, spending time with the kids? See, with the quarantine you are free frm the usual distractions with life and the committments that you might have had. Instead of looking at the downside, look at the upside.

Control what you can control. I remember a story about a bloke that survived Nazi Germany Camps, and his advice on why he was able to make it. That he focused on the things that he was in control of; what time he woke up, if he did any exercise, where he spend the time. He goes the people that didn’t make it, were those that had the expectation that they would be saved on Christmas this year. When the date passed and they were still in the same situation – they became dispondent.

So if you are at home, there is no need to view as a prison sentence. You have 1hr free time per day and all the world’s resources at your fingertips through the internet. Look up new recipes, clean up the house, find a new hobby!

Ensure that your home is neat and tidy I think the big realisation is that if we have a house with lots of clutter, we need to go outside to feel the freedom and the feeling of neatness (Generally public spaces are kept neat and tidy). Recreate the feeling indoors by tidying up the house or room and you will feel much better.

Closing thoughts We are currently into 3 months of ‘lockdown’. Every week there is news providing more ‘freedoms’ to you. Don’t be fooled and realise the news cycles requires them to provide tidbits of information to you daily. The objective opening will be once people get fed up with the constant delays and the government concedes – Jan 2022.

Don’t make these Feng shui mistakes when you rent or buy your next place

Front Door Alignment Creates Bad Feng Shui for you

Several issues associated with how your front door is aligned may give you negative feng shui and energy

• If it is aligned with your back door A front door directly aligned with the back door allows your energy, luck, and prosperity to run in through the front door and immediately out the back!

• Having a bathroom facing the front door can cause negative energy. Bathrooms generally drain and flush away your positive energy. Your ‘Chi,’ or positive energy, is represented by water, in the bathroom will either sit stagnant or flow out bathroom pipes and drains

• A staircase directly facing the front door deprives the main floor of chi. It comes through the front door and rushes up or down the staircase.

• A mirror within five feet of the front door (especially facing it) causes chi to bounce right back out the door

• A front door that opens outward pushes positive energy out the door before it can enter