Tarot cards are an extremely popular mystical oracle. It is one of the few oracles that most people feel comfortable to attempt on their own. You do not find many people attempting to read palms or to contact the dead, but you do see a large amount of people purchasing tarot cards, determined to master them. There has long been a debate about the necessity of psychic ability, whether hidden or not, in reading tarot cards. I, myself, pondered this very question, and in trying to find the answer, learned a little bit more about the tarot cards.

What can the old man of the tarot teach us? While many cards in the tarot, especially the trump cards, have undergone serious redesign over the centuries, The Hermit card remains almost exactly the same as it did 500 years ago. Almost all Hermit cards show a very old man in a long, monk-like robe, holding a wooden staff and a lantern. The lantern is just about the only part of the card that has gotten a redesign over the years, as the inside of the lantern now usually shows a glowing star or some kind of shape inside the lantern that is giving off light. With the original Hermit cards, the lantern was usually empty.

The classic Tarot card  depicting the Emperor shows him sitting on a throne decorated with ram’s heads, which are the symbols for the gods Aries and Mars.

In one hand, he holds an ankh, the Egyptian symbol for life. In the other he holds a globe, representing his control of the physical world. When the Emperor shows up in a reading, he represents authority and self-control, particularly regarding that which is concrete. If the subject’s goal was based on something solid, it will be achieved, says the Emperor.

When this card appears, it means that what comes the subject’s way ought to be accepted as it will bring great success.