If the Empress is spontaneous, the Emperor is a planner. The Empress wallows in reality as it is. The Emperor lives apart from it. He wants to control his world. To have a controlling attribute is not bad thing by itself. We need to control many aspects of our life. Our environment should be under control. A place for everything and everything in its place, means we can work efficiently. Our diet should be controlled, too much junk food is bad for us. Our schedule, we should be organized and prompt to appointments. We need to work our to do lists. But too much control is not good for us.
To control everything and to say, this is the only true way, means we lose our creativity. Creativity is the ability to see the world in new ways, to combine things differently. If we have a goal (an outcome) we want to achieve and then say, this is the only way to get to it, we miss out on all the other possible paths to the result. Ways that could be more efficient or even more fun. Or that lead to even better outcomes than originally conceived. The Empress is creative–even pregnant in most decks!–but the Emperor is sterile.
On the other hand, The Emperor has confidence and assurance. He can take charge and be decisive because he sees what needs to be done and just does it. Since he had decided on a way to do things, there is no stopping to question the process, just action. But a completely controlled world is very small. Since it must be predictable, there isn’t room for much detail. No room for new options and possibilities. It is very black and white, very austere. Not always very comfortable. Ultimately, stagnant.
The Emperor is introverted, while the Empress is extroverted. We need some of both in our lives, but too much control or too much chaos can be a problem. Neither is good or bad, better or worse. We must embrace them both and find balance in order to open our Inner Vision.