Domination and Coercive Control
In my last blog entry, The Emperor is Out of Control, we looked at the Major Arcana archetype of The Emperor in his negative presentation, and the mirroring of these aspects in tyrannical and authoritarian governments. Entitlement, force, manipulation. These are all aspects both share.
Now, let’s see how these energies present in intimate partner relationships. “Psychopaths are intraspecies predators who use charm, manipulation, intimidation, and violence to control others and to satisfy their selfish needs” (Hare, 1996, p. 26). What is the common theme here?
Entitlement Over Others: Spiritual Theft
Every human on this planet strives to influence others in order to ensure that their own basic needs are met. This is natural. We try to impress our bosses, we strive to appeal to our intimate partners, we project confidence and toughness to those that might cause us harm. However, there is a difference between striving and stealing. When one intentionally uses deceit to control someone under the guise of “love,” this crosses the threshold into evil.
It is like eminent domain of the soul, without the possibility of just compensation. A theft under the pretense of love.
When someone uses threats or force to prevent another person from breeching their own personal boundaries, this is a natural defensive instinct. They are enforcing the protection of something that belongs to them. Something that they innately have ownership of, such as their own body, thoughts, feelings, identity, and basic human rights like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
However, when an individual behaves with a sense of entitlement to exert coercive control over other human beings in order to force them to give up something of their own, this is something quite different. This is parasitic behavior. One is protective, the latter is predatory. The predator feeds on the souls of others as if it is his right. He does not value the soul because he does not have one. He wants everyone to agree with him, to be and think like him. This validation bestows upon him a false sense of belonging. The truth is that they know they are different, this is why they are desperate to hide it.
Soul Theft: Gaslighting, Manipulation, and Erasing Others
The soul predator’s desire to control is wrapped up in a pretty little patterned paper of “the absence of compassion or empathy,” and is tied up with a bow of a “willingness to use any means necessary to achieve their desired ends.” There is no bottom. But nobody sees that until the water has reached the boiling point. For most, at this point, it is too late. And the strategy always includes preemptive narrative control. One must be very sharp to see it.
Alarmingly, science has proven that the traits of malignancy in humans tend to increase over time, ie with age. It is an epidemic of grave proportions that is spreading, and people are living longer. Psychopaths exist at the highest levels of governments and hide behind facades of corporate leadership and cultish missions.
These soulless humans have one objective: to surround themselves with a group of obedient “adorers” who are easy to manipulate and are groomed over time to accept complete domination and control. Every time there is a push back, the consequence becomes more severe, and obedience is rewarded with flattery and false affection. The target learns quickly.
Left unchecked, an ‘army’ of believers will be used to carry out the tyrant’s objectives. We have seen how this can play out in politics and government, as well as in interpersonal relationships. As a society, what are we to do?
The High Priestess Can Show Us the Way
How do we bring The Emperor into balance? I believe that we must begin by raising the loving and intuitive qualities of the Divine Feminine back to their rightful place – a place of equality. A place of balance. Emotion, intuition, introspection, stillness. We must tune out the noise, the arguments, and the explanations, and we must do more listening. But listening to ourselves. Trusting the deep inner knowing.
We must begin with healing the Divine Feminine, because we cannot offer healing to others when we ourselves are broken. The Divine Masculine also needs healing. The Lost Emperor needs a soul. Whether the latter is possible to accomplish remains to be seen, but we will never know until we try. And the first step is opening the eyes of those people who, knowingly or knot, are marching to the beat of the tyrant’s drum. They must ascend beyond the 3D.
No more shaming of emotions, no more holding back tears. No more mocking the Divine Wisdom that The Great Mother whispers among the trees. The Lost Emperor ridicules because he does not know how to feel. But were he secretly offered a choice, I believe he would take it. For the truth is, when one is a slave to one’s fear of losing control, control has already been lost.