Three Emperors

Different tarot decks give different slants on the same card

The Emperor as depicted in the Rider-Waite-Smith, The Golden, and the Haindl tarot decks. Photo by author.

Recently, I asked a few friends about their favorite tarot decks. I had just one at the time, the classic Rider-Waite-Smith, which I’ve owned since college and only lately dusted off. Based on their answers and the favorites listed in Jessa Crispin’s The Creative Tarot: A Modern Guide to An Inspired Life, I bought two more from U.S…