Over to you: The Chariot

Editor’s Note: If you want to experiment with tarot cards and don’t have any, we provide a free tarot spread generator using the Celtic Wings spread, which is based on the traditional Celtic Cross spread. This article explains how to use the spread. You can visit Sarah’s website here. –efc

By Sarah Taylor

When I first started working with tarot, The Chariot seemed to me to be one of the more straightforward cards in the major arcana, encapsulated by the idea that, “Things are forging ahead; keep a masterful hold on the reins.

The Chariot - RWS Tarot.
Rider-Waite Smith Tarot

That’s not to say that this statement doesn’t hold true, but I have come to see the depth that lies underneath it. What is happening that precipitates the journey that the card depicts, for instance; why the implied shift in pace? What constitutes ‘mastery’?

And the imagery: Why a chariot? What about the creatures that pull it? What of the figure’s appearance? The colours? What sense of movement does the card evoke, and what does it mean? How about the detail in the card? The symbols?

So my invitation to you, dear reader, this week: to take a close look at The Chariot and see what it brings to you. There are three different versions you can choose to work with — either as a group, or a pair or a single card:

The Chariot from the Rider-Waite Smith Tarot deck

The Warrior from the Xultun Tarot deck

The Chariot from the Tarot of the Spirit deck

[Note: You can click on each card for a high-resolution version.]

Here are a few things to help you get started:

The Warrior - Xultun Tarot.
Xultun Tarot
  • There are no right or wrong responses — only ones that reflect what is coming up for you in the moment. Give synchronicity a chance to work; step back from judgement; go with what moves you.
  • Is there a card that stands out for you? If so, why? If it could talk in the first person, what would it say to you?
  • If you want to work with two, or all three, cards, ask yourself what they have in common, what they don’t, and what you find meaningful in the similarities and the differences.
  • Think and feel into the use of line and colour; put those thoughts and feelings into words.
  • Home in on the tiniest of details. What drew your eye to it? What significance does it hold? How does it work with the rest of the card?
  • Has your sense of The Chariot changed and deepened through your explorations? In what ways?
The Chariot - Tarot of the Spirit.
Tarot of the Spirit

In a previous article on the Ten of Swords, I included an excerpt from the poem Desiderata by Max Ehrmann, which I’m going to quote again here. I encourage you to read it if you feel like you’re having an encounter with either doubt or awe — both of which have a tendency to elbow their way into readings:

 

You are a child of the universe,

no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.

 

Most of all, enjoy!

— Sarah

 

Tarot Deck Information:

4 thoughts on “Over to you: The Chariot”

  1. Well, what an interesting card. A very spiritual card.

    I see focus, I see resolve and purpose and concentration. I see preparation for battle. I see power. These are warriors, and this is what they do. They’re ready.

    Wow. What a great card. So powerful; so timely.

    *NB: What an interesting synergy between this card and Len’s advice that if one is not made of marshmallow, then it’s time to start pecking one’s way out of that egg. The chariot cards say the same thing to me: it’s time.

  2. Hi Sarah, (long reply ahead šŸ™‚ )

    Being born a double 7 I’ve made it a personal quest to try and understand as much as I can about this Archetype. Sometimes it is difficult for me to know whether my understandings are for me personally or for a greater circle, so I offer up these transmissions with the caveat that they may not make much sense to anyone else. šŸ˜‰

    For me, the Chariot is about the incarnational body, that physical aspect which we we occupy here in this lifetime. The card is after all about the vehicle itself, not the driver/occupant. The Chariot has its wheels on the earth, but is covered by the canopy of the Heavens as a reminder of where we are now and from where we have come (The Heavens). I also feel it is a personal message that the stars are here to help guide the Chariot as well as remind/support it, so learning to “read” the stars can help provide shelter, purpose and direction.

    The Chariot moves thru time and space, from a place of origin to some mysterious destination. This is the cycle of a lifetime, so to speak. The body incarnates in and moves with and through a world built on dualities and there is much iconography to remind us of that… the mysterious animals that sometimes are 2 or sometimes 4, but always represent the idea of ENERGY in form that is somehow oscillating between various frequencies that is what moves the vehicle forward thru space and time. The armor of the figure in the chariot often has jewels or amulets on his/her costume to inform us again of duality; Solar/Lunar, male/female, happy/sad, black/white, square and circle….all of these are reminders that this is a world of Paradox that we have entered into by being in this vehicle on this adventure we call Life and we must not forget that… just as we must not forget that we come from the Heavens/Stars. Sometimes the suit of armor has 7 stars to remind us of the Pleiades or other constellations.

    The Being in the Chariot is armored… in a protective shell so to speak. A double layer of protection if you include the chariot itself. This implies that what is within is precious, vulnerable, worthy of protecting and perhaps needing containment in order to fully be here. Often the Being in the Chariot has its visor down, implying that one can trust the process as well as needing to remain connected to what is within and not get too caught up in what is going by on the “outside”… a reference to detachment. But also, it is a warning to not be too rigid and armored by forgetting what is “inside”.

    The Being in the Chariot does not *appear* to have a means of controlling the vehicle. This implies a sense of either Destiny or Divine assistance or, projected Will, or a combination of all of the above. What is often true on illustrations of this image is that the Being in the vehicle holds some singular object… often it is the only non-paired object in the image which is not either the vehicle or the occupant. This singularity is mysterious and holds great Power to understanding the relationship between the vehicle and the occupant, I feel. In some decks the object is a shield, or a disk… in others it is a rod. To me, this object is the “tuning fork” or the “singing bowl” which transmits vibrational information between the vehicle, the occupant and possibly the surrounding landscape/environment and possibly is connected to Divine will too… if you believe in that sort of thing. It is a *magical* object of possibly Alchemical properties, associated with the suit of Wands and/or The Magician/Magus. Some think of this object as a reference to Will-power, and of course there is the warning to not be too will-full if this card shows up… but I tend to think of this part of the card as symbolizing the need to become in alignment with a Higher vision, or higher will in order to fulfill ones Destiny… that Destination for which this vehicle (The Chariot) was created and is most capable of reaching.

    So, to me, the Chariot is all about the adventure of an incarnation or embodiment here as a Spiritual Being occupying a physical body in space-time. For me, when The Chariot shows up in a reading, the idea that an important aspect of one’s sacred mission or Dharma is at hand is always something that is being called forward by this presence of this card.

    My understanding of this card/archetype continues to deepen as I learn more about Life. This interpretation like the card image and the Archetype is a work-in-progress.

  3. The RWS sphinxes are not opposite colors, actually, they are colorless. One is white with black stripes, the other is black with white stripes. This card is full of symbols of dualities that are not separate from each other, yin and yang. For example, take a really close look at the shoulders of the man. There are two lunar arcs, each has a face, one is smiling and the other is frowning. Then there is the lingam/yoni symbol on the shield on the front of the chariot.

    But notice what is conspicuously absent in this picture: reins, and any yokes or ropes on the sphinxes that they might use to pull the chariot. I read The Chariot primarily as a symbol of Will. The driver keeps the chariot moving forward by force of will, by mental projection, by discriminating between opposites and keeping them pointed in the same direction. I usually read the duality as reason vs. emotion, both under control of the will of one’s true Self.

    This card is also a good subject for analysis with the background – midground – foreground method of BOTA. In the background, a walled city, a fortress with elaborately constructed towers looking out over the land. In the midground, a river, or perhaps a moat around the city. It also serves as protection for the city, but water is also is a symbol of our universal subconscious, or perhaps superconscious. And in the foreground, the chariot and driver. The chariot is like a cage, it has walls that shield the rider, like his armor. The city is a symbol of our fundamental urge to power, the ability to protect ourselves and project our power outward. But that power acts through our subconscious, and is delivered in the vehicle of our will.

    Also notice that this card is called The Chariot, not The Chariot Driver. The Chariot implies the driver, but the focus here is on the vehicle. I think this also focuses attention on how one’s will is delivered into the universe, how it is realized. The Chariot is not in motion, it has come to a stop. A vehicle of war has come to its destination and is at peace.

  4. The sphynxes are exactly opposite in color. This suggests that it doesn’t really move, the opposites cancel each other out. It’s the universal forces in their entirety that in any part seem to go through a series of transformations but taken as a totality are all different aspects of the Void. Only Void is pure. Careful what you wish for. One of the meanings of this card is getting what you want. The opposing sphynxes remind us that all desires are cancelled out by fulfilling them, restoring the universal equilibrium. On the Tree Of Life this card connects the stillness and stability of 3 with the motion and transformations of 5.

Leave a Comment