The Chariot

The Chariot is one of the most enigmatic cards in the Tarot. It seems like every cartomancer has a different interpretation of this card - everything from conquest to journeying. At first glance, the traditional symbolism pictured on the the card has little to do with the Chariot’s astrological attributions. After all, what does the zodiacal sign of Cancer - sign of the home and emotional attachments - have to do with a charioteer pulled by sphinxes?

In Crowley’s Thoth tarot, the charioteer is bearing a cup and has a crab on his head - Crowleys bow toward the astroligical attributes of this card. But what the hell does it all mean?

Cancer is the cardinal water-sign, and is water in motion. Rivers, tributaries, waves and especially shorelines (where crabs are often seen scuttling), Cancer is the impulse of water to move, to be fluid, and is ruled by the moon - the heavenly body which dictates the motion of water on earth, the ebb and flow of the ocean’s tides.

If we look at the zodiac in terms of life’s stages, then Aries is the baby who wants what it wants and wants it now. Taurus the sensual/tactile child who interacts intimately with the physical environment. Gemini the youth who is a wellspring of new ideas, thoughts. The endless chatter of a restless mind. And Cancer is the first bloom of maturity, the first emotional connection with others and the impulse to carry emotional connectivity to its completion - the desire and ability to create home and family. The desire to put down roots and reach for some sort of stability in life. Cancer is also the first glimmer of the awareness of death, the awareness of our mortality that spurns in us a desire for security, emotional intimacy with others, and a desire to procreate.

The sign of Cancer begins on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year when the sun’s light is briefly triumphant, then starts to wane - begins its long slow march into darkness and death. In the moment of its triumph, the sun faces its demise, just as in the Roman Triumph, the imperator was accompanied in his chariot by a slave who whispered into his ear, “Remember that you too are mortal”.

In most traditional Tarot decks, the chariot is not only drawn by sphinxes, but the charioteer is often without whip or reigns. He is drawn inevitably toward his own death, he cannot steer his steeds away from it, he cannot halt its progress. The sphinx, in Greek myth, asked the famous riddle, “”Which creature in the morning goes on four feet, at noon on two, and in the evening upon three?”. The answer of course was man, and the riddle referred to the stages of life. The sphinxes pictured in the card usher man through these stages, toward his ultimate destiny.

Also keep in mind that Cancer, the sign of the zodiac associated with the chariot, is also the name of one of our most feared diseases. To hear its name is to be reminded of our mortality. So at the center of the Chariot card is the awareness of our ultimate demise, the impetus that sends us wheeling on our journey through life, seeking meaning and emotional fulfillment.

At its most esoteric, the Chariot represents this high point on our journey through life, this Triumph, which is accompanied by death-awareness. The Chariot’s journey is unlike other journey cards. The Fool is the whimsical beginnings, a journey taken by a childlike mind which trusts the Universe to take care of him. The Hermit’s journey is a pilgramage, taken alone into the depths, a journey determined by the self and the self alone. The Chariot is the inevitable journey, that which must be taken and whose outcome is beyond our control.

It all sounds rather grim, but the journey itself is a fantastic one. All things born must take this journey, yet the path differs for each of us. Keep in mind also that the Chariot card is often associated with the Holy Grail, and that the charioteer is its bearer. In this sense the Chariot is a continuation of the previous card, The Lovers.

The Lovers are the Gemini, the twins, the alchemical marriage that yeilds the philosopher’s stone, the blossom of knowledge. They are Adam and Eve in the Garden, tasting the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Part of this Knowledge is indeed the knowledge of death, but it is the knowledge of death that is the doorway to our quest for meaning, our quest for life. The Grail contains the Elixir of Life, the Key to Eternity, the knowledge that death is a part of a cycle, and from the putrefaction of decay, new life must spring.

The Charioteer, dragged along on his journey from birth to death, has a choice. To drink or not to drink, to see or not to see, to partake fully in his journey, or to travel in ignorance and meaninglessness.

At its most mundane, the Chariot is that which must be completed. It can often indicate a task begun with such force and impetus, that it must be finished. The Chariot is the promise which must be kept, the trip which must be taken, the endeavor which must be seen to its conclusion, the idea which must be manifested.

In spiritual matters, the Chariot can represent the magickal oath that cannot be broken.

The Chariot is a juggernaut which goes, unstoppable, until its course is finished. It is commitment to self and to others, and to one’s goals. It is the next logical step after the Lovers of the proceeding card meet - they commit. When the Chariot is upright, one’s commitments are generally rewarded (victorious), but when the Chariot is reversed, ones commitments may not be undertaken with the fulness of heart necessary to complete the work. Or one’s commitments may be going against the flow of life, or against the impetus of one’s true desires. A reversed Chariot means one could be working for something that is against one’s ideals, and it may be time to re-assess, and get that chariot on the right track.

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