The Chariot is a Force for Progress: A Look at the Impact of Major Arcana Card Seven
The Chariot has arrived just in time to take you on a journey. While the road may be filled with past problems, dualistic misunderstandings and potentially devastating obstacles, the self-assured and unshakeable charioteer will navigate even the greatest challenges with ease. Don’t worry, dear rider, you’re in good and capable hands.
The charioteer is masterful in his harnessing of the forces necessary to succeed. He is the fiery journeyman that keeps things progressing, even when the feelings of self-doubt and overwhelm begin to seep in.
The Chariot’s upright orientation is a call to harmonize, renew your motivation and ruthlessly seek the truth within. In doing so, you move forward in the direction of your dreams, leaving any confusion and misalignment in the past.
In reverse, the card calls attention to the places where discord and chaos are threatening to get the better of us. The card asks us to note where we are losing control, feeling conflicted or resigning ourselves to defeat. We can always make decisions to ensure our ends justify the means. In taking the lead , we direct our destiny and triumph over the odds. The alternative is to allow our apathy, aggression and self-doubt to foster failure instead. Not really much of a choice, is it?
To understand The Chariot in the context of a tarot reading where other cards are present, check out the four spreads below. Each description is written as a general energy reading just for you. Enjoy!
Please note that this post (as with all the others about specific cards) has been written as a complementary piece to the Cup of Sugar tarot newsletter series. While subscribing to the newsletter is not required to understand the post, it will help provide additional information. You can sign up to receive the remaining newsletters in the series here.
Spread 1: The Art of Overcoming Illusion to Choose Love
In this first spread, The Chariot and The Lovers stand as guides in favor of connection, choice and decisive action. While The Chariot is a force for forward momentum and carrying out the actions necessary to achieve our wildest dreams, The Lovers are all about trusting what’s in one’s heart in order to decide to act with love.
What is it that keeps us from always betting on love? From continually opting for harmony, truth and transformation? In this case, the reversed Eight of Swords and Ten of Swords reveal the missing pieces to this story of self-control, self-confidence and assured victory.
The reversed Eight indicates that you are in the process of overcoming your fears in order to trust yourself more fully. This is quite the process, as disillusionment has kept you feeling trapped in the harmful web of unfocused thoughts. This is confusion is slowly being cleared away.
Surrendering to outside forces was not the answer. The reversed Ten indicates that your pride kept you from releasing what needed to go in order to create space for the final release. You’ve been stuck in the past when the answer is to take the reins and move forward into the yet unknown. This decision to overcome your self-righteousness is a profound one. You’ll be better for your understanding of the emotions and thought patterns that foster discord, discontent and conflict.
The Chariot and The Lovers are here to help you remember who you truly are. They will guide you on the journey required to remember what you’re really capable of. This transformative experience will remove the veil that clouded your way forward. Learn the lessons you need from past floundering. Go forth with the knowledge that you have what it takes to prevail.
Spread 2: Take Control of Your Destiny to Go in the Right Direction
Adversity and stagnation have kept you stuck in place, but the conundrum indicated by the reversed Two of Wands is merely a blip on your overall journey. You may have felt lost and afraid. The other cards in this spread are here to provide the wisdom you need to move forward, adeptly destroying the obstacles that stand in your way.
When faced with two potential paths forward, the fear of failure can prevent us from making a self-assured choice. The Chariot indicates that you’re ready to decide. You are in the process of taking control of your destiny, and he will help you succeed in whatever you choose.
Justice and Strength provide additional context to this situation. You need not only harness the outside forces that seek to throw you off course but also the internal fire that can overwhelm you, resulting in more harm than good. Strength teaches us to befriend our powerful ability to make shit happen. When we have the courage to keep our heat contained, we can use it more effectively when additional force is required.
Justice tells me that you are levelheaded in situations where others may act first and apologize later. Here, Justice is an encouraging sign that have found the inner clarity that’s necessary to act in your best interests. You have the wisdom required to do what you need to do. This spread tells me that you’re ready to proceed in the right direction. I’d wish you luck, but it is certain that you won’t need it to achieve what you desire. You’ll make it happen entirely on your own.
Spread 3: A Lack of Introspection Prompts Discontent
What a mess of emotions! Something has happened that’s leaving you feel completely imbalanced, rigid, fearful and confused. You feel stuck in place. The path forward is unclear. This loss of control is unsettling and throwing you off your game.
Three reversed Major Arcana guides and a reversed Queen of Cups combine to tell a story of a person in crisis. Your ego has been running the show. Temperance in reverse indicates a lack of introspection and listening within. When we don’t know what is truly necessary, we act from a place of desire instead of from a place of inner knowing. This has prompted you to pursue extreme solutions in attempts to get back on course.
The reversed Hierophant indicates that you’ve tried to return to solutions that worked well in the past. This method has failed you, too. Instead of revealing sacred wisdom, these outdated traditions have caused you to be overly rigid and stubborn. You cannot see the way forward when tied so tightly to the past. What has gotten you this far will not take you farther.
The reversed Chariot means you continue to feel pulled toward extremes. You are viewing your current predicament from a place of right and wrong, black and white, good and bad. This dualistic thinking is sowing further discord.
The reversed Queen feels your pain. Swimming in the intensity of her emotions has become tiring. She’s ready to let go of her feelings of helplessness by taking confident action. Your job is to leave the past behind and open your eyes to the path ahead. You cannot be passive. This has been your problem all along. Go deep within to find your inner fortitude. From this place, you will find the confidence you need to pull yourself out of this whirlpool of chaos.
Spread 4: Forgive Yourself, Forgive the Past, Move Forward
You are deep in the shadows, my friend, but this is the best place for you at the moment. Tired of feeling dissatisfied and listless, attached to a string of imaginary problems, you’ve decided to mine the watery depths of your dark side. The Four of Cups is a testament to your displeasure with your current existence, and The reversed Moon exemplifies the source of your instability. It’s time to let the fantasy world you’ve created to protect yourself die. Now is the time to start telling yourself the truth.
The reversed Chariot indicates that you’re in it now. You’re paying attention to the either-or thinking that pulled you into this predicament. You’re unsure where to go next because every step forward feels as if it might be your last. There are emotional landmines everywhere. You feel stuck in place, unable to navigate the path forward with so much uncertainty around.
Judgment is the guide that will set you straight. It is a a call to use your powers of discernment. You are beginning to know what needs to be done, and you’re nearly ready to act. This wandering journey through your shadows has not been for naught. It was during this adventure on the dark side of the moon that you were able to reconcile the things that held you in place. You’re healing, my friend, whether you can feel it or not. Continue to acknowledge the past, give words and meaning to your trauma and pain, and let it go. You have places to be. Go forth with renewed purpose.