The Chariot

The Chariot is regarded as the seventh card in the Major Arcana of Tarot Cards, which comprises of twenty-two cards in total.

The Story behind The Chariot

After all of his enlightening encounters, The Fool starts working towards his goals. However, he is struggling to make progress and even maintain his current position because enemies are holding him back. Whilst down by the sea, he meets a Charioteer. The fool asks for his advice. He tells The Fool that he should first protect himself, then have unwavering focus on achieving his personal goals, and that nothing should stand in his way. Before leaving, the Charioteer also tells The Fool that winning is only the beginning.

Meaning of The Chariot Tarot Card

The Chariot card offers some very important lessons. The Chariot is pulled along by two wild animals, either horse or sphinxes. Without the animals to pull The Chariot along, it won’t move anywhere. However, if the charioteer does not control the animals, they will run amok. Therefore, it is important to understand that one needs the other – emotions and the physical need to work together.

One encounters many struggles throughout life, many of which are internal struggles with the inner self. There are the struggles and battles with other people. The Chariot is saying that, whichever direction your emotions take, your physical self should also take that direction. They certainly can’t work against each other; you must take control of both.

Just like the charioteer in the story above, one must choose a direction and move in it with determination and aggression. This could mean embracing new ideas and therefore new goals, then aggressively pursuing them. Controlling your emotions and channelling them correctly is essential. The most important thing to control is your fear. Victory is the beginning, not the end.