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The Chariot

The Chariot, Waite-Smith tarot, 1909
Major Arcana VII · Illustration: Pamela Colman Smith, 1909
Upright
determination · triumph of will · self-control
Reversed
lack of direction · loss of control · aggression
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Forwards with willpower and a sense of direction.

Meaning

The Chariot stands for determination, self-control and making progress under your own steam. The two sphinxes want to go in different directions, and that is exactly the task: to steer the opposites within you and around you so that they carry you instead of tearing you apart. The charioteer holds no reins. He leads through clarity.

In everyday life the Chariot shows up when you are pursuing a goal and sense that discipline is paying off: an exam, a move, a journey, a project with a deadline. It also appears when inner contradictions come into play, such as courage and caution or ambition and consideration, and you need both to arrive. The card stands for victory, but for one that is earned because you kept yourself in hand.

The Chariot invites you to take a direction. Not everything at once, not every way at the same time, but towards where you really want to go. Ask yourself which opposing forces are pulling within you at the moment, and whether you are steering them or they are steering you. The card also shows that the moment is right for setting off. The chariot is still standing, but everything about it is ready, and you have already left the city behind you.

Advice: Hold the reins, not the whip.

Reversed

Reversed, the Chariot loses its track. Either there is no direction at all, so that you are very busy and arrive nowhere, or you try to force with pressure and harshness what would need patience. The sphinxes pull in opposite directions, and the charioteer shouts instead of leading. This can show up as aggression, as a lack of consideration for others or as an inner struggle that exhausts you without getting you any further.

Ask yourself who is steering right now: your goal or your ego, your will or your fear of losing. The reversed Chariot asks you to stop and check your direction before you drive on. Sometimes the detour is the shorter route, and sometimes control is only an attempt to cover up a feeling of powerlessness.

Love and relationships

In love, the Chariot stands for initiative and for the art of holding opposites. If you’re single, it shows that you can make the first move, with self-confidence but without the urge to conquer. In a relationship, it points to two people with different temperaments who are learning to travel in the same direction, or to a phase in which you pursue a goal together: a journey, a move, a shared project. Be careful if one of you wants to hold the reins alone; closeness doesn’t come from steering.

Work and money

At work, the Chariot is the card of getting ahead. Ambition, discipline and a clear goal will take you further now, whether in a promotion, a change of job, a business trip or a project under deadline pressure. It also stands for professions to do with vehicles, logistics or movement. With money, it advises a decisive but controlled approach: follow a plan instead of changing direction on impulse, and keep an eye on where each decision is taking you. Responsibility rides along.

As the card of the day

Today, set yourself one goal and stick with it, even when distractions beckon. If inner voices pull in different directions, hear both of them out and then decide, instead of letting yourself be torn apart. The Chariot invites you to drive through the day with an upright bearing: determined, focused, with your eyes on the goal and without rolling over other people.

The image

A young charioteer in armour stands upright in a stone chariot, with a blue canopy full of white stars above him on four posts. On his head sits a laurel wreath with an eight-pointed star, and on his shoulders are two crescent moons with faces. In his right hand he holds a wand; he has no reins. In front of the chariot lie two sphinxes, one black and one white, looking in different directions. A winged sun disc is emblazoned on the front of the chariot, and below it a shield with a red sign shaped like a spinning top. In the background, beyond a river, lies a city with towers and red roofs. The sky is yellow. The opposites pull the chariot, and it is steered by bearing and will alone.

Questions for you

  • Which opposing forces are pulling within me right now, and who is holding the direction?
  • Where am I busy without making progress?
  • What would my next goal be if I truly allowed myself to have it?