7. The Chariot: Drive and Distraction
Oh, the little human driving a carriage.
As with all cards, The Chariot has a light side and a shadow side. In our context, the light could be a determination to be active on behalf of Nature. This card could make for a great activist. (For a while, anyway, before burnout and ego get in the way.) But whether the charioteer is actually moving or not is debatable. How much control they have isn’t clear, either, but there they go anyway, trying to control life on the path before them, forging their way in life.
The Chariot
Image is from Tarot of the Cat People, the first ever deck I owned. It still holds a special place in my heart.
In the Marseille, two horses pull the carriage in different directions, with no reigns for the charioteer to control them. The same goes for the Waite-Smith Tarot, where two sphinxes (one black, one white, both with fabulous red lips as if heading to the sphinx disco) sit in the grass looking relaxed. They’re not going anywhere, either. From a visual, Nature-based perspective, I like the freedom of the creatures, the fact that they are not subjugated by the humanity, although the charioteer might think otherwise. From a human perspective, it’s actually quite a messy image.
Stars often adorn the material at the top of the carriage, or the human’s crown. Inspiration drives this youth to go on a mission, whatever it be. Whereras The Lover falls in love with another human, the charioteer might be falling in love with an idea, or even themselves.
You might not see much of Nature when you’re consumed by Chariot energy. You might be too busy on a mission to ‘find out who you are’. And good luck with that. Because we are far more than any handy little gathering of labels that our charioteer goes searching for. They might like to think of themselves as a great charioteer. But they can’t do that one task forever. One day, they’ll get bored of it. They’ll feel the need to settle down, to do something else. (Either that or those horses or sphinxes will prove to be too difficult to control, because life just can’t be controlled.)
This might go against a culture which says, ‘You Can Do Anything That You Want To Do! Only You Stand In Your Way! Go You!’ But the fact is that sometimes you can’t. We can, and should, put all of our energy into plans that delight our spirit. But we should always be aware that Nature and the Universe is ultimately a greater force than Little Me. If our happiness depends on anything that The Chariot wants to do, then frankly, we’re screwed.
The Chariot
The Waite-Smith version. Nature is hidden away in the background. What are you missing?
But there’s no talking to that silly billy in the carriage. They will move on regardless, somehow, some way, because they are determined to reach their goals. Do you see the trees, the river, the gorgeous landscape that the Waite-Smith charioteer is leaving behind? When you move through life so quickly, you are in danger of missing out on all of that. It’s like whizzing past a gorgeous landscape in a car or a train. You might cover a lot of ground but you won’t get any real quality time with the places that flash before your eyes.
Perhaps your plans are so consuming that the charioteer’s voice drives you to jump out of bed every morning because ‘time is ticking!’ But Nature is not just our scenery or our platform. It is who we are, and we are in danger of forgetting that when separate ourselves inside of our egoic carriages.
The Chariot
From the classic Paul Marteau version of the Tarot of Marseille. My initials appear between the horse’s heads, which is rather synchronistic considering it’s my birth card!
I was disappointed when I first discovered that The Chariot was my birth card. ‘Yuck. Don’t want that energy!’ I thought. But that isn’t fair, because there is much to appreciate here, too. All Tarot cards contain light and shadow. And I do not write this blog sitting in the lotus position oozing peace. I write this from the point of view of someone who (now I remember!) once identified this card as the most glorious in all of the Tarot deck; I admired The Chariot’s passion and drive above all else. There is a lot to be admired in this energy, in this determination to get things done. Sometimes, it’s just what we need.
When I think back to the time in my life when The Chariot was my favourite card – maybe 10 years ago – I realise that my biggest connection with Nature was through the cards themselves. I stared at rivers in the Waite Smith-type decks for longer periods than I ever stared at real ones. But a picture of a river is never as good as the real thing. (But as a side note, if getting to visit one is difficult because of disability or other reasons, there are still other ways: technology can be a great thing and it doesn’t always have to be a distraction from Nature.)
Having a single focus in life – one which comes to the detriment of everything else – is often celebrated in Western culture. ‘Oh, she’s so driven! Nothing’s going to stand in her way of getting what she wants!’ But what do you want, and why do you want it? We miss out on Nature’s gifts when we refuse to slow down and be with All That Is. There is probably no way to explain this to the charioteer, but there’s nothing to stop you from slowing down, getting out of the driving seat, and paying attention to what is going on around you. Enjoy it.
That’s all for now, friends. Thank you for being here – and please check out my Tarot Therapy Sessions if you’d like us to work together. You can also sign up for the Tarot Blog newsletter (different to my main newsletter) below to receive email updates on every new post.
Smiles from Scotland,
Stephen
