The Chariot
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Upright Meaning
You have the momentum to push through something that's been resisting you, as long as you hold two things in tension: drive and direction. The Chariot wins not by brute force but by focused will. Know where you're going before you accelerate.
Reversed Meaning
Energy is being spent in ways that cancel each other out, or you're pushing forward without a clear sense of why. Speed without direction is just burning fuel. What are you trying to reach, and is the current path actually heading there?
The Chariot in love
Single? The Chariot says go after what you want. Someone determined may come into your life, or you may need to make the first move yourself.
In a relationship, you're moving forward together, perhaps through a move, a big trip or an obstacle you beat as a team. Keep pulling in the same direction.
Drew it reversed? See The Chariot reversed in love below.
The Chariot as feelings
As feelings, they feel determined about you and may be actively pursuing you. Cancer rules this card, so beneath the armor they feel quite protective.
The Chariot in career and money
CareerAt work, The Chariot means drive and a win earned through focus. Goals you set now can be reached through sheer determination, and the card is also linked to travel for work.
MoneyFinancially, this card favors disciplined progress toward one clear target. Stay on course and don't let competing impulses pull your savings in two directions.
Is The Chariot a yes or no card?
Yes, because The Chariot rides toward victory as long as you stay focused.
Ask your own yes or no question →The Chariot as advice
Pick a direction and commit to it. Hold your opposing urges together the way the charioteer holds his two sphinxes, through will rather than reins.
What would it look like to move forward with both determination and clear intention?
What the Chariot card shows
An armored charioteer with a star crown stands in a chariot under a canopy of stars, with a walled city behind him. Two sphinxes, one black and one white, rest in front of the chariot, and he holds no reins at all. He steers by willpower alone, and the crescent moons on his shoulders hint at Cancer, the sign of the crab with its protective shell.
Astrology and symbolism
- Arcana
- Major, card 7
- Element
- Water
- Astrology
- Cancer
The Chariot corresponds to Cancer, so it carries that sign's water energy. Read more about Cancer.
The 22 Major Arcana cards trace the Fool's journey, from the first step of The Fool (card 0) to the completion of The World (card 21). The Chariot is card 7 of that journey, and when it appears it points to a significant life theme rather than a passing mood.
The Major Arcana
The Chariot questions
Is The Chariot a good card?
Mostly, yes. The Chariot is one of the more welcome cards to draw, bringing determination, willpower, control and victory. Reversed, that same energy can slip into lack of direction, aggression, scattered energy and powerlessness, so the cards around it still matter.
What does The Chariot reversed mean in love?
Reversed in love, The Chariot shows two people pulling in different directions, or a relationship that has lost its momentum. Control issues can creep in when nobody agrees on where you are headed.
What zodiac sign is The Chariot?
Cancer. In the Golden Dawn correspondences that most modern decks follow, The Chariot is assigned to Cancer, which makes it a Water card.
Is The Chariot yes or no?
Yes. Drawn upright, The Chariot answers yes. Reversed, it turns to no, usually because something has to change first.
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