We have left the Garden of Eden and now we are in the "war zone" of life. As the card's name suggests, the main theme of the card is the chariot. A war chariot, perhaps? In any case the charioteer seems calm and in control, almost convinced of victory, we could say. There is an aristocratic nuance about the charioteer: he has a princely stature, signs of nobility all over his clothes and a kind of crown on his head. The more we look at the card, the more we see that some sort of battle is going on, a battle that can be won only through willpower and endurance. The battle is external, and it requires strength and impeccability, self-reliance and conviction. Two sphinxes signify the external forces that must be controlled to bring the battle to a victorious end. The sphinxes are black and white, indicating a battle between opposites. They face in different directions, as if there were first an internal battle to win, to find the focus inside us in order to win our external battles. The sphinxes must bring the chariot in one single direction before the outlines of victory can be seen. The Chariot tells us a story about overcoming life's adversities through self-discipline and continued effort. When we step into this world we acquire an ego, and The Chariot tells us about the positive side of our ego, one that is full of control and perseverance. Through the union of opposites inside us we gain control, strength and thus victory.
On the card
The charioteer, who could be either a woman or a man, stands still in the chariot. He is here to wage war. There is a crown on his head with an eight-pointed star pointing in the eight main directions. There are waxing and waning moons on his shoulders, an echo of the astrological sign of Cancer that is connected with this card. According to Waite, these are the Urim and Thummim, divinatory tools used by the Israelites for guidance in times of war. On his belt only five signs are visible, but if we project them around his sides and back we get the twelve signs of the Zodiac. The breastplate on his chest symbolically represents the breastplate that the Israelite High Priest wore when he entered the Holy of Holies of Solomon's Temple on behalf of his people. The breastplate held twelve stones, inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Thus we have multiple hints that this charioteer represents all people. The charioteer's left hand rests, while the right one holds a staff. The staff can be interpreted as a sword, the tool of discernment, and another explanation even connects it with the wand of The Magician. With that wand The Magician contacts the divine mind, so we see that even if the battle is external and in the material world, connection with and guidance from the divine are present. On the front of the chariot we see the winged Sun. Thus our charioteer might represent Helios, the Greek god who drives the Sun's chariot across the sky, bringing light to the Earth. Ra, the Egyptian sun god, also drives the boat of the Sun across the sky. The red phallic symbol beneath the winged Sun comes from India and is known as the lingam. It stands for male creative energy that exhibits control and willpower. The chariot is drawn by two sphinxes, each looking in its own direction. White symbolizes positive and black negative forces that need to be tamed to give a clear direction and purpose. On the other hand, the charioteer holds no reins. It is his willpower that directs the sphinxes, and it is that willpower that will attain victory through effort. The sphinxes have human faces, which distinguish them from the animal kingdom. The sphinxes are further symbols of the confrontation of opposites in the mind, of both joy and suffering in the material world. It is no accident that sphinxes appear here instead of horses. In Greek mythology the sphinx would devour people who did not answer her riddle correctly. Once the sphinx found someone with the correct answer, she had to destroy herself. There is no compromise here: the opposites are strong, and this is a life-or-death struggle. The chariot is of cubical design, indicating order and its dominion over the material world. On top of the chariot there is a canopy full of stars. It represents the sky above and surely echoes the symbolism of the charioteer's belt with the twelve signs of the Zodiac. It is interesting that four pillars support the canopy. Some say that these four pillars are the four letters of God's name, YHVH. There is a belief that through these four letters we can truly know God. The Chariot is a very static card; even the sphinxes are cosily resting, with seemingly no intention of moving. The charioteer is also very static. Control over a situation obviously does not come quickly and easily; effort and willpower are paramount. But what about the wings on the front of the chariot? They indicate that the time to form a decision to act is immediate, but that the time needed to bring our power from the spiritual realms into the dense world is much longer. This is the first card in which we see human-built structures. In the previous cards, pillars and altars were symbols of divine origin; now we see a real city in the background, with its towers and walls. We are now in the first form of civilization. We can sense that this city may be Jerusalem, the embodiment of Heaven on the material plane. The river between the chariot and the city echoes the theme of the flowing river introduced in The High Priestess card: the subtle influence of the subconscious, which the charioteer must control in order to reach Heaven.
Upright
If you control your ego, willpower can accomplish anything. Be optimistic and achieve control, and then you will be victorious. Conflicts will end in victory. There may be changes through travel or vehicles.
Reversed
This card may indicate that the use of force and power is not always the best solution. Beware of loss of personal power or discouragement. Inactivity and defeat are getting closer. Question your actions once more: are you being a bully, or arrogant?