Hidden meaning in the Chariot?

Hey,

So, lately I keep getting the Chariot in readings I have done myself and others have done for me, and I kind of sense this is to do with moving on and things turning out well in the end, that kind of thing. Like "this too shall pass" but about moving on and having made real progress, lessons learned etc. Occasionally this is accompanied by the six of wands also, so I would have always assumed it's about "winning".

But I'm conflicted in my thoughts about the card... does the Chariot mean moving forward and working out a solution to solving past issues, or letting go of the past in order to move on? The reason I ask is because I take the card to mean things are going to get better, things will be restored and there will be a kind of 'victory' I suppose, but is this a victory over oneself? Because I really can't see me being "happy" if I do ultimately end up letting go of the situation that has given me upset for quite some time, and if somehow another solution arrived, it wouldn't feel much like "winning". Ha!

To me, the Chariot indicates things resolving speedily, and the 6 of Wands to me indicates a triumph over oneself...a moral victory, where our higher nature serenely accepts and moves on (very grown-up! )

In this instance, perhaps it can mean things resolving for the best, because you finally manage to balance those two opposing drives within yourself, as indicated by the creatures pulling the Chariot.

Sometimes we conquer a situation, and heal from it, by being the bigger person, and walking away.

Padma said:

To me, the Chariot indicates things resolving speedily, and the 6 of Wands to me indicates a triumph over oneself...a moral victory, where our higher nature serenely accepts and moves on (very grown-up! )

In this instance, perhaps it can mean things resolving for the best, because you finally manage to balance those two opposing drives within yourself, as indicated by the creatures pulling the Chariot.

Sometimes we conquer a situation, and heal from it, by being the bigger person, and walking away.

Click to expand...

Ah, thanks... See, I can kind of see the moral victory over myself, I have had this card pop up for a few months now and I know eventually I have to "get over it" for want of a better phrase. But it's not happening all that speedily, unless I'm making more progress than I realise. Hmm.

Balancing opposing drives tho, bingo! That really would make a lot of sense. Thanks Padma.

Well, if it is not happening speedily, it is most certainly happening inexorably - no way you can stop that puppy now! (The Chariot). The fact that it is a major shows that events will progress, with or without your help in moving them along. The Chariot *always* gets where it is going...which is why it is a card denoting success. It almost always wins the race. (unless very badly aspected!)

Glad I could help in any way - good luck with your situation! The 6 of Wands also shows that, although you do not believe so now, you will certainly feel a sense of liberation and strength upon completion of this episode.

think said:

Hey,

So, lately I keep getting the Chariot in readings I have done myself and others have done for me, and I kind of sense this is to do with moving on and things turning out well in the end, that kind of thing. Like "this too shall pass" but about moving on and having made real progress, lessons learned etc. Occasionally this is accompanied by the six of wands also, so I would have always assumed it's about "winning".

But I'm conflicted in my thoughts about the card... does the Chariot mean moving forward and working out a solution to solving past issues, or letting go of the past in order to move on? The reason I ask is because I take the card to mean things are going to get better, things will be restored and there will be a kind of 'victory' I suppose, but is this a victory over oneself? Because I really can't see me being "happy" if I do ultimately end up letting go of the situation that has given me upset for quite some time, and if somehow another solution arrived, it wouldn't feel much like "winning". Ha!

Click to expand...

The chariot might reffer to an actual person pursuing u and trying to win you over. If u know who this might be,then the tarot is trying to announce u that someone is coming from your past wanting to have u back or someone that u might meet and show bluntly that he's interested in you.
If i interpret this card regarding you and only you,then it shows a bumpy ride,a bit of lack of control and the effort to keep things on track regarding a situation. There is a slight competition in this card almost similar to the 6 of wands.
Chariot has given me the feeling of pride,desire,will,power and satisfaction. Both cards(chariot and 6 of wands) have u praised in the final for your victory.
I dont see the Chariot as being something u let go and u will have to be complacent in an undesired situation.
Nope! It shows that u will be the victor in the end and have achieved whatever u want. But remember that here the problem is the timing because one cannot how far is the destination.
The "moving on" and "it shall pass" card for me is 6 of swords. This is the only card that showed to me that i will get over the upsets and leave the past behind,the struggles,the rancor,rage and so on.

None of the above?

think said:

But I'm conflicted in my thoughts about the card... does the Chariot mean moving forward and working out a solution to solving past issues, or letting go of the past in order to move on?

Click to expand...

Neither. There are some cards in the deck that say, pretty clearly, "let go of the past" like Judgement. And others that say, pretty clearly, "work out a solution," like Temperance. And there are ones about moving on and things will turn out well, like the World.

The Chariot really isn't any of those. It's about focus, drive, determination, ambition, and achieving what it is you most want. So, in this instance, *you* have to decide what that is. THAT is what the card is all about. That you don't know what you want yet and you need to know in order to achieve victory. Once you know, you can do any of those things. You can race away from the past, leaving it behind. OR you can work out a solution (i.e. achieve victory), OR you can move from one state to a new state. That is it's ultimate message. At this moment, you can do whatever you put your mind to...you just have to make it up and focus on achieving that.

But keep in mind two very important things about the Chariot: (1) You must give what you want all you focus and will. The Chariot is, as Padma said, fast. You don't want your attention to wander as you drive those horses pellmell through a battle field, you'll crash. And you have to keep tight hold on the reins, and not care if you mow someone down on your way. You can't be wishy-washy if you're after victory. If you do these two things, the card promises victory. (2) Victory is what the Chariot will achieve, but Victory is not the end. As any general will tell you, once you've conquered a country, the real work begins. So, whatever you decide you want and you're going to go for, you'd better have a plan for what you'll do once you have it. The Chariot will get you there--from X to Y. That's it's job. But you'll need to decide what to do once you've arrived.

Oh my goodness, I think I've just worked out the Chariot IS the person that my issues are all surrounding. I'm sure of it, tho he used to be the Knight of Cups. I can't believe I didn't see this before - this person is very assertive, controlling almost (sometimes), emotionally stable (disconnected from emotions) but at the same time holding in a lot of anger, unfulfilled in his life but lacking any real control over the direction he's going in. But he enters and disappears from someone's life like a whirlwind... Ah, they all sound so negative, he has plenty of positive attributes too.

Anyway, we were friends for a lot of years but things have gone awry in the last year and I miss him. He is still offering friendship, but he's become a lot more selfish and it's always on his terms and causes me a lot of upset.

Padma said:

Well, if it is not happening speedily, it is most certainly happening inexorably - no way you can stop that puppy now! (The Chariot). The fact that it is a major shows that events will progress, with or without your help in moving them along. The Chariot *always* gets where it is going...which is why it is a card denoting success. It almost always wins the race. (unless very badly aspected!)

Glad I could help in any way - good luck with your situation! The 6 of Wands also shows that, although you do not believe so now, you will certainly feel a sense of liberation and strength upon completion of this episode.

Click to expand...

Ah, thanks. It definitely is happening, there's no getting past this without going through it. Ha. Looking forward to the liberation and strength!

Puffette said:

The chariot might reffer to an actual person pursuing u and trying to win you over. If u know who this might be,then the tarot is trying to announce u that someone is coming from your past wanting to have u back or someone that u might meet and show bluntly that he's interested in you.
If i interpret this card regarding you and only you,then it shows a bumpy ride,a bit of lack of control and the effort to keep things on track regarding a situation. There is a slight competition in this card almost similar to the 6 of wands.
Chariot has given me the feeling of pride,desire,will,power and satisfaction. Both cards(chariot and 6 of wands) have u praised in the final for your victory.
I dont see the Chariot as being something u let go and u will have to be complacent in an undesired situation.
Nope! It shows that u will be the victor in the end and have achieved whatever u want. But remember that here the problem is the timing because one cannot how far is the destination.
The "moving on" and "it shall pass" card for me is 6 of swords. This is the only card that showed to me that i will get over the upsets and leave the past behind,the struggles,the rancor,rage and so on.

Click to expand...

Ah, thanks. Funny, my problem is that I WANT the chariot (if I'm right and this person is resembling this card) back in my life. But not romantically. And not creating havoc whenever he comes back into it. Haha. He has a girlfriend now though and it does feel as tho he wants us to compete for him. So maybe the victory is that they will split up and he will return to being my friend, I can't see it would be a victory for me tho (and definitely not for him either), but maybe he will see it as such, he does think in terms of winning and losing. Or maybe the victory is one day he will realise I'm not a competitor. Haha.

Thirteen said:

Neither. There are some cards in the deck that say, pretty clearly, "let go of the past" like Judgement. And others that say, pretty clearly, "work out a solution," like Temperance. And there are ones about moving on and things will turn out well, like the World.

The Chariot really isn't any of those. It's about focus, drive, determination, ambition, and achieving what it is you most want. So, in this instance, *you* have to decide what that is. THAT is what the card is all about. That you don't know what you want yet and you need to know in order to achieve victory. Once you know, you can do any of those things. You can race away from the past, leaving it behind. OR you can work out a solution (i.e. achieve victory), OR you can move from one state to a new state. That is it's ultimate message. At this moment, you can do whatever you put your mind to...you just have to make it up and focus on achieving that.

But keep in mind two very important things about the Chariot: (1) You must give what you want all you focus and will. The Chariot is, as Padma said, fast. You don't want your attention to wander as you drive those horses pellmell through a battle field, you'll crash. And you have to keep tight hold on the reins, and not care if you mow someone down on your way. You can't be wishy-washy if you're after victory. If you do these two things, the card promises victory. (2) Victory is what the Chariot will achieve, but Victory is not the end. As any general will tell you, once you've conquered a country, the real work begins. So, whatever you decide you want and you're going to go for, you'd better have a plan for what you'll do once you have it. The Chariot will get you there--from X to Y. That's it's job. But you'll need to decide what to do once you've arrived.

Click to expand...

Thanks, Thirteen. I wouldn't usually see the Chariot as moving on from the past at all really, but I just know I've spent a good few months now stuck in this situation and the Chariot cropping up sooo often over the last couple of weeks, I just thought maybe the hidden meaning was to move away from this emotional turmoil. Certainly that would be welcome! Ha.

This is the confusion, because I feel as tho the decision or the moving is not my action to take. I can keep pushing for something that isn't, or I can move on and try and put it all out of my mind. I want to do neither of those, haha, so waiting is all that's left (that I see now) and waiting is not depicted in the Chariot (I don't think so).

think said:

This is the confusion, because I feel as tho the decision or the moving is not my action to take. I can keep pushing for something that isn't, or I can move on and try and put it all out of my mind. I want to do neither of those, haha, so waiting is all that's left (that I see now) and waiting is not depicted in the Chariot (I don't think so).

Click to expand...

What you're saying is that you've got one horse that wants to push, and the other horse that wants to move on, and you don't want to do either of those, so your Chariot isn't going anywhere. No victory for you. If you can figure out where you want to go—and if it's not those two, maybe there's a third option? (Why not ask the tarot what a third option might be?), then you will have the willpower and focus to go there. But so long as you're indecisive, so long as you believe you haven't any power to do anything...you're stuck. Like a Chariot with no horses to pull it.

Then again, if you're right and it's a person, well, then you either need to ask the cards how to stop it from running you down, or just wait. The good thing about the Chariot is it can't keep going for long. It's for short distance races, not long marathons. So, this person will be done with their aggression and mowing down soon.

For me personally Chariot means that circumstances are somehow limiting or directing my behaviour: I'm sitting in this bath tub and can kick and push all I want but it won't budge, or won't change direction.

It can be another person having a strong influence in your life and how you'd like it to go (not fully according to your plans), or it can be life or circumstances in general (say, job markets, economy, rental markets depending on what you want to achieve or change and can't right now).

The advice of the Chariot is to either accept the situation and let go of trying to steer it, or hop off and leg it (or take the reins firmly): recognise the force that's controlling or affecting your life, and cut it off or somehow manage it to make it less powerful and regain your own power in life.

If you don't take the wheel, uncontrolled is all it can ever be

Saskia said:

The advice of the Chariot is to either accept the situation and let go of trying to steer it, or hop off and leg it (or take the reins firmly): recognise the force that's controlling or affecting your life, and cut it off or somehow manage it to make it less powerful and regain your own power in life.

Click to expand...

I don't think I could ever see the card this way outside of it being rx. I mean, if that's how it always is for you, then that's how it is. But I've never seen it defined as being fatalistic and lacking control. Quite the opposite. Waite remarks that the Chariot: "...is conquest on all planes--in the mind, in science, in progress, in certain trials of initiation...He is above all things triumph in the mind." Meaning he'd fought all fears and doubts and has none. He is convinced he can do it, and so does it. And in the Thoth deck the card "shows a strong will, a strong personality, and at its best, victory and success."

Far from being stuck in a bathtub, the charioteer is armored, and driving his high-powered vehicle like a race car driver in the best auto ever made. That's what chariots were back when—part race car, part tank. The charioteer was a man with lightening fast reflexes, laser focused attention, and a brilliant tactical mind; his horses were the best, the fastest, the most spirited; trained for battle and responsive to the slightest tug on the reins. He could maneuver them in and out of the melee, mowing down enemies, coming up cleverly from the side so the person with him could shoot with arrows or stab with a spear, all while staying safe and protected in his "bathtub." That's why this card is all about victory. It's not just that you're the fastest thing on the battlefield, you're also the deadliest, the most determined, and, thanks to that armor, virtually unstoppable.

You're a superhero and very much in control of your destiny. IF, that is, you take up the reins. If you never take up the reins however, if you're afraid of fighting for control of anything, then I could easily see how you might see this card as meaning you're stuck in the backseat of a car with no driver, your only option to leap out. But the vehicle being out of control is hardly it's fault; if you refuse to take the wheel, uncontrolled is all it can ever be.