The Gothic Tarot by Vargo - VII The Chariot

Here's The Chariot, as a carriage driven by a lost soul all dressed in black, with a red back, and a black top hat. The carriage is black and the curtains are black as well. We can't see the inside of the carriage. Two demonic horses, with red eyes, are galloping at a good speed, a red gem on their forehead. The landscape is gloomy with dead trees, dead plants and mist.

The driver and the horses are the subjects of whoever is in the carriage. The person in the carriage is looking for privacy and protection. The driver has a dangerous job and risks his life crosssing these dark woods where anything can happen. The driver is well sit, steadily, and keeps in control these demonic horses that could easily run wild.

This is of my favourite depictions of The Chariot. The imagery exemplifies motion.

To step in front of this carriage would be folly. The simplicity of design leaves little room for shift of implication. If you are the passenger, you know you will arrive safe. If you are the driver, you must allocate a modicum of trust to the horses – give them rein, but be watchful…

This card reminds me of the coach that picked up Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves) in Bram Strokers Dracula. There are dead trees on both sides of the road, although the fog obscures the ground, they are not near that scary ledge from the movie.
The fog also seems to cover the glass on the coach, so you can’t tell if there is anyone inside. The glowing red eyes of the steeds shows that these are not normal animals, but wild creatures of an undead feral nature. They are hard if not impossible to control, unless you have incredible will or a natural affinity to them.

No one in their right mind would hold up this coach.

This makes me think of the ride in and out of Sleepy Hollow in the version of the movie with Johnny Depp in it as Ichabod Crane. Well, except for the horses. Definately the surrounding areas, with the trees and fog and everything.

If you can't tell from my other posts I just got this deck, and am studying it....
Check out the expression on the driver's face. It is blank. Is he a nameless servent, not to be noticed? Is he just bored with the tedium of his job? the clopping of the hooves?
Is the coach empty for you to get in? or is it that you cann't see the occupent? if the latter, is it because of shame? or something else?

If you look through the major arcana if the first seven can represent the fool's journey to learn the rules of existance, get teachers and guides...look at these seven cards they are the only in the major arcana to have arches. The figures are consumed, surrounded, part of the archetecture....archetecture (sorry for my bad spelling) is structure, allegorically a rule og existance, especially the arch as it was a major breakthru in ancient Egypt and used profusely in Roman archetecture. Eventhough the emporer doesn't have an arch, he has his thrown with the arch shaped back, the chair is very architectual, and consumes him. When we reach the chariot, no more archetecture...a change/transformation to the next stage.. a break in/with the rules and traditional teachings

This card reminds me of the ride in Sleepy Hollow too... I think the carriage is empty and possibly coming for you (the questor) and will be taking you somewhere new, a break away from the past... the mysterious fog reaching up from the ground says to me that the path way is still uncertain and will need determination to break through it. There is no turning back now, no matter how much you may want to

http://eyes.iris.ne.jp/majyutsudo/image/monolith/tarot/07-chariot.gif

September Pixie said:

This card reminds me of the ride in Sleepy Hollow too... I think the carriage is empty and possibly coming for you (the questor) and will be taking you somewhere new, a break away from the past... the mysterious fog reaching up from the ground says to me that the path way is still uncertain and will need determination to break through it. There is no turning back now, no matter how much you may want to

Click to expand...

I have to agree with you on this one. A journey is coming one that you can't get out of.

Makes me think of the scene where Jonathan Harker goes to Drakula's castle.

I agree that it does seem to fit into both Sleepy Hollow and Dracula. The coach however seems to be more of a funeral hearse than a regular coach to me as there are too many windows for a regular coach but just right for a hearse where everyone can see the coffin.

I was thinking of Darby O'Gill and the Little People. That Disney movie with Sean Connory. In it a coach comes to pick Darby up when he trades his life for that of his daughter's to take him to the afterlife. While inside he tricks a leperchon (the plot is him chasing after the King of the Leperchons) which returns everything to the way it was before he started wishing.
It has been many years since I have seen the movie, but it is a wonderful movie especially for kids - a bit older though, it could scare the real little ones.