Into the Shadows with Tarot Symbolism: The Chariot

In Tarot Symbolism, The Chariot Major Arcana symbolizes determination, power of will, triumph over obstacles, personal strength, self-control, and self-mastery. Two sphinxes, one white and one black are harnessed to the chariot, representing duality, and at times, opposing forces, positive and negative, light, and dark. The white sphinx represents the positive use of willpower, and the black sphinx represents the negative use of willpower. 

The black sphinx is controlling, impatient and pulls strongly on her side. Although her efforts may pull the chariot off course, this just empowers the white sphinx to pull harder on her side. The Charioteer’s task is to guide both sphinxes, together, using willpower and absolute determination. 

The Charioteers unwavering control over the two sphinxes represents mastery of opposing forces and the power to harness the inner world and outer world challenges and steer them towards success. 

Integrated, The Chariot represents the quest to achieve self-control and self-mastery of our inner world. In Hindu mythology, the chariot symbolizes the body, and the charioteer symbolizes the soul guiding it. The Chariot embodies the dualistic nature of our psyches, the power of will, making choices, and taking action. 

One of the most profound acts we can perform to bring spiritual stability into our lives is to surrender personal will to Divine will. Deep inside, we all have an awareness that we were born for a specific purpose and that life contains a Divine plan, yet we ignore these internal messages seeking to get our attention. 

We continue to build our lives according to our own will, seeking to achieve goals of the physical world, what is accepted by the group and what the tribal mind equates to an empowered person. We set our goals and align our ambition to holding power over others, acquiring a big house, fancy job title, or a six-figure salary. When we chose this path, we misalign our life-force energy with money, objects, and people. 

When a crisis or life altering event occurs in our lives, like physical illness, job loss or divorce, we are suddenly forced to confront the limitations or our own inner resources that prevent us from accomplishing the goals we set for ourselves. Once we arrive at this place, we find ourselves asking questions like, what was I meant to do with my life? and what is my purpose for being born? 

This critical stage clears the path so we can begin to align our will to Divine will.  This one choice, made in trust and faith allows Divine guidance to enter our lives, to reorder our struggles into success and our scars into strengths. 

Surrendering personal will to Divine will gives us the inner strength, focus and clarity to make quality choices in our lives that break us free from our fears, insecurities, and the tribal mind. It allows us to take action in the world, guiding us to find our individuality, passion and connection to our higher self. 

In Shadow work, The Chariot represents misaligning our life-force energy, our goals, and ambitions to the physical world, thus allowing our fears, doubts, and negative belief patterns to control us. This results in passivity and the inability to take action. 

As creatures of habit, we are resistant to change. Although we may be deeply unhappy in our current situation we are paralyzed by fear. We are unable to move forward and make the choices necessary to take action to move ourselves out of this state.

When we continue to stay in a dead-end job, a loveless relationship, or in physical pain, it depletes our energy, causing a mental, emotional and physical imbalance. 

The Chariot reminds us to stop being a passive passenger, take control of our lives, and embrace the driver’s seat of our life and our inner world. Stand tall and release the fears, trust yourself and have faith. 

Like the Warrior standing in the chariot, with confidence, courage, and strength, we can elevate ourselves in the face of adversity and overcome our challenges and steer our lives in the right direction. By aligning our will to Divine will, we can harness our inner power, make choices that allow our inner light to shine and take focused action to emerge victorious on our chosen path. 

The Chariot is also connected to the Throat Chakra. The spiritual lessons connected to this chakra are related to the power of will, self-expression, surrendering our own willpower to Divine will, and the power of the spoken word. The power center of choice and consequence. 

Every thought and feeling we have, every choice we make, and every action we take is an act of power and has energetic consequences. When we live in fear, we look at life and people through the lens of darkness and decay. This outlook can result in judgement, hate and dishonesty. 

The 5th Chakra energy allows us to begin the healing process, to call back our spirits and let go of the past. It gives us the ability to be honest with ourselves as well as forgive those who hurt or betrayed us. It allows us the freedom to surrender our personal will to Divine will. 

The Chariot represents harnessing our inner power, aligning our will to Divine will, maintaining focus, and taking purposeful action towards our goals. When we embrace our inner world, we can discover the hidden gems inside of us. We can find our passion, our purpose and live a peaceful, balanced, and more fulfilling life. 

Back to Top

Back to Into the Shadows with Tarot