The Chariot as advice
„Stay focused and harness your determination.“
The Chariot tarot card features following symbolic elements
Chariot: Represents determination and willpower. It symbolizes control and the drive to achieve goals.
Sphinxes: Typically depicted in black and white, these creatures signify opposing forces. They highlight the need for balance and mastery over dualities.
Armor: The figure in the chariot often wears armor. This symbolizes protection and courage needed to face challenges.
Stars and Moon: Celestial symbols often appear in the background. They represent guidance and intuition during the journey.
Crown: Seen on the figure’s head, this symbolizes victory and triumph. It indicates the achievement of success through effort.
Wands or Batons: Sometimes held or present in the image. They signify authority and the power to steer one’s path.
Focused Direction and Victory: The Chariot Tarot Meaning Decoded
The Chariot tarot meaning centers on willpower, assertive control, forward momentum, and ultimate victory. This Major Arcana card, numbered VII, is the archetypal driver, using sheer self-discipline and focused intent to overcome obstacles and achieve goals. Understanding The Chariot tarot meaning is critical when you need to mobilize resources, assert yourself in a competitive environment, or gain control over conflicting forces in your life.
This comprehensive guide decodes the upright and reversed messages of the seventh card, exploring its symbolism, its core advice, and its specific applications across love, career, and finance. The appearance of The Chariot confirms that the time for decisive action is now, and victory is achievable through disciplined will.
The Core Chariot Tarot Meaning: Control and Triumphant Movement
The Chariot takes the conscious decision-making achieved in The Lovers and applies it, turning mental alignment into physical, assertive action. It is the archetype of the integrated will, showing the power that comes from mastering dualistic forces and driving resolutely toward a singular objective.
The Chariot Upright Meaning: Willpower, Success, and Assertiveness
The core The Chariot upright meaning is a powerful affirmation of success through control. It signals a breakthrough, a significant journey, or the conquering of adversity through disciplined focus. The card encourages you to harness your passion and intellect to move your life forward with speed and certainty.
This upright alignment speaks of:
- Victory: Successfully overcoming opposition, achieving a long-sought goal, or winning a competition.
- Self-Control: The ability to manage internal conflicts (doubts, fears) and external opposition (rivals, setbacks).
- Focused Direction: Having a clear plan and the motivation to drive that plan forward without deviation.
- Travel/Movement: Often predicts a successful move, relocation, or journey.
When you draw the upright The Chariot card, you are being told that you have the power to direct your own destiny. The The Chariot tarot meaning upright promises triumphant achievement if you maintain your focus and assert your will.
The Chariot Reversed Meaning: Stalled Progress, Lack of Control, and Defeat
In a reading, the reversed meaning of The Chariot tarot card signifies stalled progress, loss of control, or scattered energy. It warns that the wheels have come off, either because you are being too aggressive, too passive, or lack a clear, unified direction.
This reversal can manifest as:
- Lack of Control: Being overwhelmed by internal doubts or external circumstances, leading to inertia or a crash.
- Scattered Energy: Trying to move in too many directions at once, or having a goal that conflicts with your core values.
- Arrogance/Aggression: Driving forward without respect for others, leading to conflict and unnecessary defeat.
- Missed Opportunity: Progress is blocked because you failed to assert control or take decisive action when necessary.
A reversed The Chariot reversed meaning demands that you pause, re-establish your boundaries, and unify your inner and outer goals before resuming the journey.
Essential Chariot Tarot FAQ
These clear, concise answers ensure your content is easily pulled into Google’s Featured Snippet box, increasing visibility and traffic.
What is The Chariot Advice in Tarot?
The Chariot’s primary advice is to take assertive control and focus your willpower like a laser beam. Stop hesitating, decide on your non-negotiable goal, and drive toward it by balancing the conflicting forces (such as logic vs. emotion, or competing responsibilities) within your life. Do not let fear or doubt stall your momentum.
Is The Chariot a Good Card to Get?
Yes, The Chariot is generally a very good card to receive, as it is a powerful symbol of victory, momentum, and self-mastery. It is one of the most action-oriented cards in the Major Arcana, confirming that success is imminent, provided you remain focused and disciplined.
What is the Message of The Chariot Card?
The central message of The Chariot tarot meaning is that you possess the power to forge your own path and command the victory you seek. It is a message of personal empowerment, urging you to believe in your capacity to reconcile opposing forces and propel yourself into a triumphant future.
What’s The Chariot’s Meaning in a Love Reading?
In a love reading, The Chariot love meaning is a strong sign of relationship advancement, assertiveness, and commitment.
- For Singles: It suggests that you need to be assertive in your dating life—go after what you want or move past old relationships decisively. It may predict meeting someone soon after travel.
- In Relationships: It signals a major milestone, such as moving in together, engagement, or actively fighting for the relationship’s future. The relationship is moving forward quickly and successfully.
- Ex-Relationships: It means you need to take control: either assertively move on for good or actively drive the conversation for reconciliation (if that is the best path).
The overall The Chariot love meaning calls for a relationship driven by shared goals and a decisive commitment to the future.
The Chariot Tarot Meaning in Career and Finance
In professional and financial matters, The Chariot is one of the best cards you can pull, signaling career advancement through sheer determination and success in complex negotiations.
Career Guidance from The Chariot Upright Meaning
In a career context, The Chariot tarot card meaning highlights professional victory and the success of ambitious projects.
- Advancement: This card often predicts a promotion, a successful job interview, or a positive negotiation of salary/terms.
- Competition: You are poised to win in a competitive environment or overcome rivals through strategic focus and discipline.
- Travel/Sales: It is excellent for careers involving travel, sales, logistics, or transportation, predicting successful movements and deals.
- Leadership: You are ready to step into a leadership role that requires you to manage conflicting team dynamics or resources.
The The Chariot career meaning advocates for assertive, focused action and guarantees that your determined effort will be rewarded.
The Chariot Finance Meaning: Gaining Control and Debt Reduction
The Chariot tarot meaning in finance represents a time for taking command of your financial situation and successfully driving down debt or securing funds.
- Debt Reduction: You have the focus and discipline to pay off major debts or manage liabilities aggressively.
- Successful Negotiation: Excellent results from negotiating loans, mortgages, or contracts.
- Controlled Investment: It encourages confident, deliberate investments that you have researched thoroughly, rather than gambling.
The reversed card warns of financial “road rage”—reckless spending or losing control over your budget, leading to financial setbacks.
Decoding the Symbolism of The Chariot Tarot Card
The RWS iconography vividly illustrates the theme of controlled willpower, with every element reinforcing the idea of triumph through balance.
The Charioteer and the Canopy
The Charioteer himself often stands under a starred canopy or arch, symbolizing celestial guidance and protection. He wears a laurel wreath or crown of victory, emphasizing that his success is assured. Crucially, the Charioteer holds no reins; he controls the horses/sphinxes through his will and self-control alone, visually illustrating that true mastery is internal.
The Sphinxes, Black and White
The Chariot is typically pulled by two sphinxes or horses—one black, one white—representing the dualistic forces of the universe (e.g., light and dark, intuition and logic, masculine and feminine). The fact that they are static but pointed in opposite directions shows that the Charioteer’s success comes not from forcing them together, but from balancing and unifying their opposing energies through his mental command.
Astrological Connection: Cancer
The Chariot is associated with the cardinal water sign of Cancer. Cancer governs home, family, protection, and emotional depth. This connection reinforces The Chariot tarot meaning by reminding us that the assertive drive toward victory is often motivated by a deep emotional will and a desire to create secure boundaries for oneself and one’s loved ones.
The Chariot Yes or No Meaning
The Chariot offers one of the most positive and actionable answers in the deck, conditional only on the reader’s willingness to commit.
The Chariot Upright: Yes
Yes: The Chariot is a powerful confirmation of a positive outcome and success, provided you take action, maintain focus, and assert control. It is a resounding YES if your question involves overcoming an obstacle, achieving a goal, or a necessary journey.
The Chariot Reversed: No
No: The reversed card suggests that the answer is currently NO because your progress is stalled or blocked by internal conflict or poor focus. It is not a permanent denial, but a warning: stop, regroup, and regain control before attempting to move forward again. The The Chariot reversed meaning suggests the “No” is a direct result of scattered energy.
The power of The Chariot tarot meaning lies in teaching you that external victory always begins with internal mastery—you must command yourself before you can command your world.
Next Suggested Cards
To continue your journey through the Major Arcana and deepen your understanding of the power of will and courage:
- The Lovers (The card immediately preceding it, representing the moral choice and alignment required before action can be taken.)
- Strength (The card immediately following it, representing a different form of power: gentle, internal, and compassionate mastery, rather than The Chariot’s external assertion.)
- The Hermit (A card focusing on introspection and internal guidance—the opposite of The Chariot’s external drive and action.)
- The Wheel of Fortune (A card focusing on external destiny and fate, which contrasts sharply with The Chariot’s message of complete self-command.)
Source – External Resources for Further Study
To explore the archetypal and symbolic context of The Chariot Major Arcana card, consult these non-commercial resources:
- Mythological Symbolism of Duality: For understanding the black and white forces that the Charioteer masters, relating to mythological pairs like the sphinxes or elemental balances. (e.g., https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/257321)
- Astrology of Cancer: For the connection between the card’s theme of protection, boundaries, and the sign of Cancer. (e.g., https://www.nasa.gov/general/constellations/)
- Historical Tarot Decks: For images of early Italian decks, where the Chariot often represented a triumphal procession or a great leader. (e.g., https://beinecke.library.yale.edu/collections/tarot)
