What Does The Chariot Tarot Card Mean?

We may not think about it, but our mental and spiritual well-being is influenced every day by The Chariot that we choose to drive. Those who are in-tuned with their car's spirituality can experience fewer emergency repairs, reduce the likelihood of accidents, and make better impressions when they arrive at their destinations.

This is The Chariot tarot card personified. Take pride in the way in which you travel and you will be rewarded. This card is all about breaking barriers, staying focused, and being in control of your own path. Let’s take a trip into The Chariot card’s meaning and find out how it steers your own tarot card reading.

Pictured: The Chariot art from Dust 2 Onyx Tarot Deck 

The Chariot Tarot Interpretation

What does The Chariot card mean to you if you drive a nice car and don’t have car trouble? We often find ourselves switching gears in life, so we need to look at the past, present, and future.

Are you someone who is passive or active in goalsetting? Do you find yourself having to backtrack a lot? Finally, do you feel like you’re being pulled in different directions?

These are common situations where you will encounter The Chariot card in tarot readings. You will find this card whenever you’re in the middle of a big decision or an important test in your journey. This is the time to collect yourself, focus, and overcome any bumps along the road toward success!

Career and Financial Guidance

The Chariot card wants you to keep the faith and ignore outside influences when it comes to making financial decisions. You’ve prepared yourself for this moment and you no longer require additional feedback or alterations at this point. 

This is easy to forget, as there are many conflicting opinions or cynical voices in the professional world. It is also a good idea to look for opportunistic individuals along the way. When dealing with money, or working to earn it, The Chariot card is there to emphasize the need to resist financial shortcuts. 

For example, modern-day Ponzi schemes, like Cryptocurrency investments, always affect those who have the most to lose.

The Chariot in Love and Relationships

The Chariot tarot card can symbolize being trapped or constrained by a situation or relationship, so it's important to consider the specific situation when doing a card reading for love and relationships. The competitiveness of The Chariot is what dominates conversations and can result in feelings of resentment or jealousy.

This card pull can indicate a need to take charge and vocalize any issues you are experiencing in current relationships. Remember, you’re the one in the driver’s seat, so it is up to you to overcome any obstacles that are holding you back from achieving your wants, needs, and desires. Don’t forget to take a detour whenever you’re feeling stressed out from the dating world.

The Chariot is a major that encourages a time of selfishness in order to gain momentum and courage to find your perfect partner.

Physical and Spiritual Health

The Chariot card is definitely a positive force of encouragement for your physical and spiritual health journey. In most contexts, it is a symbol of success and that you’re headed on the right path. The finish line may not have come into view yet; this card is telling you to soldier on and avoid veering off the path.

Motivation is the most common energy for all preceding major arcana, but now we are starting to see more cards, like The Chariot card, promoting discipline. To be disciplined is to continue to motivate yourself when you have outside factors telling you to stop or give up. Remaining determined and maintaining your momentum are two key characteristics of physical and spiritual growth.

If you see this card pulled when questioning your faith or resolve, now is not the time to make any drastic changes to your diet or ritual tradition.

What Does The Chariot Reversed Mean?

The reversed Chariot card often accompanies some area in your life that needs discipline. In some cases, this requires a complete retreat from your current position. For example, pursuing a goal, such as a promotion; fame and wealth may come at the expense of you or a loved one’s happiness.

Don’t compromise on your morals or sacrifice relationships for short-term success.

The Chariot in reverse points towards a loss of control or direction in life, but it can also mean that something or someone else is driving your chariot. Think about what could be preventing you from success or living your truth. Can you think of any distractions that may cause you to lose sight of your goals or opportunities in life?

Yes or No / One Card Tarot Pull

Strong energy is always present when the Chariot is drawn. If you’re wanting a yes or no answer and you pull the Chariot tarot card, the answer is yes–with just one requirement. When you move forward, you must do so decisively and with all of your effort.

Straddling the fence or going back and forth will only lead to failure. You’ll need to give it all you got to make this relationship, investment, or venture successful. Embrace your inner Charioteer! 

The Chariot Pairings and Combinations

The Chariot card is the driving force for any pairings or combinations in a tarot reading. This interpretation will center on the most prominent and basic underlining life lessons of each pairing. It is often easier to understand what these pairings mean when it comes to seeing The Chariot with minor arcana.

Let’s explore some of the more challenging interpretations of accompanying major arcana.

The Chariot and The Lovers

We start with the most heart-wrenching, soul-searching, and tough-love lessons brought upon a tarot spread. The Chariot and The Lovers tarot pairings often call for a mature look at your relationship problems. 

Imagine a spiritual ancestor coming to you in a vision, seated with both hands on their lap. Their left hand sits in a closed fist, while their right hand lays open, palm facing up. In this depiction, we see a need for compassion as well as resistance. We must be willing to be vulnerable and protect our own emotional well-being. 

Sometimes we need to steer away from negative social bonds, while other times we need to accommodate the feelings of others in order to nourish a bond that will grow behind the surface. Never submit to superficial needs or goals. The Lovers card may pull you towards the desire to be liked or seek approval from others.

Take this appearance by The Chariot card as a lesson of self-preservation and avoid irrational choices, especially if they’re heading toward a cycle of pain and disappoint.

The Chariot and The Fool

If you see these two together, be careful with your eagerness and avoid overzealousness. If you’re just starting a new job or have met someone who feels like the perfect match, temper your expectations a little. We don’t want to kill your optimism; let's hone that energy into making sure The Fool's journey is a success.

This is a good reminder to not allow your excitement to derail your rituals and times of self-reflection. When we meet someone new that captivates us, it can overwhelm and cause us to lose sight of who we are. Have you ever found yourself in a conversation with someone that you are attracted to on a romantic or intellectual level? 

This is a common psychological behavior humans have evolved as an unconscious form of empathy. Mimicry isn’t the issue here; rather it is when you’re so invested in someone or something that you begin to sacrifice parts of yourself. This proves to be foolish, as it not only begins to affect your own happiness, but it also begins to stress the other party, as well.

There is definitely such a thing as too much of a good thing! Practice moderation and don’t confuse obsession with infatuation, so that you can remain mentally sharp to succeed in what you want in life.

The Chariot and The Tower

Those epic chase scenes in blockbuster action films are the perfect example of this tarot card reading combination. The Chariot can symbolize either the pursuer or the escapee, navigating whatever obstacles The Tower card is ready to throw at us. If you see these two together, you should stay prepared for challenges and tough choices when you least expect them.

While there is no secret formula to prepare for often painful forms of adversity, staying true to yourself and being spiritually grounded will help get you through anything that seems impossible. The Tower presents challenges that you’ve often never faced, or never in the same capacity. Your determination and strong foundation allows you to mitigate any loss or grief along the way.

Don’t let this tarot card pairing send you into a spiral of depression and anxiety, though. If you have a history of adversity, seeing these two majors together can also show you the way to the top starts now. You can just as easily take that elevator up the tower and ascend to your greater self–it’s not always about falling down.

When a disruption is needed in life, the end goal is to always come out better than when you started the process.

The Chariot Relationship With Cancer

Modern interpretations of this major card’s astrological relationship place it on the cusp of Cancer between Leo. Common themes between The Chariot and Cancer include both occupying a vehicle (the shell and the carriage), both operating on instinct for guidance, and sharing the number 7 in numerology.

It is important for Cancer signs to avoid hiding in their shell and to adapt to their surroundings. The crab moves efficiently in a side-to-side pattern, but forward they maintain their focus. Remember, the driver of the chariot is not always on the road or in the race. They must gather themselves first inside their fortress. Cancer signs must find a balance between residing in their own fortress and expending their energy moving through the world.