The Chariot (Tarot card)

The Chariot (VII) is the seventh trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination.

The Chariot in the Rider-Waite tarot deck

Description

A figure sits in a chariot, pulled by two sphinxes or horses. There is often a black and white motif, for example one of the steeds may be black and the other white. The figure may be crowned or helmeted, and is winged in some representations. The figure may hold a sword or wand. The Thoth Tarot deck has the figure controlling four animals.

The mallet, or gavel, on the chariot's coat of arms is a masonic symbol representing self control.[1]

A canopy of stars above the charioteer's head is intended to show "celestial influences".[2]

Interpretation

According to A.E. Waite's Pictorial Key to the Tarot, the Chariot card carries several divinatory associations:[3]

7. THE CHARIOT.—Succour, providence; also war, triumph, presumption, vengeance, trouble. Reversed: Riot, quarrel, dispute, litigation, defeat.

Alternative decks

Other names for the card are The Centurion or Victory.

References
  1. "The Masonic Mallet | Articles at Masonic Dictionary". masonicdictionary.com.
  2. Gray, Eden. "Complete Guide to the Tarot." 1970. Crown Publishers, New York, NY.
  3. Waite, Arthur Edward (1979). The Pictorial Key to the Tarot. New York: Samuel Weiser. p. 284. ISBN 0-87728-218-8.
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