Card VII, Major ArcanaThe Chariot tarot card meaning
Upright and reversedThe Chariot in shortIn short
The Chariot is a win you earn. Two sphinxes, one black and one white, wait in front of the car, and the city sits behind. Hold both sides steady, pick a direction, and go.
- Drive
- Victory
- Control
Piece oneThe city
A walled city with red roofs stands behind him, a river in front of it, and he's left it all at his back. Waite says he won in the outer world. Inside himself the work is still open.
"the planes of his conquest are manifest or external and not within himself"Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe city is what he left behind to win. Its walls and roofs are the outer world, where his victory took place. The river runs between them and him, and he doesn't look back. The sphinxes face you, and the harder fight, the one inside him, is still ahead.
Piece twoThe charioteer
He stands under a canopy of stars, a star on his crown, a crescent moon on each shoulder. Waite says the shoulder pieces are supposed to be the Urim and Thummim. He fought his way up here, and Waite reads his win as a win of the mind.
"He is above all things triumph in the mind."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereHe is the will that holds the card together. Stars over his head, crescents on his shoulders: he rides under the night sky and carries it with him. No reins reach the sphinxes; he steers by will. Behind him the city stays outside his victory.
Piece threeThe black sphinx
Waite gave the car two sphinxes, after Eliphas Lévi, because this rider has answered the sphinx's question. The black one lies on the left, paws together. You won't find any reins. His will holds them.
"two sphinxes thus draw his chariot."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe black sphinx is one of the two forces he drives. It lies still, paws together, with no reins on it. His will alone holds it. Its partner, the white sphinx, lies beside it, and the chariot only moves forward when both go the same way.
Piece fourThe white sphinx
The white sphinx lies next to the black one, face calm. Two opposite forces, and he has to keep both moving one way. Waite sets a limit on the win: if the High Priestess questioned him, he couldn't answer.
"He is not hereditary royalty and he is not priesthood."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe white sphinx is the light half of the pair. Calm face, same pose as the black one, pulling the same car. Together they show his win is real and limited: he holds opposites in line from the outside. The city behind him saw the victory. The inner question stays open.
Colour, and where else it appearsEchoes
-
The city
Red roofs and grey stone: the busy world and the walls around it. A walled town with red roofs stands behind the Four of Wands, where people come out to celebrate under a garland. The Ten of Pentacles takes you inside the walls to a family at home. The charioteer has the city at his back and rides away from it.
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The charioteer
A soft blue canopy full of white stars over a gold crown: night above, daylight on his head. The Star spreads white stars across a whole dark sky over a kneeling woman. The Empress wears a crown of them. The charioteer has one on his brow and a whole canopy of them carried over him like a roof.
Also in -
The black sphinx
Near black under a black and cream striped headdress: the dark half, night and what you keep hidden. A blue sphinx sits on top of the Wheel of Fortune, sword in paw, calm while the wheel turns below. There one sphinx keeps the balance alone. Here the balance needs two, and a driver to hold them.
Also in -
The white sphinx
Cream, with black stripes on the headdress: the light half, and each sphinx wears a little of the other's colour. The High Priestess sits between the same pair, a black pillar and a white one, and she doesn't move. The charioteer harnesses his pair and drives them. She keeps the space between hers.
Also in
Colour notes are ours, read from the picture; Waite does not explain the colours.
The ChariotUpright
You've set a goal, pulled yourself together, and you're moving. Waite lists succor, providence, war, triumph: help shows up and you win the fight.
The same list holds a warning: presumption, vengeance, trouble. Winning can go to your head. The charioteer keeps two sphinxes in line by will alone. Keep hold of yourself and the road opens.
The ChariotReversed
The car stalls or leaves the road. Waite's words: riot, quarrel, dispute, litigation, defeat. The forces you held together start pulling apart, and the fights begin, with other people or inside your head.
Maybe the plan lost its direction, or you pushed too early, or an argument is heading to court. Check where you're going before you push harder.
Yes or noYes.
Yes, if you take charge. You win this one by effort and self-control. Decide what you want and keep going.
The Chariot in your lifeIn your life
Love
Plenty of drive, sometimes too much. You may be chasing someone or fighting to keep things on track. Steer together.
Work
Good for ambition: a promotion, a project you push through, a contest you win. Stay focused and skip the small fights.
Money
Effort and discipline move you forward. A clear plan and a firm budget beat a lucky break.
Health
You've got energy and willpower, good for a new routine. Don't push past your limits. A card can't diagnose you; if something feels wrong, see a doctor.
Spirituality
Waite reads it as a win of the mind. Discipline helps your practice. Outer success still leaves the inner work to do.
Advice
Pick a direction and hold it. Control yourself first.
As a person
Driven, confident, competitive. A leader who likes to win, sometimes proud, quick to fight.
Past, present, future
Past: a fight you won by effort. Present: take charge and move. Future: a win, if you keep your direction.
Written by us, from Waite's meanings and the picture.
Symbols and correspondencesAt a glance
- Number
- VII
- Hebrew letter
- Cheth
- Astrology
- Cancer
- Element
- Water
- Upright
- Succor
- Reversed
- Riot
QuestionsCommon questions
Mostly, yes. It's a card of victory and progress, with a warning about pride and fights. The win depends on how well you control yourself.
Drive. You're going after someone, or working hard to keep a relationship moving. Check that you're both heading the same way.
Yes, if you take charge and stay focused. You'll earn it.
Waite took them from Eliphas Lévi: this charioteer has answered the sphinx's question. In our deck one is black and one white, two opposite forces held on one course.
Cancer, a water sign, in the Golden Dawn system. Its Hebrew letter is Cheth.
Waite calls him conquest on every plane, a win of the mind most of all. He won in the outer world, and he's neither born a king nor a priest.
The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1911Card meanings and quotes: A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1911. Hebrew letter, sign and element: the Golden Dawn's Book T. Colours, life situations, yes or no and questions: written by us, from Waite's meanings and the picture.
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