The Chariot - What are the wheels?
Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 08 Jan 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.
| Arnnaria |
08 Jan 2005 |
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This something that I've been focusing on for a while now. This year is my Chariot year so I've been studying the card and focusing on it every chance I have gotten. One of my "revelations" was that the Chariot cannot go anywhere without one thing - wheels. There is a balance in them also. What are the Chariots wheels?
I have an opinion but want to throw this out there before I give mine.
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| Michelle |
08 Jan 2005 |
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Maybe I'm seeing something that isn't there - but on my Universal Waite Chariot it appears to have gold wheels.
I'm going into a Chariot year, also. Well, depending on the way I add it either The Tower or The Chariot. Not sure which I would prefer.
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| Arnnaria |
08 Jan 2005 |
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Let me rephrase this. What do the wheels represent? In meditation I think that the wheels represent goals. Without goals you can't go anywhere and are stuck in stasis.
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| Moongold |
08 Jan 2005 |
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The question brings to mind another question. What is the most important the Chariot or the Charioteer?
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| Michelle |
08 Jan 2005 |
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I apologize for misinterpreting your question.
:)
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| Phaedra |
08 Jan 2005 |
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Let me rephrase this. What do the wheels represent? In meditation I think that the wheels represent goals. Without goals you can't go anywhere and are stuck in stasis. True, but if the wheels aren't turning, all you have is wishful thinking.
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| Arnnaria |
08 Jan 2005 |
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It was my mistake, Michelle. But your answer is still good. The idea that I have "golden goals" makes me happy.
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| jmd |
08 Jan 2005 |
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Moongold asking 'What is the most important the Chariot or the Charioteer?', especially with that important wording, brings to mind a similar question - what is more important, light of eyes to behold light?
A charioteer without a chariot, a human without his or her bodies, light without eyes to behold it, remains without intense awareness or consciousness.
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| Moongold |
09 Jan 2005 |
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Moongold asking 'What is the most important the Chariot or the Charioteer?', especially with that important wording, brings to mind a similar question - what is more important, light of eyes to behold light?
A charioteer without a chariot, a human without his or her bodies, light without eyes to behold it, remains without intense awareness or consciousness.
I agree in theory, JMD. Real life is sometimes different. I know we are speaking figuratively, however.
An interesting question still arises in real life as well as in Tarot. In the Tarot of Marseille the wheels are detached but they are still in the picture. In real life people have damaged bodies. They may not have eyes to see, or may ironically be dependant on wheel chairs to get around - real life chariots.
I had planned to do the Chariot card for this year's Aeclectic Tarot III but withdrew because, amongst other things, I struggled with Photoshop and a general lack of artistic ability :)
My Charioteer was going to be a disabled woman with real strength. She had no wheels but her own will, and her “armor” was her calipers and her crutches. Believe me, this woman has achieved self mastery.
The horses were guide dog and the dingo. The dingo is supposed to be a wild dog but like many wild things, presents somewhat differently. This one's asleep!
I thought it was a different but real concept and have attached a copy (incomplete, for others to see). Another view, and one of the reasons why I’m particularly interested in Chariots :D Sometimes we have to think differently of necessity. The individual's will becomes the vehicle of survival and transcendence.
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| Thirteen |
09 Jan 2005 |
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What are the Chariots wheels?
I've heard a few things on this subject. For example
1) They are the Wheels of Fortune--so the balance is not only in the two wheels, but in the thought that as one goes up, the other goes down, and vice versa. Two wheels of fortune keep the driver from ever hitting any great high or low, if you will.
2) They are the Wheels of Time.
3) They are Wheels of Motivation (viable if you consider Cancer to be the Chariot's astrological sign--Cancer is Cardinal, and thus a motivator).
4) They are the Wheels of Transition--again, regarding Cancer, the crab going from water to land and back again. The Chariot transverses from one plane to another--both wheels and animals are what will get them from plane to plane.
Are those the kind of answers you were looking for?
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| RedMaple |
09 Jan 2005 |
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Moongold,
I like your concept of the Chariot a lot. It is such a different perspective, and the use of the two dogs-- the super-trained guide dog and the wild dingo, are inspired! We all have those two dogs in us, do we not?
The sense of mastery in order to go forward is crucial to this card, and your image emphasizes that. I think a lot of the Chariot cards are so masculine, so sports-like, that it can be difficult to think about them outside that box. Thanks for the new perspective. I'm sure it will be with me from now on when I see the Chariot.
On topic: the wheels don't seem like goals to me, but the means of movement -- how you get to the goals. What is it that is carrying you along? Wheels make movement easier (usually) -- so I'd think about what is making my movement toward a goal easier. On the other hand, if you are trying to move through a thick forest, wheels will be a hindrance. Is there another way to move?
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| Moongold |
09 Jan 2005 |
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Thank you, RedMaple ~
Not an eccentric perspective at all :).
I like your ideas about the wheels representing movement which is what wheels are responsible for both literally and metaphorically.
Sometimes when the wheels come off, there is a lack of control implied too but I don't think that applies to this Chariot.
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The The Chariot - What are the wheels? thread was originally posted on 08 Jan 2005 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.
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