Greer (2006) 21 Ways - Step 13
Step 13 – Symbols
Rider-Waite-Smith
7/The Chariot
• 13.1.1 – Details of
7/The Chariot:
o Grey, block-style chariot chassis.
o Grey city walls and buildings (same color as above) with red roofs where applicable.
o Yellow sky with no visible sun.
o Yellow wheels, same color as sky.
o Light blue canopy over figure like found on a four-post bed with white stars. The stars are both in five- and six-point forms with a few with eight-points to match the charioteer’s crown.
o Olive green foliage with black for trunks of trees in background near city walls, there is even some white there as well. The grass under the chariot is the same color as well.
o A crown on the charioteer that is yellow (like the other yellows) with a big eight-point star on the top and then a dome that is surrounded by small points at the base of the dome.
o The charioteer has long, curly light brown hair and a tan complexion a shade only slightly lighter than the hair.
o Has two moon-faced shoulder-plates, the crescent of the moon is the standard yellow of the card and light blue for the faces.
o The gauntlets are nearly lily-white, but the hands are uncovered.
o The breastplate seems to be glowing a whitish-yellow due to the amulet which is as white as the gauntlets. The amulet is the focal point of the card.
o A yellow and black belt is worn along with a light-blue and black armored skirt with astrological signs on it.
o There is a moat/river behind the chariot but before the city, the water is the same light-blue found elsewhere on the card.
o The charioteer carries a thin, light-blue wand with a yellow pointed tip upright (i.e., tip points to the sky) in his right hand.
o A yellow dot on in the middle of two light-blue wings over a white shield with a red top on it. This seems to be a coat-of-arms for either the city or the charioteer.
o Two sphinxes, one male that is predominantly black with white stripping and one female that is predominantly white with black stripping.
• 13.1.2 – Use of Objects in
7/The Chariot:
o The chariot chassis itself is meant for motion, travel, and prestige.
o The sphinxes are opposites, but when used constructively provide power for motion towards goals.
o The armor has both a protective and ornamental/prestige function.
o The wand in his hand and crown on his are symbols of accomplishment, office, and power (i.e., phallic).
o The amulet is a symbol of power, but more internal.
o City walls are for protection, as is the moat/river.
o The moon-faced shoulder pads speak of the watery nature of the card as does the canopy.
• 13.1.3 – Appearance of Symbols:
o Symbols of office and power have come with my job and my ability to provide rent money to persons or remove them from my program for non-compliance.
o The chariot chassis is often like my car that takes me to work to exercise this office and power.
o The watery aspects as well as the moon-faced shoulder pads speak of how emotionally challenging the work can be.
o The sphinxes represent my seeking to balance dualities, such as:
Head (a participant’s prospects for being a good candidate for success) with Heart (compassion for persons struggling with need at the first chakra).
Program Stipulations (the letter of the law) with a Desire to Help those in Need (the spirit of the law).
Rule-Focused (upholding discipline and making consequences for actions) with Grace-Focused (forgiving faults and offer second chances).
Avoiding Participants with a Bad Track Record with Giving People a Chance so they can show they’ve Changed.
Person Struggles (e.g., Self-Confidence versus Feelings of Inadequacy).
• 13.1.4 – Further Elaborations:
o I think I broached some of this in the above question as I took it beyond being literal.
• 13.1.5 – Recurring Themes:
o The recurring themes of balance of dualities with both my new position and personal struggles has been a salient single thread that can be found in all thirteen of my posts in this forum for the 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card Individual Deck Study. It’s getting to the point of beating a dead horse, but yet with each step it keeps giving! So how can I let this card go now?