missy
The front wheels on this chariot remind me a bit of Gandalf's wheels on his cart when he travelled through the Shire. 
Although interestingly, as I begin to analyze the chariot itself more closely, it is constructed in a strange fashion. There are two large wheels on the front of the chariot, and two small wheels on the back. This is a four-wheeled contraption. The "horses" are not real, but rather Egyptian-like sphinx masks which appear to be made of wood, and are placed as decorations between the chariot's two front wheels.
Of inescapable note is that, because the horses are not alive, what propels this chariot?! It cannot have a motor, as motorized vehicles could not have been invented. (We are not sure what age we are in, but we are looking at an archetype of a chariot that appears to be before modern times.) It doesn't appear that it is pulled by horses; where are the trappings? What kind of a cart or chariot is this? Again, my first thought is that we are in a magical kingdom; therefore, this chariot must be propelled by magic! This seems to be reinforced by the charioteer's waving of an apparent magical scepter, as if willing the chariot to move on its own.
The charioteer appears as royalty; he rides perched high in a chair emblazoned with a gold crest of arms on the front, and protective tent-like cloths to shield him from the weather, gathered up by a gold bejeweled crown. (I know this type of covered cloth travel has a name, and yet I do not know what it is.)
The most striking thing about this chariot is the subtlety. At first, one hardly notices that there is no real way for this chariot to move. It is as though this chariot were not designed for transportation. What, then, is the purpose of this chariot?
The purpose of this chariot is that we must learn that willpower is in the mind. The battle for victory starts and ends in the mind, and is won before we even apply force to the outside world. Thus, this chariot is symbolic. It doesn't really move, but then, our charioteer has already won the battle of opposing forces. Look at the triumphant look on his face. It takes no effort for him to steer this chariot because in his mind the battle has been fought, his enemies conquered.
I think this is my favorite of all the chariot cards I have seen! It almost eluded me by its simplicity.
Although interestingly, as I begin to analyze the chariot itself more closely, it is constructed in a strange fashion. There are two large wheels on the front of the chariot, and two small wheels on the back. This is a four-wheeled contraption. The "horses" are not real, but rather Egyptian-like sphinx masks which appear to be made of wood, and are placed as decorations between the chariot's two front wheels. Of inescapable note is that, because the horses are not alive, what propels this chariot?! It cannot have a motor, as motorized vehicles could not have been invented. (We are not sure what age we are in, but we are looking at an archetype of a chariot that appears to be before modern times.) It doesn't appear that it is pulled by horses; where are the trappings? What kind of a cart or chariot is this? Again, my first thought is that we are in a magical kingdom; therefore, this chariot must be propelled by magic! This seems to be reinforced by the charioteer's waving of an apparent magical scepter, as if willing the chariot to move on its own.
The charioteer appears as royalty; he rides perched high in a chair emblazoned with a gold crest of arms on the front, and protective tent-like cloths to shield him from the weather, gathered up by a gold bejeweled crown. (I know this type of covered cloth travel has a name, and yet I do not know what it is.)
The most striking thing about this chariot is the subtlety. At first, one hardly notices that there is no real way for this chariot to move. It is as though this chariot were not designed for transportation. What, then, is the purpose of this chariot?
The purpose of this chariot is that we must learn that willpower is in the mind. The battle for victory starts and ends in the mind, and is won before we even apply force to the outside world. Thus, this chariot is symbolic. It doesn't really move, but then, our charioteer has already won the battle of opposing forces. Look at the triumphant look on his face. It takes no effort for him to steer this chariot because in his mind the battle has been fought, his enemies conquered.
I think this is my favorite of all the chariot cards I have seen! It almost eluded me by its simplicity.
