Twinn Swan

Somewhere deep down, we all know and are aware that we have the potential and the ability to effect change, but for some reason, we feel stuck and are unable to move forward with our lives in the way that we want. Instead of blaming circumstances, we have to take full responsibility for our own inner resistance if we want to create change.

If we are unable to move forward with our lives in the way that we want, we will still have to take the necessary steps to move forward regardless of the unfavourable circumstances we find ourselves in. After all, the ideal circumstances may or may not arrive. More often than not, we will just have to do our best with the opportunities that we have been given.

I’ve found that The Chariot card shows up when there has been a period of stagnation (see 4 of Cups) in our lives. We know that the path that we were once on will, from henceforth, become ineffective, obsolete or redundant. What got you ‘here’ can take you no further than ‘here’. However, you still need to get ‘there’. But how?

When this happens, examine your life carefully to ascertain what areas in your life are keeping you stuck in a rut. If you have gotten stuck in a rut, you will have to take the necessary steps to move forward. Don’t wait for the perfect opportunity. There isn’t one. There are only opportunities and missed opportunities.

If you let this opportunity go, another one will come. Perhaps that opportunity will turn out to be even better than the one that you rejected. Or perhaps it will be even worse! In either case, you will not know till you try. The Chariot can appear when we are reminded not to reject the opportunities that life presents us with. If we say ‘YES’ instead of ‘NO’, life will lead you forward in a direction that you never thought possible.

HELP

The Chariot Card can appear when one is trying to mature into adulthood, but still needs support from those around him or her. If your parents are or were unable to support you, find alternatives. They may not be your only option for support.

Is there someone around you who is hindering your ability to mature into adulthood? You may be surprised to discover that your parents do not want you to grow up. In Asian cultures, which tend to be paternalistic, you only truly become ‘an adult’ after the death of an elder. Even then, it may be difficult to emerge from out of their shadow. Is it really that much of a priority to continue their legacy? What other options do you have?

The Chariot Card tends to appear when we need help. Our situation may or may not be critical. When we’re teenagers, we can’t wait to become adults. We can’t wait for the day when we can take full control of our lives. But when we become adults, it becomes all too clear that societal and cultural norms still prevent us from taking full control of our lives. If so, try to see what your culture can offer you instead of what it can’t.

Reaching for help and taking the necessary steps to move into a new and critical phase in our lives is something that is very hard for a majority of people to do even when they become adults. It is even more difficult in certain cultural contexts. The truth is, that even when we do become adults, there is only so far that we can go on our own. At some point, we will need to reach out to people in order to get the guidance necessary to reach the next stage in our growth and development.

The Chariot can come to signal ‘The End’. We have reached the final stage of the first cycle of our life. Are you looking to make progress in your life? Be confident that you will, indeed, progress if you have the courage to reach for help as well as take the necessary steps necessary to move forward fearlessly.

CAREER

The Chariot card is a strong indicator of growing an existing business. If you meet someone that can, indeed, help you, would you be willing to listen to them? I find that The Chariot often shows up when one is entering a brand new cycle in one’s life.

The advise here is: do not be so determined to do things your way (see The King of Wands) that you fail to see what an equal partnership can offer you. Accepting a serious partnership into one’s life requires a willingness to listen to someone who is quite different to you. You may not agree with them instantly. But if you are not even willing to listen to them, you are setting yourself up for failure.

If you have asked for help or if someone has asked you for help, don’t expect everything to be to your liking. However, know that in the end, you will be glad you chose to move forward as opposed to stay stuck in your good old ways.

After all, the good old days are over and they aren’t coming back…

AMBITION

When The Chariot card appears, it is reminding you to remember what your ambitions were. At the same time, it is asking you to realistically assess whether your ambitions are reasonable given the circumstances and the environment that you find yourself in.

Even if you are extremely motivated at work, even if you have the self-discipline, even if you have the drive and the determination, things will not work out for you if you are surrounded by unfavourable circumstances.

Can you change your circumstances? Yes, you, indeed, can. However, be realistic about what you can change and what you can’t. You may not be able to have everything your way. Nevertheless, if you reject the opportunity that has arrived upon your doorstep, you will not change at all.

If you’re looking to change your career or advance and grow in your chosen field, The Chariot indicates that we can only move forward in life when we seize the opportunities that are presented to us. If we have accepted numerous opportunities that are not right for us, know that another opportunity will, indeed, come.

Sometimes, we have no choice but to take a wrong turn before we get back on track. Perhaps on that wrong road, you will finally discover that the road that you were on was never the one you wanted to be on in the first place. Sometimes, you realise that if you had continued down that road, it would have been even more disastrous.

In life, we cannot and should not pass up on opportunities that show up on our doorstep. Very often we do not realise when a truly great opportunity shows up because we are too stuck in our ways. The Chariot card appears when the time has come to move on. If you choose not to do it of your own accord, The Tower moment awaits.

SATISFACTION

In very rare cases, The Chariot can indicate the presence of something or someone that appears to move us forward, but is, in essence, taking us backwards. It is a truism in life that many people fallback on and prefer the tried-and-tested way of doing things. They do not want progress. They may choose to reject countless viable opportunities and self-sabotage their own progress. If you know of someone like this, do not give into their way of doing things.

When I was living in Japan, I worked at a company that was considered reputable in the 90s. By the year 2010, however, it had become black-listed because this is no longer how people run a business anymore. The staff turnover was atrocious but the people in power would not change their tried-and-tested way of doing things. One of the truisms when it comes to business is that a rising star today and can be a has-been tomorrow. Do not allow this to happen to your business.

In line with that, The Chariot card can appear when one is perfectly satisfied where they are. They are not looking for growth or progress. The status quo is enough for them. They will not be willing to embrace new ideas or a new way of doing things. At the same time, however, The Chariot can indicate that the desire for a certain level of satisfaction has not yet been met. This ends up being a contradiction that needs to be reconciled.

The presence of the two Sphinxes of opposite colours shows the presence of opposites within us. You simply cannot stick to the tried-and-tested option if you want to grow. Breakaway from outdated ways of doing things. Embrace the new! You will be glad that you did.

EMOTIONS

Unrequited love is a big theme with the Chariot. Are you starting to develop feelings for someone who is incapable of loving you back? If so, it is best you hold your horses, then! The Chariot can appear to remind us that if we have moved forward in the wrong direction, all we have to do is move forward in a new direction yet again.

If you want a committed relationship and you know that the other person is either not interested or not ready, MOVE ON (see 8 of Cups). Perhaps in the future, you two might get back together, but in the interim, do not waste your time with an opportunity that you know is not for your highest good.

We are all, on some level, governed by the instinctive impulses that motivate us. Why do we feel what we feel? Why have we chosen to behave in a way that is contrary to how we ordinarily behave? What new emotion or new energy is being roused within us? Are we choosing to resist this or go along with it?

If you wish to have stability in your life, know that what is currently threatening your sense of stability will pass if you let the opportunity go before the momentum builds up and balloons into something out of control. Sometimes The Chariot does, indeed, show up to warn us to no longer continue on the path that we were once on.

Change direction. You will be thankful that you did.

HARSH

I’ve found that The Chariot can show up when one is unnecessarily harsh in the way that one deals with life. Are you overthinking things without taking action? DO NOT DO THAT. You will, most likely, drive yourself crazy internally and your external life will stay the same. If you are not sure of what to do, take a small step instead of a giant leap.

Are you overtly harsh in the way that you deal with others? Sometimes, it may well be the medicine that is required to get someone to snap out of a way of thinking, being and responding. In other situations, one must exercise diplomacy, tact and sensitivity.

The Chariot can herald a period when we begin to balance the dark and the light within ourselves. If you have known someone who has hurt you, try to regain a sense of balance. Do not allow their hard-hearted behaviour to stop you from taking the leaps of faith that you need to.

If you have seen a great amount of darkness in your life, know that you are, indeed, able to transform that darkness into light. If you have ‘seen’ great darkness due to extenuating circumstances, be mindful not to take on the harsh and unkind words of others and misconstrue them to be the truth. After all, the world is a big place with all kinds of people and experiences to be had.

Till next time, move forward and don’t look back!