7. The Chariot
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Welcome to Soulchology’s worksheets, your starter-kit into an intuitive self-enquiry using tarot and astrology. I write these in my usual dry humour, which reflects the tone of my sessions too, because learning is intense enough without stripping it of humanity. A little wit makes the wisdom easier to digest!
Anyway, while full sessions include numerology, Lenormand, and therapeutic layers, these worksheets are your solo starter kit designed to get you going without frying your nervous system.
Grab your deck, take a breath and don’t overthink it. No altar required. You can read these on your lap, mid-commute, or in bed with questionable lighting. If you know current transits, great, add them in. If not, the cards still work because they’re generous like that.
And, if you shuffle really fast, they love to fling out like you’re live in an episode of Ghosts and Trevor is standing next to you.
Each sheet prompts you to connect the cards with your real life, that is, not your aspirational, one-day-when-I-journal-daily life. Pay attention to the artwork, colours, symbols, and emotional tone because tarot is layered, not linear. Study only what leaps out, don’t go looking for clues.
This isn’t about mystical perfection, it’s about noticing yourself. Your thoughts, your choices, your patterns. If you’re new to tarot and feeling twitchy about it, you might want to read my piece on Substack that gently dismantles the pressure.
My advice is to pull (or fling) your card at the end of the day, not first thing. That way, you’re reflecting and not pre-loading your brain with vague forecasts. It’s a faster way to build intuitive confidence and a more honest way to learn what the cards actually mean to you.
7.The Chariot
Upright
The Chariot is that friend who trains for a marathon while listening to motivational podcasts at 1.5x speed, drinks celery juice and espresso, and texts you “discipline is self-love” at 6am. They’re momentum with meaning, control with clarity, and the slightly intense but necessary reminder that your willpower is a vehicle and you’re the driver. No, you can’t control everything and yes, you still need to steer.
In the Golden Dawn tradition, The Chariot is linked to Cancer; emotional tenacity wrapped in armour. It sits on the path from Binah to Geburah, where structure meets force, and reminds you that softness and strength are not opposites. Their message? Get clear, get moving, and don’t confuse stillness with safety. Victory doesn’t come from charging forward blindly, it comes from moving in alignment with your purpose.
Keywords: Willpower, direction, momentum, victory, control, determination.
Translation: You are not at the mercy of the road. You are the chariot. Drive like it.
Reversed
When The Chariot is reversed, it’s less “unstoppable force” and more “lost GPS signal.” Maybe you’re spinning your wheels, charging ahead with no real destination, or maybe you’ve handed the reins to someone else and then wondered why you feel like a passenger in your own life. This reversal signals a lack of direction, scattered focus, or a quiet rebellion against the discipline you know you need.
The Chariot in reverse can show up as burnout disguised as busyness, ambition without intention, or trying to force something that was never really yours to carry. Its message? Pull over. Regroup. Realign. The goal is meaningful movement.
Keywords: Lack of direction, control issues, burnout, scattered energy, misalignment.
Translation: Just because you can charge ahead doesn’t mean you should. Find your coordinates before you hit the accelerator.
Influences
Planetary: The Chariot is ruled by the Moon. The one that governs tides, moods, and that weird impulse to overhaul your entire life during a full moon at 2am. Under the Moon’s influence, The Chariot is about emotional navigation over external motion.Think inner compass, not just Google Maps. This uses an intuitive satnav to feel your way forward even when logic hasn’t caught up yet. The Moon here doesn’t ask you to control your emotions but to know them well enough to steer through them. Mars sits in the sidecar, contributing a bit of thrust, ambition, and "let’s do the thing" energy. But without the Moon’s depth, Mars just crashes into things. Together, they say: lead with heart, execute with focus.
Natal House(s): The Chariot resonates most with the Fourth House which is your emotional foundation, your roots, your inner security system. This house is your psychic anchor, the part of you that asks: “Where do I come from, and how does that shape where I’m going?” It’s the home you carry inside, even when you're halfway across the world chasing a dream. There's also a strong pull toward the Tenth House because of the public-facing self, reputation, goals, ambition and legacy. The Chariot lives in the tension between these two: personal grounding vs. professional drive. When they’re aligned, you move forward with power. When they’re not? You get stuck, spinning wheels and second-guessing every move. Don’t sleep on the Eighth House, either — transformation, willpower, and the ability to endure even when the terrain gets rough is raising an eyebrow over here. Because victory isn’t brute force, it’s resilience.
Astrological Sign(s): The Chariot is ruled by Cancer, which surprises people until they realise that softness and strategy are not opposites. Cancer fiercely protects what it loves. It moves sideways, watches carefully, and only charges when the direction matters. This is the sign of emotional intelligence, loyalty, and stamina. There’s a subtle genius to Cancer’s quiet control; it knows that direction without meaning is just movement. Capricorn joins the conversation from opposite the chart, offering structure, accountability, and the "build your empire" energy The Chariot needs to go the distance. Together, they ask: are you moving toward something real, or are you afraid to stand still?
Numerologically: Seven is the number of The Chariot, and it doesn’t mess around. It’s the seeker’s number being a bridge between the material and spiritual, the known and the not-quite-yet. Seven asks you to trust the process, even if the outcome isn’t crystal clear. It’s the internal reckoning before the external success. Seven is discipline, not punishment; motion, not escape. It’s the archetype of the focused pilgrim — the one who knows that the path reveals itself as you walk it. While Six (The Lovers) is about choice, Seven is about commitment to the path after the choice is made. And Five still echoes faintly in the background, muttering about tension and change, but Seven keeps going. Eyes forward. No turning back.
A Day in the Life of The Chariot
Worst case? You burn out by 10am because you made a to-do list that could intimidate a military strategist, insist on “pushing through” despite the obvious signs from your body to slow down, and then get mad at your reflection for looking tired. All while claiming it’s just part of the grind.
Mid-spectrum? You spend three hours researching productivity hacks instead of doing the one thing that actually matters, or you set a bold intention in the morning and immediately second-guess it by lunch. You’re moving, technically, but where to? Unclear.
Light touch? You resist the urge to micromanage your entire life for five whole minutes and feel something suspiciously like peace. Or you get behind the wheel, put on a playlist that makes you feel unstoppable, and actually start to believe you’re going somewhere on purpose.
And an absolute win? You remember that discipline and self-trust are the real fuel, not adrenaline. You move in the direction of something that matters, not to prove anything but because it aligns with who you are. You know the goal isn't control, it’s inner alignment with purpose, meaning, and you’re steering from the inside out.
Working with these Energies
Moving with Intention and Leading from Within
The Chariot as you’ve guessed, is about alignment and if you can get past the overly used modern word, it simply brings us back to balance, introspection and self reflection. This archetype asks whether your forward motion is grounded in clarity or just momentum for momentum’s sake. When The Chariot appears, especially reversed, it’s a cue to check in with your internal compass. Are you pursuing your goals, or someone else’s expectations? Are you driving with focus, or trying not to fall behind? Movement is only meaningful if it’s going in the right direction.
Check your coordinates
– What goal are you chasing and does it still feel true?
– Are you moving forward or avoiding standing still?
– What would happen if you stopped long enough to reassess your direction?Align effort with purpose
– Where are you expending energy just to prove something?
– What part of your life feels disciplined but disconnected?
– Are your daily actions actually taking you where you want to go?Get clear on control
– What are you gripping too tightly out of fear it will fall apart?
– Where are you outsourcing your power to people, systems, or old stories?
– How would it feel to lead with yourself instead of reacting?Let Cancer and the Moon guide your course
– Are you listening to your instincts or overriding them with logic?
– Where do your emotions offer guidance not distraction?
– Are you safeguarding your peace or trying to control things?Move forward with conscious will
– What are you ready to commit to with clarity, not just ambition?
– Where do you need to slow down in order to move with real purpose?
– What would it mean to define victory on your own terms and then drive toward it?
First Impressions
Look at The Chariot card in your own deck if possible. Take a moment to observe without overthinking.
What catches your eye first — the armour, the vehicle, the expression, the reins (or lack of them)?
How does this card land in your body or mood: focused, restless, determined, tense?
If this card could whisper a question, what would it ask you to claim, or leave behind, in order to move forward?
Understanding the Energy: Not Just a Definition
Numerology – 7
Seven is the number of movement with meaning; spiritual will, inner mastery, and the grit it takes to stay the course when the initial momentum fades. With The Chariot, Seven isn’t asking if you can go forward, it’s asking why you’re going. Seven questions, it wants to know the truth about the truth. It wants all the whys and wherefores. It’s not about the win for show, it’s the quiet, focused pursuit of a path that actually matters. Seven reminds us that true direction is chosen, not inherited.
Where are you being called to lead yourself instead of waiting for permission?
Astrology – Cancer, Moon
Cancer brings emotional depth, intuition and fierce loyalty to what truly matters. The Moon adds layers of instinct, cycles and subtle but powerful currents of feeling that move beneath the surface. The Chariot isn’t all charging ahead, it is strategy rooted in self-trust. It’s knowing when to advance, versus when to pause and check the emotional weather.
Where can you follow your inner rhythm instead of the pressure to keep pace?
Element – Water
Water is presence, memory and movement through feeling. The Chariot reflects Water’s ability to flow with what is, while still holding a steady course. It’s the current beneath the surface, the quiet, yet unstoppable. Water teaches us that direction isn’t forced, it’s felt.
What emotion or inner knowing is quietly guiding your next move, if you’re willing to listen?
Embodiment: Let The Chariot Live Through You
Tarot isn’t just something you pull, it’s something that pulls you. Embodiment is what transforms The Chariot from a card into a course correction. This archetype doesn’t just ask what you believe about drive, direction, or discipline, it asks how you move with them. Before defining success, feel it. Before charging ahead, locate where the engine actually lives: in your body, your instincts, your unspoken choices. The Chariot lives in every moment you choose purpose over performance. Try these to embody The Chariot today:
Smell: If The Chariot had a scent, what would it be? The sharpness of leather and road dust? Cold morning air before a climb? The metallic trace of adrenaline just before taking the first step?
Body: Where do you hold momentum or resistance? Your solar plexus? The back of your neck? Your thighs, ready to launch but tense from waiting?
Soundtrack: What song feels like you gearing up, getting clear, or pushing past the point where you usually stop? What rhythm builds pressure and release in perfect tandem?
Action: What can you do today that channels your energy into something aligned, not just impressive? What does it look like to choose discipline not as punishment, but as devotion to your path?
Nature cue: Step outside. What mirrors The Chariot in motion? The river cutting a path through stone? A hawk mid-flight, locked onto its course? The wind that changes direction but never loses force?
Notice what steadies you: The goal isn’t speed. It’s sovereignty. Let The Chariot remind you that true momentum begins from within, and the most powerful direction is one that’s chosen, not chased.
Your Meaning, Not A Borrowed One
Use this space to explore what The Chariot means to you as a lived force. Let it reflect the parts of you that are stepping into self-direction, where movement becomes a mirror for intention:
When have you taken action that felt powered from within, not rushed, not reactive, but rooted and right?
Where are you pushing forward on the outside while feeling stuck or scattered internally?
What would it look like to pursue something with full commitment, without needing to prove, justify, or be perfect?
Applied insight with a three-card reading using The Chariot as your anchor:
What internal compass is trying to guide my next move?
Where am I leaking energy by forcing progress instead of aligning with purpose?
What strength or structure will help me move forward with clarity and conviction?
Pull or shuffle-fling cards. Watch for flickers of resistance or fire. Feel into the friction because that’s where the insight lives.
Write your own Keywords
Write three you words that echo your lived experience of The Chariot:
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Closing Reflection: Track Your Evolving Lens
Your relationship with each card will grow over time because it’s meant to shaped by your life. Consider the prompts below to revisit and reflect.
What I thought this card meant when I first pulled it: —————————————————
A recent experience that changed how I see it: —————————————————
How I feel about it now, in my body or life: —————————————————
What surprised me as this card kept showing up: —————————————————
One way this card is living in my life right now: —————————————————
If this card visited me today as a guide, what would it want me to remember? —————————————————
Revisit these after a week, a moon phase, or a meaningful moment. Let the card evolve as you do.
If you feel a quiet sense of recognition, curiosity and want to explore it, browse the sessions page for what feels right.