The Chariot as Feelings: Driven, Determined and Pulling Two Ways

Written by Chaya the Medium.

The Chariot is the armoured figure between a black and a white sphinx. Here is what I would read when it appears as someone's feelings, and why the two sphinxes matter.

If you want the short answer, I would read the Chariot as feelings that are determined and under tight control. In a feelings position the card suggests the person wants you, has decided to pursue it, and is holding two opposing pulls together to do so: desire and caution, you and something else, heart and plan. It does not tell you the pulls stay balanced. The sphinxes face different ways.

This is a card of feeling as will. The person is driving toward you. What they are driving through is the interesting part.

The Chariot upright as feelings

Tina Gong's the Chariot guide at Labyrinthos associates the upright card with control, willpower, victory and determination. When the card lands in a position that asks how someone feels about you, I read those meanings as the shape of the feeling rather than as a verdict on the person.

Upright, I read the Chariot as a person who feels a strong pull toward you and has made it a goal. They are focused, they are not easily put off, and they are managing their own conflicting feelings by sheer discipline. That can look like confidence. It is often effort.

What I would not read into it is ease. The Chariot has no reins. The person is holding this together with their stance, and the question is what happens when they get tired.

What the card does not tell you

The card does not confirm that the person's determination is about you rather than about winning, that the two pulls will resolve in your favour, or that the drive is matched by tenderness. No card lets a reader check a real person's private feelings. What a card can do is give you an honest picture of the feeling you are hoping for or fearing, and a prompt to compare it with how the person actually behaves.

The Chariot reversed as feelings

Reversed, the Chariot is often read as loss of control, aggression, or a lack of direction. As feelings, I read the reversal as a person whose pull toward you has become a tug of war they are losing, or as determination that has turned pushy, or as someone who wants you and has no idea what to do with the wanting.

In your own question, ask which fits. Does the person seem to be fighting themselves over you? Or has their pursuit become something you have to brace against? A reversed card is a prompt to notice which of those is true from what you can see, not a diagnosis of the other person.

The Chariot as an ex's feelings

Asked about an ex, the Chariot can suggest that they are still pulling toward you and still pulling away, and are keeping both in check by force. That is tiring, and tired people make decisions. The card does not say which way the decision goes. My guide to asking a psychic whether an ex will come back explains what a reading can and cannot say about that question.

The Chariot as a new person's feelings

For someone new, this card describes a determined, focused interest from someone used to getting where they are going. It is flattering. Notice whether they are interested in the destination or in the driving, because the Chariot sometimes loves the road more than the city.

What to watch for in their behaviour

Look for focused effort: they pursue steadily, they overcome obstacles to see you, they do not drift. A Chariot feeling is directional. If the direction keeps changing, the sphinxes have won, and the card is reversed.

What to record before drawing again

Keep three short notes: the question you asked, the two pulls you think the person is holding, and what you would need to see to trust the drive is toward you. The third note is your reins. Another draw will mostly reflect the same figure between the same sphinxes.

For comparison, Strength as feelings and the Knight of Wands as feelings describe different feelings. The the Chariot card meaning page covers the card outside feelings questions, and the general card meanings at Biddy Tarot are a useful second reference. You can practise a single-card reflection with the free daily tarot tool. For a personal interpretation, my guide to a love psychic reading online explains how I work, and the three-card tarot listing and customer reviews are worth reading before deciding whether to order.