Well now, here’s another double pop for my daily card-of-the-day draw. I drew the Chariot two days in a row. I’m going to share a little ‘fractured tarot tale’ (as I call them) about the version of the Chariot from the deck that I’m using this month for daily draws: Ciro Marchetti’s Tarot Gilded Royale.
But before we get there, let’s talk about how the Chariot may show up in someone’s life and what that might mean. The tarot Chariot represents a success over obstacles in our lives where often the largest obstacle is learning to conquer ourselves. The image suggests an ancient version of a triumphal march in just such a vehicle, indicating success in this endeavor. For me personally, I’ve had some real challenges this past week but I really do feel like I triumphed in many ways over these ‘life-on-life’s-terms’ situations, mostly in how I managed my level of stress and to me, that is quintessential Chariot energy.
And now, here’s that little tarot fairy tale about the chariot for your entertainment:
The Chariot
Once upon a time there was a princess who lived in a far eastern kingdom. It was a land where every aspect of daily life was influenced by the powerful mythical stories of gods and goddesses and other magical beings, along with the deeds of humans who strove for happiness in their own lives by appealing to these gods. Sadly, one thing many humans prized above all else was power, even to the point of committing horrendous acts of treachery to obtain it and keep it. However, she was a princess and not a prince and so she knew from a very young age that it was very unlikely that she would ever experience any power or glory of her own.
She also knew that although there had been many powerful female rulers in the history of her nation, their primary purpose had always been ultimately to protect the status quo of the ruling patriarchy. She could see that no matter what she did in the world, she would never be able to win over her brother, the prince, who would someday inherit the role as ruler of their land nor would she ever enjoy such accolades as the triumphal march for heroes who drove their chariots down the streets of the city.
Through the years, these idea about power began to concern her less and less. She concentrated instead on what she perceived her life mission to be, to learn about tools of healing and divination and use them to help others heal and grow. She studied with many renowned masters and learned to open herself up to a different kind of power, the power within that we all have if we can simply tune in to send love and healing into the world.
Once she learned how to do this, she found that she could then help others as well. Her family indulged her in these pursuits, but gave her no real credit for having an important place in the world. Her brother, in particular, would often tease her and call her a witch, but she simply ignored his taunts.
Then, there came a day when she received a summons from her father, the emperor. Her brother was ill, and none of the palace healers had been able to help. Hurriedly she packed her healing tools to oblige, but as she made herself ready to go to his chambers, an extraordinary thing happened. Since she had been a child, her own quarters had been guarded by two mysterious figures of sphinxes with the head of a human and the body of a lion. One was golden like the sun and the other was silver like the moon. Incredibly, they suddenly came to life and spoke to her!
First, the golden sphinx stepped forward and said “She who heals the prince will be no more!” Startled, the princess could only gaze at the sphinx in wonder but it said no more. Just when she was trying to puzzle that out, the silver sphinx spoke. “She who heals the prince will always be!” and then that sphinx also became silent.
Completely beside herself, the princess set her baskets of healing herbs and tonics aside and sat for a moment to ponder. What was she to make of this? “She who heals the prince will be no more!” What did that mean? It was a riddle! She was being given advice by a sphinx, whom everyone knew to be most wise – two of them, in fact - but the advice seemed to be conflicting.
It was true that if she healed him, she would destroy her own path to power. If he died, she would inherit the kingdom! But if he lived, he might be grateful to her, or…might he become fearful of her healing power and do away with her somehow? But no, that was not the way of healing! It was never good to operate from a place of fear.
She reconsidered the words of the silver sphinx, “She who heals the prince will always be!” Yes, that was the way of healing. She was clearly on a path of power that was beyond this world of men. So without further self-debate, she picked up her baskets and made her way to the prince’s rooms, where happily she was quite able to heal her brother.
