The Chariot is a card that is often associated with words such as progress, success and movement. That is all very true. But the deeper aspect of The Chariot can be seen with its rulership by Cancer, which is the last of the personal signs: Aries, Taurus, Gemini and Cancer. Through these personal signs, Spirit is awakening through the individual, before unfolding into its interpersonal modes (Leo, Virgo, Libra and Scorpio), and finally onto its transpersonal and collective glory with Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. With Cancer, we have reached the limits of the ego, and begin to shed it, so that we may encompass deeper parts of reality within our embrace. Likewise, The Chariot marks the end of the first of the three lines of the tarot. It concludes the line of ego development, as we grow from embryo to fully-functional entities. In other words, at this stage the building of our earth suit is complete, and our soul is ready to navigate existence in the manifest world.

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But identity with the self has its limitations, and is in itself a source of much of our troubles, from selfishness to fear. The crab periodically sheds its shell in order to grow. And through this Cancer/Chariot energy, so do we outgrow and release egoic modes of being. We being to see ourselves as more than an “I”, and we awaken to the truth of our universal existence as “We”. Old mindsets and patterns have been weighing and slowing us down. Freed from them, we pick up speed again. Our spirit becomes unfettered once more. Here, yes there is progress, success and movement—perhaps even as to our earthly endeavors. However, The Chariot is really about a much greater victory: the continued evolution and movement of our soul.