TAROTSCOPES | AUGUST 12 - AUGUST 18
VII THE CHARIOT
When we recognize ourselves as a part of the family unit, we discover our agency. The Chariot in the Tarot is often given the attribution of the zodiacal sign Cancer. It is, superficially, perceived as taking action toward the life we want to live. Yet, with this understanding, we miss a few critical ideas. First, being a water sign, Cancer is receptive, not active. Second, more specifically than living life, Cancer gives life. Third, Cancer is more feeling than doing. It tugs rather than confronts. It creeps into cracks. It recognizes that it is always intra-dependent with its container.
Cancer is hyper-aware of its smallness, which as we see in the Chariot, is a great advantage to those who understand how to use it. In its shadow, Cancer clutches with its claws, holding on for dear life. To another more powerful persona, this might seem like no more than a strange nuisance, a distraction. Yet this distraction to the environment is a result of incredible tenacity and focus. The Chariot does not represent Cancer with its ego running wild. It does not depict a crab that is too big for its britches. Rather, it exemplifies an individual who recognizes their present place in the world while honoring that belonging is not permanent but rather, ever-shifting. It shows us that power stems from whatever roots are receiving water.
The Chariot is the crab in the process of molting. Of shedding its skeleton. It is a card, not of success, but of becoming. It is not easy to release one’s protective shell. It requires that you tear your eyes away from where you’d like to be. It necessitates summoning spectacular courage to honestly appraise where you are. To sit with yourself. The Chariot is not about what you can do to get somewhere. It is about what you are already doing. It is the moment we realize the ecosystems in which we are already entangled. The Chariot is the gateway to extracting yourself from units to which you do not want to belong.
This week, pay attention to your homes. To your containers. To the fertility, or lack thereof in your soil. Do not look only at the people who surround you. Notice the quality of the media you absorb. Consider the food on which you feed. The ground on which you walk. Concrete, mud, sand, a forest floor, all require a different style of crawl. Danger is not in the risks you haven’t taken. It is embedded in the systems of which you are already a part. When you can see them, you bestow yourself with agency. When you witness all the elements of your relations, you give life.
WHAT EVEN IS A TAROTSCOPE? We often think of horoscopes as predictions that are specific to each astrological sign. In Ancient Greek, the term horoscope simply means "I watch the hour." To astrologers today, a horoscope is a chart that maps the planetary bodies in the sky. From this chart, we derive meaning that can influence how we work with energy. Regardless of our unique individual charts, we are ALL working with the same energy from above. Each week, I examine this energy, pull a tarot card and write a guided meditation with the collective in mind. My tarotscopes are meant to be read as inspiration. Please note that because we are all operating with our individual energy, some elements will resonate more than others. Take what you like and leave the rest. Tarotscopes are offered freely in an effort to cultivate collective healing. I am always grateful for your support in sharing this work with anyone you think it might help. If you are inspired or find support here, please consider making a donation to help sustain these weekly offerings.