Llewellyn's Complete Book of the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot

by Sasha Graham

  A curious paradox is presented in the Chariot card. The Chariot reflects movement and speed, yet the vehicle is carved from a cube of stone. The driver is mysteriously bonded to the cube as if he were a toy figure inside a cement box. The cube is flat against the grass. The golden wheels could never move this vehicle. Why would the Chariot, a symbol of speed and movement, be crafted from a heavy object that could never be pulled? Why not illustrate a traditional chariot figure who races with his horses? The answer lies in the level of existence Waite’s context of understanding reflects.

  Psychologist Carl Jung and Hindu mythology say chariot symbols reflect the self. Waite’s Chariot exists in the material world, yet for Waite the material world reflects the lowest level of understanding. Waite considers spiritual movement to be paramount, the ultimate goal of human existence. In Waite’s mind, an individual could travel the world and physically dominate everything in a literal sense but remain spiritually starved, ignorant, and stuck. This is the lesson of the unmovable chariot.

  Waite describes the Chariot as “princely” but not “heredity royalty and not a priest.” Waite explains the Chariot’s true nature unequivocally: “He is above all things triumph in the mind.” Triumph in the mind differs than triumph of the mind. Triumph in the mind is the decision to take control, action, or make change. Triumph of the mind reflects the ability to follow through that decision, as demonstrated in Strength, the following card. For example, you decide to start a healthy course of eating by adding loads of fruit and vegetables to your diet. This decision is reflected in the Chariot card. The follow-up and maintenance of the decision is reflected in the Strength card. Triumph in the mind suggests the individual has made a decision. There is no going back. You don’t just want to do it, you are officially committed. Nothing will prevent you from attaining your goal, yet the actions have yet to unfold.

  The charioteer points his vehicle and theoretically moves toward his desired destination. The Magician’s pointed finger contains the same pointed intention. Waite continues to make the clear distinctions between the material and spiritual plane, planting his Chariot card firmly in the former camp. Waite says, “the planes of his conquest are manifest or external and not within himself…if he came to the pillars of that Temple between which the High Priestess is seated, he could not open the scroll called Tora, nor if she questioned him could he answer.” The Chariot bears no relevance in the spiritual world. He could come face to face with the High Priestess and she would remain a mystery, invisible to him. The function of the Chariot is displayed in the individual’s will toward practical matters and nothing else.

  Waite says we should understand the Chariot although “the tests of initiation through which he has passed are to be understood physically or rationally.” Waite explains the Chariot does not undergo initiation in the metaphysical sense. He once again confirms the presence of the Chariot as an agent of the physical world. Occult initiation is a supernatural experience occurring on the internal and interior level of human experience. The Chariot reflects the external self. The interior self is embraced inside the following card, Strength.

  Symbolic

  Esoteric Function: Speech

  Hebrew Letter: Cheth

  Astrological Association: Cancer

  Waite’s Chariot is an agent of the physical world, yet the charioteer is draped in rich esoteric symbolism. His left and right shoulders carry Urim and Thummim, whose profiles look up toward the sky. Historically, Urim and Thummim possess oracular power; ancient priests used them to identify sinners in a crowd. Urim and Thummim appear in the book of Exodus, where they exist on a Hebrew high priest’s breastplate. Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormons and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, claimed to receive divine information from two seer stones called Urim and Thummim in 1827. Smith wrote the Book of Mormon, the church’s religious text, based on this information. The Mormons are now over fourteen million strong, according to the church’s website. Smith was a Freemason who utilized Masonic structure to create and organize the Mormon Church, just as the secret chiefs used Masonic structure to create and organize the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

  Speech is the esoteric function of the Chariot. Words and language infuse the Chariot. Words have the power to imprint the mind. Language carries knowledge and intention. The Hebrew letter Cheth means fence, wall, barrier, or wild beast in a field. The high wall enclosing the background city reflects a barrier. The Chariot’s battle armor and his vehicle additionally reflect a barrier. Language operates as a barrier as well as a blessing. To name something is to give it limits, to nail it down. Language becomes a barrier when expressing an experience or feeling of something beyond description. Art, poetry, and metaphor save us when language fails. Negative language reaps negative impact on the mind and body, whereas positive language results in positive results, thus the barrier of language is both a blessing and a curse.

  Cheth is associated with astrological Cancer. Cancer’s symbol is the crab, an oceanic crustacean whose soft body is protected by a hard outer shell. The charioteer bears a similar shell in his vehicle and protective armor. Cancer is ruled by the moon. Dual moon profiles appear on the charioteer’s shoulders. The belt of the Chariot holds five symbols, two of which contain the moon and Cancer.

  Waite explains the mystery of the Chariot’s sphinxes. They are concerned with “a Mystery of Nature and not of the world of Grace.” He means to say the mystery of the sphinx concerns the material world, not the divine world. The sphinx’s black-and-white colors match the High Priestess’s black-and-white pillars. The sphinxes immediately become the graphic depiction of the outer pillars on the Tree of Life with the charioteer as the middle pillar, reminding the reader of duality and integration.

  Profane

  Taking the reins. Being in the driver’s seat. Knowing where you are going. Keeping your eye on the prize. Movement. Speed. Travel by car. Moving across great distances. Focusing on a singular objective. Thinking outside the box. Domination. Moving from point A to point B. If a yes-no question, the answer is yes, as long as you know what you are about to do.

  Waite’s Divinatory Meanings: Succour, providence; also war, triumph, presumption, vengeance, trouble.

  Reversed: Riot, quarrel, dispute, litigation, defeat.

  Asana

  The Chariot card aligns with chair pose, or utkatasna. This dynamic pose echoes the posture of the Chariot’s vehicle. The pose engages the dynamic opposition of the cube. The arms reach up. Power and balance are required. This seated chair pose is often held for long periods of time. This challenging pose speaks to the Chariot’s fortitude and the effort it takes to set a goal and move directly toward it without distraction.

  Strength

  Ugliness is beauty, but with a difference, a nobleness that speaks through all the hard crust of convention.

  Pamela Colman Smith41

  Sacred

  Strength is the quality needed to sustain and meet each and every challenge once the Chariot sets the individual off on their path. As its title implies, Strength is physical, emotional, and intellectual fortitude. Strength filters through the world daily via human action, fostering possibility, stability, and healing. Strength is felt keenly and tested in times of uncertainty. Strength illuminates moral fibers, decisions, and actions. The figure of Strength expresses kindness to her beastly animal friend. Strength is recognized in the way we treat ourselves, other people, animals, and our environment. The strongest of souls often express strength through subtlety rather than overt control.

  Traditional Strength cards depict a female taming a wild lion. Pamela’s card reflects a lion who has already been tamed. The beast is putty in her hands. “Her beneficent fortitude has already subdued the lion, which is being led by a chain of flowers,” Waite says. This small yet significant change reflects the maintenance of Strength, not the struggle. Waite is coy in his decision to switch Streng
th with the traditional placement of the Justice card for his deck, “For reasons which satisfy myself, this card has been interchanged with that of Justice, which is usually numbered eight.” Waite, in fact, switched Strength and Justice to align with MacGregor Mathers’s Kabbalistic attributions. Mathers realized by placing the Fool at the beginning of the deck and switching the placement of Justice and Strength that the tarot would perfectly match the astrological attributions located inside the Sefer Yetzirah, an ancient book of Hebrew mysticism explaining the formation of earthly reality via the Tree of Life.

  Waite writes that the card represents “the strength which resides in contemplation.” Contemplation is the practice of quieting the mind, similar to meditation. Strength of mind is a powerful step, moving us closer to strength in personal actions. It is to embrace the contemplative mindset and allow thoughts to drift away like clouds without becoming attached to them. Notice thoughts and feelings as they come and go. Thoughts and emotions become freed from our automatic reaction to them. Once we obtain mastery of our thoughts, we embody the figure on the Strength card. We are the female figure and our mind is the lion. Thoughts lose their control over us. Instead, we control them. We become the outside observer who experiences freedom of self and the freedom to determine our course of action in all circumstances.

  Once contemplation is achieved in private, it may be used in everyday life. It is especially helpful during fraught emotional situations, fights, or moments of fear. This tool is brought to foster space for a creative response to any situation, no matter how upsetting or destructive. The ability to filter the mind’s experience and choose our reaction invokes the freedom to dictate our experience of every life event. For example, a person who is fighting a tobacco or food addiction practices contemplation. A craving hits. She notices her first thought is to satisfy herself with a cigarette or sugary sweet cupcake. Rather than acting upon her impulse, she observes her thought. She allows the thought to slip away without acting on it. Each time she prevails over her thoughts, she becomes stronger. This process applies to any situation or challenge.

  Strength through contemplation encourages the space of possibility. One who practices contemplation is able to stay inside of an experience. It fosters attention in the moment. This ability allows the individual to discover possibility, thus making their world fresh and new in every situation. This practice becomes paramount to interpersonal relationships, where destructive habits and patterns are born. The practice helps us strengthen relationships between the people we love most. For example, you find yourself in an exciting new relationship with the person of your dreams. However, you suspect they are cheating because you suffer from past trust and intimacy issues. You have zero evidence to support your claim, but you are plagued by the idea they will find someone better than you. Wild thoughts drive you crazy. These thoughts force you to prowl their social media. You sift though photos of ex-girlfriends and violate their privacy by searching their emails. You accuse your dreamboat of not wanting you. Eventually, you break up because of your lack of trust and wicked insecurity. Your thoughts created a self-fulfilling prophecy, and you became a willing slave to them. The contemplative mindset helps one who is self-aware, who notices the feeling of fear of abandonment rising. Once noted and recognized, it is allowed to slip away. No action is taken. Like ignoring a cruel taunting child on the playground, eventually such thoughts lose all power over you. You become free to enjoy a healthy, trusting relationship. This is the essence of Strength.

  Symbolic

  Esoteric Function: Taste

  Hebrew Letter: Teth

  Astrological Association: Leo

  Waite speaks of the higher spiritual meaning of the Strength card when he says, “They are intimated in a concealed manner by the chain of flowers, which signifies, among many other things, the sweet yoke and the light burden of Divine Law.” The flowers wrap around the female’s head, resting upon her golden curls. A yoke is a crosspiece fastened upon animals so they can pull a plow or cart. Waite’s “sweet yoke” is the nature of divinity and the metaphorical link of an individual and their connection to divine nature. “Divine Law” is the spiritual law or agreement made between the practitioner and divinity as they understand it. The yoke applies to any idea or practice the practitioner engages upon, such as gratitude, devotion, or, in Waite’s case, the occultist’s law.

  The lion is the astrological symbol of Leo, assigned the Hebrew letter Teth. Leo’s astrological symbol is hidden inside the lion’s curling mane. Lions are a Christian symbol for the resurrection of Jesus. Early Christians believed lions slept with their eyes open, like Jesus in his tomb between death and resurrection. The lion symbol appears in the Wheel of Fortune’s lower left corner.

  A lemniscate appears above Strength’s head, just as it did in the Magician card. It is representative of the infinite nature of energy, life, and the divinity of the human soul. A distant rising mountain suggests spiritual heights. It foreshadows the spiraling journey up the Tree of Life that is to take place in the coming cards as the occultist moves higher and higher toward their divine nature.

  Profane

  Intense personal strength. Doing the right thing. Gentle control over a situation. Effortless action. Past challenges foster present strength. Your actions prevail. If a yes-no question, the answer is yes because you earned it.

  Waite’s Divinatory Meanings: Power, energy, action, courage, magnanimity; also complete success and honours.

  Reversed: Despotism, abuse of power, weakness, discord, sometimes even disgrace.

  Asana

  The Strength card aligns with yoga’s warrior II pose, or virabhadrasana II. The yogi imitates the posture of an advancing warrior shooting energy out of both arms. The Strength card reflects internal vitality. Warrior ll energizes and empowers the body. Like the Strength card, it invokes gentleness combined with stunning power.

  The Hermit

  In cities large—in county lane,

  Around the world tis all the same;

  Across the sea from shore to shore, Alone—alone, for evermore.

  Pamela Colman Smith42

  Sacred

  The Hermit cultivates stillness by removing himself from society. Stillness feeds his soul. This stillness fosters a space of discovery and wisdom. Life’s circumstances remain in a constant state of flux while inside, from age six to sixty, we remain essentially who we are. We move closer toward our authentic self, immune to the influence of others, when we know who we truly are and reclaim what was long ago forgotten. The Hermit gives us the space to encounter his spiritual sister, the High Priestess. He is our doorway to her threshold. He opens the passage leading us back to our true self.

  All life is a viable energetic exchange. The clever Hermit removes himself from society and the company of others because he understands the body is a device for giving and receiving energy. Each of us acts as energy vampire, empath, and caregiver who constantly affect ourselves via personal actions. People, activities, and actions either stoke our energy or diffuse it and break it down. Certain people make us feel wonderful, while others darken our spirit. Engaging in positive activities bolsters us, while negativity and depression bring us down. Physical exercise builds our energy, while inactivity breeds tiredness. Human connection is inspiring or damaging, depending on who an individual surrounds themselves with. Amidst the noise of everyday life and the influx of distraction, it can be hard to separate ourselves from others. How do we cultivate a sense of stillness to reclaim who we truly are while engaging with others? The Hermit gives us the answer.

  The Hermit discovers, integrates, and understands human nature. He is the examination of personal nature and individual sensate experience. We are the only person who can feel our life for ourselves. Life is completely subjective; the experience is ours alone. We may paint, write, photograph, or share personal experience with others, but it is ultimately our own because we are the
ones inside of ourselves experiencing it. Spiritual and sensual natures are intimately connected. The spiritual and sensual inform the experience of the outer world entering our inner body. One person is inspired by jazz music while another is inspired by walking in nature. One person responds to church hymns while another chants on her yoga mat. The Hermit is the place we go to, time and time again, to check in with ourselves.

  Waite is clear and direct in the symbolic meaning of the Hermit’s lamp. “It is a star which shines in the lantern…His beacon intimates that ‘where I am, you also may be.’” The Hermit has found, captured, and displays the shining light of hope, inspiration, and guidance. A star is a universal symbol of hope. Waite’s Hermitic statement gives voice to the card: “Where I am, you also may be.” Pamela’s Hermit expresses the idea that hope, light, and guidance can be yours. You too can move through a spiritual journey to cultivate truth and light. The guru exists inside you.

  Waite discards previous occult interpretations of the Hermit, including the idea of “occult isolation.” He states, “It did not refer to the intended concealment of the Instituted Mysteries, much less of their substitutes, but—like the card itself—to the truth that the Divine Mysteries secure their own protection from those who are unprepared.” Waite’s statement explains how he is able to publish the deepest secrets of his secret society without truly revealing what those secrets are. The most powerful occult secret is right in front of you. There is no need to keep it secret. Those who can’t see it, won’t. Those who are not ready to experience “the truth that the Divine Mysteries secure” won’t detect them. They won’t see them. They will fail to understand them. Divinity is in front of every person at every moment, yet most remain blind.