The Chariot Tarot Card + Mars in Cancer
Tarot Card from the This Might Hurt deck by Isabella Rotman
Those of you who are familiar with the Tarot will (likely) know that each card in the Major Arcana is associated with an element of astrology: either a zodiac sign or planet. Some of the associations are super obvious, like The Sun associated with the obvious Sun, and Justice associated with Libra. But, some of them ask us to branch out of the obvious. For instance, The Moon card is associated with the sign of Pisces, which makes sense based simply on the card’s meaning, but is also slightly unexpected if you have any astrological knowledge because Cancer is the zodiac sign that is ruled by the Moon (and not Pisces). Nevertheless, the tarot traditions are the tarot traditions and all correlations hold deep meaning and wisdom. And speaking of Cancer, the Major Arcana card that was chosen to associate with the sign of Cancer is one of the biggest head-scratchers of them all for me: The Chariot!
Let’s discuss.
The Chariot is a card of forward motion as we embark to fulfill our will. It is a card of control, focus, determination, and victory. If anything, I get big “Mars” energy from this card! So then I had the thought, “If the Chariot is associated with Cancer, what if it’s specifically Cancer MARS?” And what better time to talk about this than as the planet of Mars transits Cancer (April 23 - June 11, 2021), and right after the Full Moon in Scorpio, which was ruled by and in mutual reception with Mars in Cancer (Mars is the traditional planetary ruler of Scorpio).
My association with Mars to the Chariot is (hopefully) obvious; Mars is the planet of action, forward motion, passion, and will (naming a few). Mars rules the zodiac signs of Aries and Scorpio and is happiest in this zodiacal territory. Mars, on the other hand, does not thrive in the sign of Cancer. Using the planetary dignities (a system established to gauge which signs the planets are happiest and unhappiest in), Mars is in fall in Cancer, meaning it doesn’t function optimally here. Mars is inherently a straight-shooter and allows its passions, drive, and will to motivate and propel it forward. Cancer is not known to be a straight-shooter; in fact, it’s known to be a bit passive-aggressive or come at things “sideways” which we can see in the stylistic movement of its archetype: the crab. Additionally, Mars in Cancer may be more concerned with the past than with the desire to move forward.
So here we are, still asking ourselves how the hell we get Cancer and Cancer Mars out of The Chariot! I called on the help of Rachel Pollack, the author of 78 Degrees of Wisdom (A Book of Tarot). Pollack goes into beautiful depth with each Major Arcana card, and in her meaningfully profound interpretation of The Chariot, the story of Oedipus comes up (ya know, the one who killed his father and married his mom, unknowingly). Pollack says that while Oedipus “understood the outer meaning of man’s life he did not understand either who he really was, or his relation to the gods who controlled his life.” (pg 69 in the revised version of Pollack’s book. I’m LOLing because of course it’s page 69, which is just the glyph of Cancer turned 90°). In a nutshell, Oedipus thought he knew what he was doing and where he was going, but he did not understand who he truly was because he did not know where he came from (his past) - and this was his demise.
The Major Arcana tells us the story of life. If we look at the cards in the Major Arcana leading up to The Chariot (cards 0 - 6), it is a series that forms the foundation of who we are based on early-life experiences. From the birthing of the Fool, to the nurturance of The Empress (mother), to the structure and authority of The Emperor (father), the teachings and guidance of The Hierophant, and making connections with others (The Lovers), now we reach The Chariot. And to drive our Chariot - to move ahead and successfully get to where we want to go - we should understand how the things that came before this moment (our past) have shaped us. Chariot energy is best utilized when we understand who we really are.
In astrology, Cancer, the Moon, and the 4th house are all associated with one another and collectively give us an idea of who we truly and instinctually are based on an understanding of where we are coming from. Specifically the 4th house - our roots and early/home experience - can give us valuable information to the foundations of our being. The moon in our natal charts speaks to our innermost self: our emotions, instincts, needs, and our relationship with feeling nurturance and belonging. And as I mentioned before, Cancer is a sign that is attuned to the past and how our past helps shape our present and future. Cancer’s association with the Moon, the 4th house, and The Chariot are tied together.
To fulfill The Chariot’s energy, we know to embrace the power of our will: where desire, control, and action meet. But if we do not have a foundational understanding of our truest, innermost self to inform our will, imposing our will and taking courses of action will likely be out of alignment and thus, unsuccessful. Knowing ourselves at our core (moon) will help us to understand and direct our motivations (Mars). If we understand what motivates us, we are more informed and able to find routes of success in our forward momentum. And with Mars in Cancer, our attention is turned to how the past motivates us. There is a caution here to avoid being too caught up in your past (as in, don’t try to stay there, or change it. The Chariot seeks to move forward). There is also a caution with Cancer Mars to avoid acting on emotional impulses alone; allow these discoveries to provide insight into what is motivating you, but don’t allow them to completely control you. We can balance this by using logic, the rational mind, and practical approaches.
A couple more things to note about the correlation between The Chariot and Cancer. Cancer is a Cardinal sign; Cardinal signs are ones who initiate & take action - big Chariot energy. Additionally, Cancer is a sign that has a deep desire to find belonging and acceptance within a group (family, community, etc). Mars in Cancer can suggest being motivated by a desire to belong; actions may be based upon an idea of what it will take to make us/keep us accepted by and in communal support with others. In the Chariot card, we see a figure in their Chariot in front of a city. This suggests that whatever the Charioteer is doing is fulfilling their own will, but that their will is somehow also connected to the community (city) behind them. Like a warrior jumping into their chariot and being whisked away to battle, their brave and focused energy is motivated by fulfilling their roll in their community (which is, in this case, to protect it! Protecting = very Cancerian).
Now, as Mars propels itself through the sign of Cancer, may we be more aware of how our past drives and motivates us. How are these things connected to where you are coming from? Embracing Chariot energy suggests using a conscious level of balance and control. We can use our instincts and desire for belonging as information towards our conscious motivations, but it shouldn’t be the sole driver of our vehicle - just a valuable informer. We balance this with future-minded focus, logic, strategic control, the rational mind, and practical approaches.
Xoxo, Maple Eastwood
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