In the Tarot card the Chariot, a young man wearing a crown of stars stands tall in a chariot drawn by two Sphinxes – one black and one white. The figure is brash, muscular, and strong. At the height of his strength and stamina, he is celebrating a great personal victory and wears his flashiest, shiniest gold armor. On his shoulders sit silver crescent moons and a fancy belt drapes off his hip. He is a celebrity, a demigod, a famous athlete at his peak, a successful knight or soldier returning home. The chariot is adorned with material made from the heavens, glittering with stars. Fittingly, he seems to be one of them. The presence of the Sphinxes, sitting in each corner at the bottom of the card, in opposite colors, cannot be ignored. They speak to the amount of will required of this card. Our hero holds no reigns and yet his Sphinxes drive the chariot forward – seemingly by his will alone. The Chariot is letting us know that if our will is great enough, we can do amazing things. We can marry amazing opposites, merge unthinkable ideas, and overcome impossible challenges. Like the Tarot card the Magician, the figure in the Chariot also holds a wand in their right hand. Ready to make magic happen? To some degree, it boils down to our will. If we will it hard enough. Big enough. Deep enough. Wide enough. So mote it be. The Chariot shows us the way. It's not easy. We have to train to be at our top game, our peak. We mustn’t slip, get lazy, or take our good luck or strength for granted. We must stay alert.
Though this card signifies victory, especially if we are contemplating a problem, it also is a message about the strength of will. Alchemical. A spark. A hiss of steam. Will can warp reality and help us succeed – this is the secret message wrapped in the stars within the cloth of the Chariot. As long as we don’t forget that there’s a cost to controlling where the stars are placed. Because ultimately, the Divine Universe will check our Ego at the door and place the stars wherever she wants. It’s not really up to us, even when we think we have some sense of order or influence over the Divine. As long we remember this, the Chariot can work for us in a myriad of wonderful ways, bringing us prosperity, financial and societal success, health, vitality, energy, and above all, inspiration to use our strong sense of will.
While driving our chariots toward our dreams, we could benefit from drinking Ginseng Root (Panax ginseng) which has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries to revitalize the body and mind. Energizing and invigorating, it also increases resistance to disease. Recent studies have confirmed this, with one review of 10 studies in 2018 concluding that Ginseng could significantly improve symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome compared to a placebo, even after just 15 days. Ginseng’s energizing properties have been attributed to its ginsenosides and polysaccharides, but studies in 2016 also discovered the invigorating, antioxidant effects of its oligopeptides. Ginseng is adaptogenic, increasing our resistance to some of the physiological harm that stress causes, while reducing exhaustion and creating more equilibrium within hormones related to the stress response. When harvested and dug up, this root dug up is often strangely in the shape of a man and coincidentally also has immunomodulatory effects, strengthening our overall immune system over time.
It’s easy to see why we should have plenty of Ginseng Root on hand to keep our willpower at its peak! Paired with the Chariot, we can forge a new path, overcome any challenge, and accomplish our goals and dreams, however lofty they may seem. Only by reaching for the stars, can we touch the moon.
*Tarot reading is based on the Rider-Waite Tarot Card deck, illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith
References
Arring Noel M., Millstine Denise, Marks Lisa A, and Nail Lillian M. “Ginseng as a Treatment for Fatigue: A Systematic Review.” The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 1 July 2018. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/acm.2017.0361
Irfan Muhammad, Kwak Yi-Seong, Han Chang-Kyun, et al. “Adaptogenic Effects of Panax Ginseng on Modulation of Cardiovascular Functions.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, 4 July 2020. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7322748/
Lei Bao, Xaixai Cai, Junbo Wang et al. “Anti-Fatigue Effects of Small Molecule Oligopeptides Isolated from Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer in Mice.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, 13 December 2016. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27983571/
Pollack, Rachel. Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom. San Francisco, Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC, 2007. P64-69
Tierra, Lesley Lac. Healing with the Herbs of Life. Berkeley, The Crossing Press, 2003. P89 - 90
