Tarot Card Comparisons: The Thoth Tarot- Key 7-The Chariot & The Witches Tarot- Key 7- The Chariot.

The Thoth Tarot- The Chariot-key 7 & The Witches Tarot-key 7-The Chariot: are both representative of the Qabalistic Path of Cheth-meaning fence or enclosure, on the Tree of Life,  between Binah, (understanding) the 3rd Sephiroth on the Tree of Life and Geburah (severity) the 5th Sephiroth on the Tree of Life. It is the vehicle that encompasses the Soul on its journey into manifestation, shown on the Thoth Tarot Card, by the four Sphinx with different animal faces, each an element having four sub-elements (cubed).

The Chariot itself is Kether as Geburah, the 5th Sephiroth called Severity. Hence, the Chariot is the Throne of the Soul, that protects the Soul through its journey through dimensions of universal manifestation. The Chariot itself is thus unmoving and stable while the Red Wheels of Geburah power it through the Universal manifestation. Presented here, the Soul is a golden-solar-warrior, who is protected from the Abyss by the Limitless Light of Kether, a vibration form of energy that the Soul rests on.

The Thoth Chariot is ruled by the sign of Cancer, a Water sign (the crab on his helmet) and it is the Pure Water (Pure Consciousness) of the High Priestess that is the Fence or Enclosure and/or Womb , shown as blue oval rings around the chariot, that protects the Soul in its journey from the Higher to the Lower planes of manifestation. The Soul/Psyche is the Self of our selves, it is our individual emanation of the Supreme Spirit Identity from Kether. The Soul being the"Solar Warrior" as shown by the Golden Starred Armor, is lead by the Moon. Keeping the Tradition  of the  ancient Egyptians, who believed that our Sun followed the Moon across the sky.

In the Thoth Tarot- Key 7-The Chariot, the Cancer Crab stands on the Knights Helm, referring to the zodiacal sign of Cancer, into which the Sun moves  at the summer solstice. Cancer is the cardinal sign of Water, shown as blue above and below the charioteer. Hence, Cancer not only represents the first onrush of the Tarot element water, but it also represents the Path Cheth (meaning fence or enclosure) that leads from the Great Mother Binah (understanding) to Geburah (Severity), on the Qabalistic Tree of Life. Therefore the Chariot represents the Veil of Water ( which is blood)  in which the energy of the Supernal (The Trinity) descends on the energy of mankind as Prana and  inspires the "spirit within".  This card supports the old axiom," ...The Know is in the Flow" and helps us realize the value of Prana Yama (Yoga breath) breathing and the flow of the Life-Fire within and/or Kundalini.

The wheels of Geburah (an energy intelligence of Binah the Great Mother) drive the Chariot into Form. Knowing that Binah is the Mother of Form, and is the Feminine Magnetic (womb) force of the Universe, we can see that the Chariot is the combination (the Marriage of Kether-Chokmah- Binah that is the Supernal Triangle of the Above) of Electromagnetic force and the Spiritual Psyche form that is Soul. So with this in mind we may conclude that the flowing forceful nature of The Fiery Creative Father and the Receptive nature of the Watery-Magnetic Mother of all Form, protects our Soul from dispersion back into the Limitless light (Dark Energy Creative) which is Darkness, a non-identity to us.

She/Binah, is the Vessel, Womb, Grail (that is in the hands of the Thoth Golden Knight on the Chariot) both blood red-Blood of Mother-Grail and water blue Womb of the High Priestess-Grail, both comprising the engine that moves our now stable soul-self through the Universe, allowing us a Psychic-conquest on all planes of energy!  Such a engine of Psyche, makes each of us the inheriting Child of The Divine Creative!

The Thoth card symbolizes the vision of Ezekiel, wherein the prophet described  the appearance of"four living creatures" and that each had four faces, A man, a lion, an ox, and that of an eagle which are the symbols for the elemental forces of the manifested universe.

What many of us should now understand is that the Very Severity of Binah, the Great Mother Defends us from dissolution into "Nothingness" as we are her most important "Psyches of Form"; we are both Masters of Form and Creators and as far as She is concerned we are her "Most Beautiful Children"  and have been given her Property---The Qabalistic  4 Worlds of Manifestation, as Trusted Keepers!

We are Souls, a collective of identities of the I AM, developed over space-time manifestation, who create and operate Self-Image in the Name of Abracadabra (Abrahacabra) that is seen woven into the canopy above the Thoth Golden Knight. Crowley states that Abrahacabra/Abracadabra is-The Vibratory word of the Aeon, The Great Work. The Holy Grail, is the "vessel of all Form" which the Psyche drinks, (the Wine/blood of Imagination) giving form to our thoughts......which become the Self-Awareness of I AM ME. I have understood that the I AM, denotes existence, but is uncertain of what exists. This is logical, since the I AM, is of the Quantum Mind, whose only rule is known to theoretical physics as the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. Creation, all of it, is because of this Uncertainty. Infinite, can not be measured and therefore, is unseen, even to itself. I AM, knows it exists, but hasn't a clue of what it is. Hence, the Creation of Self Images, so that I AM, The Greater Self, can be aware of itself.

Now I know all this can be confusing, as there are so many ways to describe these cards that have gathered so many symbols over time as they are very old images of invisible forces that are fascinating but almost incomprehensible to our reasoning brain. That is why we must practice raising the Serpent Force within to awaken the normally unused parts of our brain. The Kundalini can be seen as the "original Word of God" / The Logos, a mini "big bang" and must flow over and through our brain as the Lust of the Great Fiery Creative and  the encompassing Waters of the High Priestess, before we manifest the comprehension of the Greater Self.  Don't fret the brains resulting heat, Understanding will come to the diligent, for no matter the seeming obfuscation of meanings attributed to them. The Tarot Keys represent truly universal archetypes, Forces and Forms that remain immutable despite the limitations of the worded attempts to describe them. You, each and everyone, are Force/Psyche and Forms of Light comprised of all of the 78 images in the Tarot Deck. The Tarot is YOU, not the man-made you, the indoctrinated one who is a reaction to your ruler- defined environment but the Powerful You that is the action that changes environment. You came To Expand and Liberate the survival mind of earth from its animal existence into the Higher Existence of the Immortal Soul/ The golden warrior of Creation.

In the Psyche sits the Chariot-resting, while Powered by the Great Mothers Work and sitting quietly on the thrown of Kether, totally protected by the Magnetic Field of the Grail, awaiting the time when the Brain can hear ABRACADABRA (Abrahadabra)--the cypher of the Great Work. With the "Ears to Hear", that are developed by"Knowing thyself", we can then manifest the Soul as the personality who operates a Physical Power tool--in Mothers Great Garden, rather than a animal looking for its soul; something it will never find, since the finite are definitions from the infinite and are unable to define the infinite in their time- limited thoughts.

The Chariot tarot card represents the Solar Warrior Soul who defines being---but is not defined by being.   Instead of the "four creatures" that pull the Chariot of the Thoth Tarot, The Witches Tarot, uses the traditional black and white horses of Tarot, which are the colors of 

 life and death. This combination of White and Black, is also seen in the twin pillars of the High Priestess cards of traditional tarot. The Witches Tarot Chariot, is done in the style of the Greek sun god Helios.

The Crescent Moon in the sky, of early dawn, and the Charioteer, with sword drawn,  charging across the Morning sky.  Usually, it is a golden chariot, but here the artist, choose to adorn the charioteer with a golden sash. The Moon also implies the Charioteers link with the High Priestess.

The  movement of the Chariot conceals a mystery (arcana) of great significance. As stated, The Chariot is reminiscent of the Greek Chariot of the Sun, Helios, as the original four horses of the Sun pulled the Chariot of the Sun across the sky. This is significant as a representation, since the Chariot moves between the Light, centered in Tiphareth (Beauty) and the Supreme  Darkness of the Limitless Light at the hidden side of Kether (Crown), as depicted in the White and Dark horses that pull the Witches Tarot's Chariot. Yet, there is even a more complex meaning suggested here, as the Sun is guided by the Moon! And in Egyptian mythology, Greek Mythology and the Qabalistic Tree of Life, the sun is subordinate to the moon.  Since the Chariot is of the  sign of Cancer, that is ruled by the Moon (and in which Jupiter is exalted), the Charioteer follows this philosophy of subordination to the Great Mother nicely. The cardinal Path of the Moon, leads from Tiphareth (Beauty-Solar Logos) to  Kether (Crown) is the Path of the High Priestess.  Water  ( Pure Consciousness) takes precedence here and is represented by the Moon.

Correspondences used in magic: 7-The Chariot & 2-The High Priestess.

 

The Chariot's astrological sign is Cancer and the astrological planet of the High Priestess is the Moon, the ruler of Cancer.. Remember, the Tarot is about polarities; Will to Form (female- magnetic) and Will to Force (male-electric). In this association, the Chariot is the form of -I feel. The astrological Motion of the Moon (High Priestess) is- I seek myself through what I feel.

 

It also helps us to remember that all the Major Arcana cards have a receptive form (female) and fiery motion (male) and are thus androgyny. In correspondence, the form of one card will often correspond with the motion of another.

There is also an association with Rune-stones (another popular divination). For the Chariot, the Rune correspondence is Ehwaz, the rune of movement, gradual progress, dwelling places, and horses.

Ehwaz – “eh-was” – Literally: “Horse” – Esoteric: Trust

The Rune for the High Priestess is Othila , the rune of retreat, separation, inheritance, and the home.

Othala – “Oh-thall-ah” – Literally: “Homeland” or “Ancestral Lot” – Esoteric: Inheritance, estate, noble

Primary colors are, Orange-Yellow; with secondary colors of gold,white and silver. The corresponding Chakra is the Spleen Chakra (second chakra)which governs emotion, movement, pleasure, polarities, nurture and nurturing, socialization, sexuality, choices, pride, fear of rejection,  and provides our life energy and vitality. The corresponding stones/minerals are gold, silver, platinum. Also amber, pyrite, golden beryl (topaz), citrine, all orange-yellow chalcedony, clear quartz crystal, diamond, moonstone, pearl spinel, white coral, opal, zircon, and gray or white fluorites and chalcedony.

Musical notes: Chariot-D# and the High Priestess is -G#

The Qaballah Hebrew letters are: Chariot- Cheth- it is described as a simple letter-Speech while the High Priestess-Gimel, in the Qabalistic text-Sepher Yetzirah it is described as a -Double letter- meaning War-Peace.

The Tree of Life Paths are: Chariot- Cheth, the House of Influence. For the High Priestess the path is: Gimel, the Uniting Intelligence. Mean of the letter Gimel is camel and the meaning for Cheth is -Fence or Enclosure.

The plant essences: The Chariot-Coriander, carrot, labdanum, Roman Camomile and for the High Priestess-Camphor, lemon, and jasmine. 

The psychic energy (magic abilities) generated by this correspondence is; Clairsentience (clear feeling) which is the ability to feel others emotions. Since this can be perceived both consciously or sub-consciously, often the clairsentient can become moody and confused without knowing why. By applying all the above correspondences (one stone or mineral) with the Mandala that is the Tarot Cards, meditation/ skying can be greatly charged to enhance "magic abilities".

-Emerson

The Chariot represents the Universal Principles of change/movement combination of stillness-activity: of movement and repose.

Every individual is touched by  multi-dimensional change in their areas of Earth, Air, Water and Fire, as symbolized by the four pillars, the four wheels,and the four animals. These four elemental aspects of ourselves combine to create who we are, mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. The spinning disc in the hands of the Thoth charioteer, also symbolizes the wheel of fortune/The Goddess Fortuna (The blue water womb of birth/nurture Mother and the red-fire womb of Sex/ Death/reincarnation Mother) and means that we as Psyche, have free-choice and can choose fortunate, positive, and abundant changes for ourselves. 

The ten crystals on the golden armor of the Thoth Charioteer, represent the ten powerful positive choices of the Ten Sephiroth on the Qabalists' Tree of Life. The crown, which is "the crowning achievement", wisdom, understanding, mercy, severity, beauty, splendor, victory, foundation and kingdom. These ten states of conscious energy are multidimensional movements and repose that are known as "Our Greater Self". The Tarot Card is also the Qabalistic 18th path.

In the THIRTY TWO PATHS OF WISDOM, Paul Foster Case stated:  The Eighteenth Path is called the House of Influence (by greatness of whose abundance the influx of good things upon created beings is increased) and from the midst of the investigation the arcana and hidden senses are drawn forth, which dwell in its shade and which cling to it, form the cause of all causes.

 Again: Between Geburah (Severity) and  Binah (Understanding)  the Great Mother on the Tree of Life, runs the Path of Cheth. This is the highest and most profound Path on the Pillar of Severity and introduces the Personality to the Supreme Spiritual Self, that wraps our Soul in the Golden Armor of Protection so that the Psyche can be carried through the unmanifested Universe, and/or Dark Matter and Dark Energy. The Chariot is the enclosure that holds the Soul in a state of peace, as moves through all planes. In his BOOK OF TOKENS, Paul Foster Cases stated this about the Chariot: 

  I am the hedge of protection

                                  And I am thy defense,

The Darkness that Mr. Case refers to is that of the Limitless Light of Kether, the very pinnacle of the Supreme Spiritual Self. Pictured in the Chariot, the experience of the Spiritual Self, is known in Alchemy as  the "Exhalation", where the Alchemist becomes the Philosopher's Stone.

The Thoth Deck Chariot, shows the influences of  both the Hindu Tattvas

and the biblical text of Ezekiel with its "living creatures" being represented as 4 Sphinxes pulling the Chariot. These Four Kerubim (angelic beings) represent not only the four Tarot Elements of Fire, Water, Air and Earth, but also each has four sub-elements, as do the Tattvas, and are represented as the four faces of the creatures.

Geburah, is often symbolized with a Pentagram, or five pointed star, that has the Four Elements crowned by the Spirit (Space in the 5th Tattva). Thus, making 5 the number of Geburah on the Tree of Life.  Geburah is a Red Force, and is symbolized on the Thoth card as Red Wheels, meaning that the force of Geburah (Severity) is the  motive force of the Chariot.

 

Geburah is complimented by Chesed (Mercy) on the Tree of Life, and this compliment is seen in the constant usage of the number 4, Chesed's number. We have Four Sphinx, and four columns  (Four Universal Elements) holding up the starry canopy or heavens  of Binah (The Great Mother- Empress Card key 3).  Theses four elemental columns are shown as wooden columns on the Night Sun Tarot Card: However, wooden or red they are called the " four columns of the Tree of Life in a Solid Sphere", adding a little more of the arcane to this card.  I suggest the curious student gets the book, THE QABALISTIC TAROT  by Robert Wang, as it is a fine text for understanding the Arcana of the Qabalistic Tarot.

Above the Golden Armored figure on the Thoth Card, is a crab, symbolizing the sign of Cancer. Woven into the canopy is the  word "ABRACADABRA", which Robert Wang thinks is an apparent pun on "ABRAHADABRA", a word that Crowley called,"one of the most important key numbers of the Liber Al...the word of the Aeon....the cypher of the Great Work which when using Qabalistic Gemtria (numerology), (Book 777 of Crowley) adds up to 418 which equals 4+1+8=13; the Key 13 Death card. The link with the Death card is shown in the Night Sun Chariot card as a white/life and dark/death horse.

Crowley understood that something martial is going on in the Psyche of the Seeker themselves. Much like the Krishna & Arjuna epic in the Hindu Bhagavad Gita, or the Babylonian Epic of Creation,  where the pursuit of enlivenment is symbolized by warring factions.

On this highest Path of Severity, the Soul Warrior of Geburah has reached a pinnacle, as shown by the Tens stars on his golden chest that represent Assiah or Matter. Seated in meditation, with the Holy Grail in his hands: the Cup (Womb) that we look directly into. 

The Chariot, is a Qabalistic Higher Path card, and requires much sckrying, meditation, and arcane study, so this author recommends that you devote more time to this card than a brief blog. At least, get the books I have recommended in this blog and read them liberally! What is also noted here, is that the Male-Female relationship, is represented backwards here in our reflected world. The Male -"Will to Force" of the Universe is Subservient to the Female-"Will to Form" in order for electric Force to become electro-magnetic Form; Idea is subservient to Understanding, for Life to progress.

There is a more metaphysical meaning in the design of the Ten Stars of Assiah that sit upon the Thoth Charioteer's chest. For they are also an inheritance of the "celestial dew" of the Mother. The Great Mother, is the builder of the Psyche.

Cancer maybe known as the House of the Moon but Jupiter is also exalted in Cancer. This concept is illustrated on the Thoth Tarot Card, as the color of  Amethyst that rings the Grail. The Shape of the Grail represents the Full Moon  and the Great Sea of Binah. Spiritual life is inferred by the radiant blood -red in the center of the Grail: light in the darkness of the Womb.

Again, studying the individual symbols, both arcane and mundane,  will lead to a greater understanding of the whole. The Charioteer looks the masculine part he is, but this card is of the Goddess as Binah and Geburah which are both receptive (female) and expressive (male). One will find that in the Gnostic Qabalah, both sexes are inseparable, where there is She, there is He and visa versa. The Chariot represents the mystical Merkabah , the Chariot that carries the Throne of God  in the visions of Ezekiel. The Throne is stable and unmoving, while the Chariot  descends on the revolving "fiery" wheels of Geburah.

 

Arcana means secret and/or mystery and the Major Arcana (Key Cards) are deeply embedded in mysterious secrets buried in the imagery of time long past while being totally relevant today, requiring much study.  As Plato said, " To know thyself, is to know God" describes the mystery of the Qabalah.

If the accompanying cards are ill defined, then none of the fore mentioned qualities will be stable and all will be short lived.

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