Weekly Tarot

April 27-May 3, 2026
The Chariot

The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert (1754-1824)

Looking back over its past visits over the years, I am struck by how often this card likes to pop up on the sabbats, both the quarters and cross-quarters. Indeed, after taking a brief break after its last visit during the eclipse portal of Autumn Equinox, 2024, this week of the Beltane Full Moon, we welcome back The Chariot.

It certainly is quite a powerful way to traverse the crossroads from the Spring season of Imbolc to the Celtic calendar season of Summer.

Arthur Waite describes this card as “conquest on all planes–in the mind, in science, in progress, in certain trials of initiation….He is above all things triumph in the mind.”

The Chariot is the lucky number seven of the Major Arcana, and the image simply overflows with magical symbolism.

The Chariot is drawn by the two sphinxes of duality (black and white), indicating that the charioteer has answered the riddle of the Sphinx and now is granted the ability to move forward. Thus, he has passed the first degree of initiation by solving a vital, difficult question or perhaps making a challenging choice.

This interpretation is reinforced by many Tarot scholars, including the late Tarot legend Rachel Pollack, who divide the twenty-two cards of the Major Arcana into 3 groups, from 1-7, 8-14, and 15-21, with The Fool, as zero, standing alone as beginning and end.

In her book, Tarot Wisdom, Rachel notes that, as the final card of the first sequence of three, the Waite-Smith Chariot contains a reference to all the preceding triumph cards.

The charioteer holds one of The Magician’s wands and the two sphinxes are reminiscent of the pillars of The High Priestess (and it is my opinion that the canopy and the position of the buildings in the background also reference her). The Empress’ star crown appears as the canopy above the charioteer, and The Emperor is recalled by the stone-like cube of the chariot.

The position of the sphinxes echoes the acolytes in The Hierophant, and lastly, the symbol of the wings hovering over the joined lingam and yoni is a reference to the image of The Lovers.

Thus, all those elements that most affect us in our outer lives are mastered by The Chariot. Its appearance this week portends moving successfully forward towards a goal and the completion of a cycle.

In psychological terms, this is the victory of the developed ego, the fully mature adult who is now ready to steer the course of their life based on determination and desire. The next steps in the journey of self-actualization will be inward.

This Potent Magical Week

This Fire Horse zodiac year has sure been making itself known. Here we are again with horses and a charge-ahead imperative! However, The Chariot is ruled, not by a Fire Sign but by watery Cancer. So it may sometimes zig-zag, like a sailboat that tacks into the headwinds.

This week, after drifting around on an all-day Moon void-of-course on Monday, the wheels get rolling. Starting on Tuesday, the astrology to pay attention to this week, according to our friend and news astrology expert Elisabeth Grace, includes:

Highlights:

• Venus trines Pluto on Tuesday
• Venus sextile Saturn on Friday
• Full Moon in Scorpio on Friday
• Mercury enters Taurus on Saturday

Humming in the background:

• Mars squares Jupiter next Monday — so — big push in matters of “national security” over the weekend
• Mercury squares Pluto next Tuesday — so — a field day for investigative reporters; persuasive communication
• Pluto turns retrograde on Wednesday — so — it is already slowing to a virtual stop, putting power and resources in matters of networks, technology, and The People in the news like a blaring car horn, for better or worse.

Could the blaring horn be coming from our Chariot? Very possibly. What drives you? What is your vehicle of choice for getting around?

She also tells us that the Sabian Symbols for this week’s Full Moon are “an embassy ball” — for the Moon…and — “window shoppers” — for the Sun.

Elisabeth writes:

“An embassy ball” — per Sabian Symbol guru Blain Bovee — is an “exclusive gathering of the elite, gathered mostly for their mutual benefit. When positive, integrity and excellence shine; when not so positive, elitism, disdain and specious superiority show forth.”  And OMG — a BALL is showing up in the cosmos NOW, after the demands being made after the WHCA dinner?!

Look for stories of elite gatherings to make headlines for better or for worse…

Seriously – a crowd of elite or exclusive people attending a ball? Didn’t that just happen? How might The Chariot indicate we are going to be moving forward in the wake of recent events?

It appears the Sabian Symbol for this Sun sheds some light on that. She tells us:

The “window shoppers” expressed by the Taurus Sun in the Full Moon chart represent “people on the outside looking in…never buying into what is sold.”

That’s another apt Symbol for the news this week, when few are buying the WHCD spin and the demands for the ballroom, etc., etc.

Bovee suggests we manage the polarity of both Full Moon symbols with an awareness of “glass barriers and ceilings; transparent manipulation; flattering displays. Consider having a ball regardless of social barriers; being happy with the simple life; obligated by one’s social position.”

Who is invited to the ball? Who is excluded? Looking more closely at this Friday’s big Wesak Full Moon (thank you, Robert Wilkinson!)  falling on Beltane (all a very big deal, rolled into an even bigger deal), Emi at FarStellar deep dives and tells us:

I love a Scorpio Full Moon the way you love the friend who, after you have spent twenty minutes defending someone’s behavior, just asks: do you actually like them though. The whole defense collapses in one sentence.

Scorpio does not flatter. Scorpio walks into the room and asks the one question everyone has been politely not asking, every single time, and you can run or change the subject or pour another drink but the question is still sitting there waiting for you.

But this one is different and I want you to see why.

Jupiter in Cancer is trining the Moon, which means the friend asking the hard question is sitting next to another friend who, when you finally start answering, leans back and goes: keep going. The truth has somewhere to land this time, somewhere warm.

Venus is on Aldebaran the same day, one of the four royal stars and the one the ancients tied to integrity. And Venus is also sextile Saturn the same day, which is the architecture detail you should not skip. Saturn does not bother showing up for words that will evaporate by Sunday. Saturn shows up when something is about to be built. So whatever you say on Friday, if you say it cleanly, [it] holds, and not just for the weekend.

Mercury is conjuncting Chiron at the same time, the wound and the voice in the same chair, and the thing you have been almost saying for years finds its sentence. Maybe a clumsy sentence, but a sentence.

So this Full Moon is not locking you in a dark room. It puts the key in your hand and says: open it yourself, we are all here.

Five aspects pointing the same direction is rare. Scorpio asking the question, Jupiter holding the door, Venus on the royal star, Venus and Saturn agreeing that this matters, Mercury finally finding language for the wound, all of it pointing at the same word. Honesty…

Not the kind where you finally tell someone off in a parking lot. The kind where you stop telling yourself the polished version of what happened and let the actual version through. The feeling you have been calling “I am fine” when it had a more specific name you were avoiding. The conversation you keep rehearsing in the shower. The thing about your body or your money or your relationship or your work that you almost said last week and then swallowed.

This whole week is asking for almost…

Almost is enough, the sky is doing the rest.

Five aspects pointing the same direction sounds a lot like “Go for it!” doesn’t it?

Drive On, Drive On!

What Sphinx’s riddles have you struggled with? Could it be that at least some of the challenges that have landed on your doorstep are there to steel your determination?

With every important step forward, you will have to overcome your resistance, your fears, misgivings, and second thoughts. Sometimes, you must slog through setbacks, failures, and even a big messy disaster or two.

The Charioteer knows that without friction, his vehicle will not move. Difficulties can provide the traction you need to keep from being bogged down. As long as the aim is not victory but progress, they may have important lessons and gifts that make you stronger and more focused.

Thus, we are encouraged to strengthen our composure and optimism, especially in the face of discord and doubts.

Don’t be discouraged from your dreams and desires, and please avoid fizzling out on emotional whims. Instead, as we prepare to unleash a nationwide strike (also under the Beltane Full Moon), let us harness our goodwill and remember this: great success can be ours if we are clear in our intention and we dare to move forward.

It’s time to cultivate our best skills, step out with confidence, and work with full commitment, for any one of us–or all of us–may be driving a vehicle that bears miracles.

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