Today I pulled the Chariot. This is one of my favorite cards due to the artwork in my two primary decks. In the Frank Fradella Adventure Tarot, our chariot is a motorcycle roaring at us straight off the card. There is a bit of muck in the foreground, but the front wheel is slicing through it with minimal problems. The charioteer is a huge black man with a determined look on his face. His trench coat flies out behind him as he grips the bike firmly between his legs. Both of his hands hold blazing weapons. This is a man who is large and in charge and going somewhere. Getting in his way is not an option.
In the Tarot of the Old Path, our chariot is a man in a stylized chariot holding a four-in-hand. That refers to the fact that the driver controls all four horses by himself. This was (and still is) considered to be quite the accomplishment in driving skills. He doesn't need the second driver that often went with four horses. The horses themselves are representatives of the four elements, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. He represents the ability to master the elements themselves.
In many decks, the Chariot is associated with Cancer and mastery of self. The lesson of the Chariot is not so much to charge headlong into things as it is to go for it whole heartedly once you have made the decision. But make the decision first.
How often have you thrown yourself into something only to find out you should have done more research... you should have waited a bit longer? What were the consequences of your hasty decision? Would you have chosen differently if you had taken a few more moments to think? Don't let the Chariot decision drag you into a unsafe place. Hold on to the reins and guide your own life.