Tarot Talks: Apophenia Tarot - The Chariot

The Chariot.

Photo credit: Phoenix Rose

This comes from the Apophenia Tarot by Steven Archer. The deck's stark imagery is captivating, in my opinion.

When I was gifted the deck I did not know much about Archer. The deck had no guide book and on his website the artist said there would never be a book. I admire his brazen honesty. Archer stated that he only created the deck because his fans kept pushing for it, that he himself is an artist and not into tarot at all. The cards are a fan bit and nothing more. The title, apophenia, makes so much sense given his statement. As someone who has read tarot for half of my life I can see how, as an artist, Archer did a great job with this deck. I feel artists have a way of channeling things and end up with something they didn't know they knew.

One card in particular struck me. The Chariot. Pictured is JFK, the First Lady is not with him, but the Lincoln Continental, the grassy knoll, and arrows imply his assassination. What does this have to do with the traditional image and symbolism of The Chariot?

I began my search on the now defunct Aeclectic Tarot forum to glean an ounce of insight into this deck. I was not surprised to see many complimenting the artistry, however I was shocked that this deck is a deal-breaker for some readers because of the Chariot card.

Some could not find the correlation between JFK and the Chariot meanwhile others found it in poor taste. A few non-Americans were not fazed because their patriotism lays elsewhere. Some even went so far as to say they would never buy this deck, would not even want to be read using this deck because of the Chariot card. Some were truly offended.

As a Canadian, I am well aware of JFK's impact and lasting reputation, however I feel no offense to his image being used; I just want to know how I can correlate the seemingly unrelated symbolism. 

First things first, the traditional meaning of the Chariot. This card is about victory and success, not the dumb-luck kind, the kind that comes of hard work and perseverance. Having an almost aggressive attitude towards achieving goals. Being a bit self-involved. This card can relate to the military and leadership. This card is about making decisions between obedience and rebellion. Indicates travel and movement. Balance between masculine and feminine, as above and so below, to achieve success. It also has an adolescent energy about it; the part of the Fool's journey where he's gaining sight of his ability, honing skills, and striving towards mastery.

Photo credit: Google images

Now let's take a gander at John F. Kennedy. He experienced much illness throughout his short life (perseverance for success against the odds). He was the US's youngest elected president (adolescent to mastery energy). He climbed the so-called ladder to success through his school career, had a stint in journalism before getting right into politics, served in the Navy (perseverance to achieve goals). He has great leadership skills; was a lieutenant in the Navy (leadership and military energy). As a president he had his share of scandals, think Marilyn Monroe, he also made decisions that were not favorable to other politicians and powers-that-be (self-invloved, as well as rebellious, and tough decision making energy here).

I can really see how JFK ties in. Now I'm looking at it like how can he not be on this card, it's too appropriate. The arrows threw me. As previously stated, I figure they imply his assassination. 

Or does it? Let's look at arrow symbolism. Arrows symbolism speed, travel, movement, and swift action, which aligns with The Chariot. Arrows signify thoughts and nothing moves faster than a thought. They also indicate piercing the outer layer to get to the heart of the matter. In the card the arrows are shown piercing the outer layer. This goes with the energy of decisions, making choices that may change our current situation, or at the very least change our perspective on our current situation. In Christianity arrows are also related to the hunt, lightning, and divination.

Arrows can also be a sign of love when considering Cupid's arrows. Could this point to JFK being known as a ladies man? His known and unknown adultery? Another aspect I see with these arrows of love is the romanticizing of him as a president. The historian, Carl M. Brauer, in 2002 said that the public's "fascination with the assassination may indicate a psychological denial of Kennedy's death, a mass wish ... to undo it."

Photo credit: CNN archive 

The Chariot is a card of self-discovery, and in the reversed position it's about overcoming obstacles to achieve success, but at what cost? The reversal indicates riding for a fall; overconfidence, rash in actions, car troubles, problems on the road, delays, easily deflected from your course. I would say Kennedy had one hell of a set back during his travels to Dallas on that tragic day. The reversal speaks of the conflicts and opposing views. JFK had very much opposing views when compared to other prominent political powers. He scrapped Eisenhower's methods in the White House. He did not allow the false flags that the Chief of Staffs wanted to play out on American soil to win favor in the war on Cuba. Among many other things which link to the meanings of the Chariot.

The more I read about JFK the more I can see the relation to The Chariot. This isn't even touching on the conspiracies that surround him and his assassination. However, the arrows could suggest the theory of more than one shooter. The two hidden arrows might point to the unknown, and questionable, information surrounding his untimely death. 

Photo credit: Google images

Kennedy in his role of president and all he went through to get there is absolutely in line with Chariot energy. Archer could have chosen JFK speaking at a podium, or the inauguration with Kennedy's famous line, "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." However, Archer chose not the moments of leadership or critical decision-making, instead he chose to show the result of those actions. 

As I stare at the image of Kennedy's missing hair and gaunt complexion I wonder if this a zombie, JFK persevering even in death. His decisions in life, his actions and behaviours live on, despite all he was up against. His spirit pushes forth and 56 years after his passing his story is captivating, the more I learn the more I want to know. He was a man who promoted world peace in the midst of wars. This is the spirit of the Chariot, perseverance, making decisions and taking actions, even if others disagree, pushing forth in the face of adversity. Haters gonna hate.

Alternatively, this points to understanding there are consequences to our actions. Whether positive or negative, we take action and we get results. When we make rash decisions or act in haste we may wind up taking some hits. Should we let that stop us? Probably not. We should recoup and regroup, change course if necessary. Keeping with the self-discovery energy of the Chariot, only we can be responsible for ourselves and our path in life. We could be asking ourselves not what others can do for us, but what we can do for ourselves.

Brightest Blessings,
Phoenix Rose
-
Connect on social media:
FB - www.facebook.com/phoenixrosereadings
Twitter - @PhoenixRoseCM
IG - echoside_phoenix_rose
Pinterest - phoenixrosecm
-
Shop - EchoSideCreations.etsy.com
Blog - EchoSidePhoenix.blogspot.ca

Recommendations and resources:

Learn more about Steven Archer here:
http://www.egolikeness.com
Buy the deck here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935738267/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_smhvCbBHKTSG7

https://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=250261

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy

Mary K. Greer's Complete Book of Tarot Reversals
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1567182852/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_urhvCbFM9ZJAB