VII – Desire (The Chariot) Lover’s Path Tarot
VII - Desire (The Chariot) Lovers Path Tarot
The Lover’s Path Tarot is one of two by Kris Waldherr that I enjoy working with (the other is the Goddess Tarot). In the Lover’s Path, each card of the Major Arcana is keyed to a particular legendary romantic pairing, while each suit of the Minor Arcana expands on one specific legend’s storyline.
The Major Arcana VII – usually titled The Chariot is, in this deck “Desire”. That really isn’t a huge leap – the Chariot is about what drives us and motivates (that is, moves) us toward our desired goals. There is often a tension between competing goals and a need to stay focused on our desired result in order to stay on our path.
See… there’s that word. Desire. To get what you want, you have to want it badly enough to do what needs doing to get there. That means letting go of attachment to things that don’t serve attainment of the goal. It means being willing to stay on the path even when it becomes nothing but potholes. To the truly single-minded, it can mean running over a few random pedestrians along the way, but that’s a trap because heading to jail (metaphysically speaking) is a sure way to never get to the finish line.
But there is still that tension… everytime we are driven by desire to get something or get somewhere, we have to at least be willing to sacrifice the desires of those around us to get it because it is a very rare thing when everyone’s goals line up.
Tristan and Isolde is a very old legend, predating the Arthurian legends and eventually added to them, which was popularized as a chivalric story of a grand love affair that propelled a woman toward the man she loved even though she was already married to another.
It is a story that continues to play out every day, repeatedly. Certainly, there are ethical and moral concerns that each person needs to grapple with – and remember, serious consequences for running over other people without concern. But there is a myth people tell themselves that Tristan and Isolde can help dispel – that it is even possible to chase your dreams when they mean breaking an existing commitment without causing pain. People will hang onto a marriage and a lover sometimes for years to ‘avoid causing hurt’ and in the process deeply wounding everyone involved. “I don’t want to hurt anyone” is sometimes, deep down, code for “I don’t want to have to notice the roadkill I’m creating”
Suck it up and be honest with yourself and those around you about what it is you want, and then get on that path. Anything less than that makes you the pothole.
Morgana Fillions's Tarot Journey 