The Chariot

VII

The Chariot... but not the traditional horses and rider. Here comes the St. Charles streetcar, rolling through the night.

Look at this beautiful green relic, still moving forward after all these years. The oldest continuously operating streetcar in the world, refusing to be replaced by time or storm or progress. Inside, the lights glow warm against the gathering dusk—illumination in motion.

And see these two gators on the tracks? Opposing forces that must be navigated, balanced, controlled. In a traditional deck, they would be sphinxes or horses pulling in different directions. Here, they're our own Louisiana guardians, ancient and patient, challenging the streetcar's path.

The Chariot comes to you as a sign of movement, of progress despite obstacles. This isn't gentle motion—it's determined, mechanical, unstoppable. The streetcar doesn't swerve from its tracks; it commits to its route and moves with purpose.

Those beads and that voodoo doll in the trees? Reminders that our journey through this city is never just physical. We carry our celebrations and our protections with us. The spiritual world hangs just overhead as we make our way forward.

When The Chariot rolls into your reading, it speaks of victory through control, through determination. The motorman doesn't fight the tracks—he works with them, understanding that limitation itself can be a form of power. The streetcar can't go anywhere it wishes, but it can go exactly where it needs to with unstoppable momentum.

There's a journey you're on right now that requires this same precision. These same boundaries. You may feel restricted by the tracks of your circumstances, but perhaps those very limitations are guiding you exactly where you need to go.

The St. Charles line has survived hurricanes, floods, modernization attempts—just as you have weathered your own storms. And yet, every evening, it still lights up and continues its route, carrying passengers through the Garden District, past the mansions and universities, connecting past and present.

New Orleans knows about moving forward while honoring what came before. We know about finding victory not despite our circumstances but because of how we navigate them. The Chariot isn't about breaking free of all constraints—it's about mastering them, using them to propel yourself forward.

What opposing forces are you trying to control right now, chéri? What tracks are you committed to following, even when alligators block your path? What destination calls to you so strongly that you'll keep moving toward it, no matter what obstacles appear?

Remember this: even the streetcar must sometimes stop to let passengers on and off. There's no shame in pausing your journey when needed. The victory comes not from constant motion but from knowing when to proceed and when to wait, all while keeping your ultimate destination in sight.

The Chariot promises arrival, but only if you maintain your grip on the controls and respect the tracks that guide you.