 | Upright: Transition, healing, movement, calm, release Reversed: Stagnation, resistance, uncertainty, clinging to the past, escape |
The Six of Swords is your quiet row from stormy seas to still waters—a farewell to chaos and a step toward peace. It’s both an ending and a dawn, charting a course from mental burdens to a calmer shore. This card whispers of leaving shadows behind and gliding toward clarity.
Numerological Value
The Six of Swords bears 6, a number of harmony, balance, and resolution. In tarot, six marks a soothing shift after strife—a time to rebuild and realign.
Element
Tied to Air, this card links to thought, intellect, and communication. Air lends the Six of Swords a lucid, guiding breeze through change.
Astrological Value
Linked to Aquarius and shaped by Mercury, the Six of Swords fuses Aquarius’ forward vision with Mercury’s mental agility, deepening its themes of transition and renewal.
General Meaning of the Card
| Upright Meaning | Reversed Meaning |
|---|---|
| Moving past a tough phase | Stuck and unable to move |
| Mental healing and calm | Holding onto the past |
| Letting go of what was | Resisting change and uncertainty |
| Heading to a new shore | Fleeing or moving without aim |
| Seeking peace and relief | Emotional or physical blocks |
| Card’s Message: | Card’s Message: |
| – Drop your load, look ahead! | – Stop resisting, trust the flow! |
| – Calm shores await you! | – Forgive the past, find your way! |
| – Find peace in change! | – Don’t run, face it and move! |
“Shed your swords, row to calm shores—peace lies beyond the crossing!”
Love and Relationship Readings
Upright Meaning
In love, the Six of Swords signals healing or a shift. You and your partner sail past rough waters into calmer tides. If single, you’re drifting from old heartache, ready for a fresh page.
Reversed Meaning
Reversed, love hits a snag. You can’t resolve old fights with your partner, or an ex’s shadow lingers. If single, you hesitate to open up anew.
Career and Work Readings
Upright Meaning
At work, the Six of Swords hints at leaving stress behind. You quit a toxic job or ease into a saner role—peace beckons.
Reversed Meaning
Reversed, work’s stalled. You’re tied to an old gig or project, dodging change—stuck in limbo.
Finances and Money
Upright Meaning
Financially, the Six of Swords offers relief or recovery. You’re rowing away from debt or strain toward steadier ground.
Reversed Meaning
Reversed, money’s murky. An old debt haunts, or you can’t shift gears—cash flow’s unclear.
Personality and Archetypes
Upright Meaning
Upright, it’s a calm, transitioning soul. The “Traveler” archetype learns from yesterday and rows to peace.
Reversed Meaning
Reversed, it’s a hesitant, blocked spirit. The “Fugitive” archetype either flees or fights change.
Health
Upright Meaning
In health, the Six of Swords brings mental or physical mending. A tense stretch fades—you feel lighter.
Reversed Meaning
Reversed, health lags. Old stress or woes cling, slowing recovery.
Yes/No
Upright Meaning
Yes—If seeking change and calm, yes.
Reversed Meaning
No—If aiming to advance, no.
Symbolism of the Card
The Six of Swords’ imagery mirrors its quiet voyage. A boatman ferries a woman and child across a still river, six swords upright in the bow—past’s sharp edges, now stilled. The water’s tranquil, the far shore faint but there—chaos to calm in motion. The boatman’s steady grip offers guidance; the passengers hint at emotional baggage easing. The sky’s clear yet misty—full peace nears, not quite here. Swords stay aboard, not piercing water—yesterday rides along, but doesn’t wound. These symbols weave a tale: the storm’s done, row to calm, yet carry your lessons lightly.
General Description of the Card
The Six of Swords is your soul’s glide over a river—from tumult to a gentler shore, a fragile yet hopeful shift. In myth, it recalls Charon crossing the Styx—not to death, but renewal. It echoes the “Wanderer” of epics—leaving home, seeking refuge anew. Psychologically, it brushes Jung’s “conscious passage”—mind sailing from dark to clear, lugging old weights. Freud might see it as confrontation, not flight—a first step from subconscious stabs.
Shaped by Air, this card breathes clarity and reason; once-cutting thoughts now sit quiet. You’re in a boat, oars in hand, water’s hum in your ears—moving, but to where? The Six of Swords asks, “What’s behind, what’s with you?” It’s relief and a test—past’s swords linger, not slashing, just reminding. Balance is its call; release yet recall, row without rush. This card bids you board that skiff and eye the horizon—peace is a stroke away.
Upright Meaning Explanation
When the Six of Swords stands upright, it’s like you’ve climbed aboard after a gale—waves hushed, oars in grip, breathing again, though your gaze drifts to the shore you left. Picture months of strain with your partner easing; no more shouts, just sitting side by side, old barbs still echoing faintly. Or you’ve ditched a soul-crushing job—new desk, new air, yet past tension shadows you. This card paints a shift, a healing; you’re pulling free of mind’s sharp blades, rowing to a stiller shore. Life grants a breather—waters calm, breeze fresh; chaos recedes, calm’s in reach.
Yet there’s a catch: those swords ride along, past not fully shed. Say you mend ties with a friend—hurt lingers, a quiet undertone. The Six of Swords says, “Live this crossing”—it can free you, lighten your load. Then adds: “Move without erasing.” Those blades once cut, now they’re just memory, wisdom. This card calls you to row that river, eyes on the new shore—bid farewell as a fresh start hums. The Six of Swords celebrates chaos’s end and calm’s first ripples—keep rowing, peace nears.
Reversed Meaning Explanation
Reversed, the Six of Swords stalls your boat—oars in hand, yet you’re caught midstream, or refuse the far shore. Imagine wanting to fix things with your partner, but old spats loop; same words, no peace. Or work demands a leap—new job calls—but “What if it’s worse?” freezes you in place. This card tells of a jam, a balk; past’s swords still prick, unlet go. Life says “Go,” yet you flee or stall—neither forth nor back, just fog.
It’s a wake-up nudge; that calm shore’s there, but you won’t disembark. Maybe you mull an old mistake—“If only” fills your head, today unseen. Reversed, the Six of Swords says, “Act”—those blades bite because you let them. It’s not all lost; just take a stroke—face or free it. The card murmurs, “Trust the current”—the river flows, but you’re rowing against or not at all. The Six of Swords reversed yearns to unstick you—let yesterday go, peace waits when you move.
