On a mundane level, the 6 of Swords can mean exactly what it looks like, a journey across water. But there is a whole lot more to this card when we dive deeper. Let’s start by looking at some common positive and negative meanings of this card.
Positive Meanings Tarot Card Meanings for the 6 of Swords
- Transition and Moving Forward: The 6 of Swords signals a period of transition and moving forward. It indicates that you are leaving behind challenging situations, emotional turmoil, or difficult times, and progressing towards a more peaceful and stable phase in life.
- Intellectual Clarity and Insight: This card brings the potential for gaining intellectual clarity and new insights. It encourages you to detach from subjective emotions and look at situations objectively, allowing you to make informed decisions and find solutions to problems.
- Support and Guidance: The 6 of Swords suggests that help and support are available to you during this transition. Whether it’s from friends, family, or a mentor, there are people who will assist you in navigating through challenging waters and finding a smoother path.
Negative Meanings Tarot Card Meanings for the 6 of Swords
- Resistance to Change: One negative aspect of the 6 of Swords is resistance to change. It may indicate a reluctance to let go of old patterns, habits, or beliefs that are holding you back from progress. This resistance can prolong your journey towards a more peaceful state.
- Unresolved Emotional Baggage: This card can also point to unresolved emotional baggage that you carry with you. It suggests that you may still be clinging to past hurts or traumas, preventing you from fully embracing the new chapter in your life. It’s important to address and heal these emotional wounds.
- Lack of Support or Guidance: In some cases, the 6 of Swords can indicate a lack of support or guidance during your transition. You may find it challenging to navigate the journey alone. It’s important to seek out supportive communities, seek advice, or even consider professional help to assist you in moving forward.
Feeling into the Energy of the 6 of Swords
When the 6 of Swords shows up in a reading, we may need to distance ourselves from subjective feelings about a certain situation that is causing drama or issues for us. We could also receive help with doing so since this is a Mercury in Aquarius card. Aquarian energy is the energy of the collective. Hence, if we have been struggling on our own up to this point, we may now find that the much-needed leg up is available.
The 6 of Swords card can also indicate that travel is on the cards. It could quite literally mean travel across water/overseas. Sometimes, depending on the situation and/or surrounding cards in a spread, it can give us a heads-up that our trip is cancelled.
Leaving the rough seas behind
Usually, the 6 of Swords card lets us know that the worst is already behind us and that it is time to reorient ourselves toward the future. We may still need a bit of help getting there but we are on the way. So the more positive a focus we are able to maintain, the brighter our tomorrow will look.
Project into the future
The 6 of Swords (Mercury in Aquarius) is a card of very pure mental energy. Mercury rules the intellect and Aquarius is Fixed Air. Aquarius is also more concerned about the future than the past. The 6s are about balance/harmony and centring ourselves in our heart (Tipheret). When we project our heart’s desire through the will of the mind into the future, we can create something much better than the dim or troubled past we now wish to draw a line under.
The energy of Aquarius invites us to consider the Highest Good of All for moving forward. After all, creating something better for everyone and not just ourselves is better for the soul of the individual too.
Clarity becomes available
With this card comes the possibility of clarity and new insight. We can learn and move on. Or we can learn and return. But now the informed choice is ours. We are no longer victims of whim or fancy; we are moving in harmony with our truth.
Other possible meanings for this card, aptly titled ‘Science’ in the Thoth Tarot, are scientific breakthrough, innovation and intellectual accord. It can also literally mean that to find a solution to a current problem, we need to get up and move about. Sometimes a short walk will suffice and sometimes we need to travel to be inspired by new scenery or new meetings with people.
Affirmation: “I detach, clear my mind and open myself up to Divine Wisdom.”
6 of Swords Prayer
Dear Mother-Father God, thank you for insights which allow me to leave behind the habits, thoughts and circumstances that lock me into a state of ignorance. Help me to always seek your wisdom and the best way forward for the Highest Good. Amen and so it is!
Correspondences for the 6 of Swords
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
Planet: Mercury
Archangel: Raphael, ruler of the Element of Air
Gemstone: Kyanite
Scents and essential oil: Fresh snow, the North wind, peppermint
The 6 of Swords in Love and Relationships
For a couple, this card is usually an indication that you give each other a lot of intellectual freedom and that you are able to tolerate the other person’s views even if you don’t agree with them. You find the company of your partner intellectually stimulating and you value bonding through the mind. It is likely that your relationship has a firm foundation built on friendship.
Reversed or ill-dignified, this card could indicate intolerance and narrow-mindedness. Respect is quickly eroded without tolerance and there can be no love without respect. It can also indicate that one party is too aloof and not sensitive to the needs of their partner.
Single and looking
To a single person, this card could indicate that they could meet someone on an online forum where they bond over a hobby or subject of interest. It could also indicate that they need to be mindful of intellectual compatibility with a future partner. This is extra important to people with a lot of Air in their birth charts. The Air signs are Aquarius (Fixed), Gemini (Mutable) and Libra (Cardinal).
Intimacy
The 6 of Swords is daring you to broaden your horizons and try something new in the bedroom. Dare to experiment! It’s OK to explore different techniques once you feel safe to do so.
