The image in the Six of Swords shows a woman and a child in a boat being rowed in the water to a land that is on the other side. We can gather from the images that the woman and the child are leaving something behind, as their backs are faced towards us. The woman’s head is covered with a cloak – perhaps she is fleeing something, and must go without others knowing her true identity. We can assume that because of this, she is undergoing great loss or sadness. The symbolism within the Six of Swords is that of loss or change, as well as moving towards a future that looks more promising than the one that we left behind. The six swords alongside the boat symbolize the strong power of the rational mind, compared to intuition and the heart.
Upright Meaning Guide
Six of Swords Upright Tarot Card Key Meanings:
Calmer waters, healing, progress, moving on, moving forward, things calming down, calm after a storm, overcoming hardship, relief, stability, escaping, running away, journeys, traveling, travel overseas, going on holiday, feeling deflated, lethargy, holding onto negativity, spirit guides, guidance,
General Meaning and Interpretation (Upright)
In a general context, the Six of Swords represents progress, moving into calmer waters, moving on or moving forward. It is a Minor Arcana card of overcoming hardship, healing, relief, and stability so you can expect problems in your life to settle down and things to be much easier to deal with. The Six of Swords can also represent escaping, running away, journeys, travel, traveling overseas and going on holiday. It can signify feeling lethargic and deflated after coming through a tough time or the calm after the storm. It is also a Tarot card of intuition, inner guidance and spirit guides.
Love & Relationships (Upright)
In a love Tarot spread, if you are in a relationship the Six of Swords indicates that your relationship is moving into calmer waters after a difficult period. Healing, stability and open communication are all coming to the fore now and it is a positive time where the relationship can progress. If you are single, this Minor Arcana card can indicate a period of healing. You have come through the heartache of previous relationships and are now ready to move forward. If you put a lot of effort into making your last relationship work to no avail, you may be feeling slightly deflated but do not allow yourself to hold onto that negativity. You have come through the bad times and now you can allow a healthy relationship to come into your life. If your previous partner was abusive, the card would usually signify a period of healing after you have found the strength to leave the situation.
Money & Career (Upright)
In a career Tarot reading, the Six of Swords signifies that things on the work front are calming down. You may be moving into an easier phase in your work life where things are under control, you are accomplishing your goals and completing tasks with ease or you may have moved to a job that is much better for you. This card can also indicate traveling overseas for business purposes or moving premises. In a financial Tarot spread, if you have been struggling financially the Six of Swords can signify overcoming hardship and relief from financial problems. You should be moving into a calmer time financially but it does come with a warning. You cannot run away from financial issues, if you want lasting peace of mind you must deal with your money issues and not run away from them. If your finances have been going well this card indicates that they should progress nicely. However, don’t be overly cocky and start wasting money. Look at the placement and the supporting cards to ascertain whether the storm is ahead of you or behind you in terms of money.
Health (Upright)
In a health Tarot reading, the Six of Swords can indicate an acute illness being brought under control or relief of symptoms and as such, it generally a good card to get. You may still be feeling lethargic or drained when it appears as recent events have taken their toll but things should be moving in the right direction so stay positive. A vacation or a weekend away would do you the world of good!
Spirituality (Upright)
In a spiritual context, the Six of Sword tells you that your spirit guides are all around you guiding you to the wisdom you are seeking. Pay attention to your intuition, visions, and dreams at this time as they are trying to tell you something important.
Reversed Meaning Guide
Six of Swords Reversed Tarot Card Key Meanings:
Trouble coming, out of frying pan into fire, lack of progress, slow healing, trapped, delay, stuck, overwhelmed, causing trouble, rocking the boat, changing/ abandoned plans, standing your ground, nowhere to run, stormy relationships, instability, disrupted/cancelled travel, return from travel, eloping, floods, accidents in the water,
General meaning and interpretation (Reversed)
In a general context, the Six of Swords reversed represents moving into troubled waters, lack of progress and jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. In a reversed position, it is a Minor Arcana card of feeling stuck, trapped overwhelmed, restricted and having nowhere to run or choosing to stand your ground. This card signifies instability, rocking the boat, causing trouble and stormy relationships so you can expect life to be a little turbulent when it appears in your Tarot spread. This card also signifies slow healing. The Six of Swords reversed can also represent returning from travel or holidays or disrupted or canceled travel, changing or abandoning plans and eloping to get married. It can signify floods or accidents in the water.
Love & Relationships (Reversed)
In a love Tarot spread, if you are in a relationship the Six of Swords reversed indicates that your relationship is stormy at the moment and you are going through a rough patch or a troubled period. You may be feeling overwhelmed, trapped or stuck or the relationship may not be progressing as quickly as you would like. It can also indicate that a third party may be causing trouble in your relationship. If you are getting married, this Minor Arcana card reversed can indicate that you will elope. If you are single, the Six of Swords reversed can indicate a period of disruption in your love life or simply a time where there is nothing much happening or a lack of progress. The wounds of your previous relationship are slow to heal at the moment and you may be feeling overwhelmed. When this Minor Arcana card appears reversed in your Tarot spread it warns you that you need to allow yourself time to heal, even if healing takes longer than you would like. If you jump into a new relationship before you have processed the effects of the last one, you may find that you have jumped out of the frying pan into the fire.
Money & Career (Reversed)
In a career Tarot reading, the Six of Swords reversed signifies that things on the work front are turbulent. Someone may be trying to cause trouble for you in the workplace or you may feel trapped in a job you don’t like. Plans may be canceled or changed or you may experience delays in projects or delays completing tasks. This card can also indicate that any travel overseas for business may be disrupted or canceled. In a financial Tarot spread, the Six of Swords reversed indicates that you may be running away from financial woes. This is not a time to tuck tail and run, you may feel like you don’t know what to do to manage the situation but if you put a little effort in and seek some professional advice you may be able to get your finances under control.
Health (Reversed)
In a health Tarot reading, the Six of Swords reversed can indicate that recovery from illness or injury will take longer than you hope or anticipate. There may be delays in healing or setbacks and you may feel like your health is up in the air at the moment. Try not to let the instability you feel overwhelm you, it shall pass, you just need to find some balance and allow the healing to take place in due course.
Spirituality (Reversed)
In a spiritual context, the Six of Sword reversed indicates that you may be having issues with sensing your spirit guides or experiencing delays in your progression on your spiritual path, leaving you feeling stuck or frustrated. Try to relax and know that your abilities will progress at the pace they are meant to, there will be times when you progress quickly and other times less so, it is all part of a greater plan for you.
Reference:
Labyrinthos, 2019, 11/13/19, (https://labyrinthos.co/blogs/tarot-card-meanings-list/six-of-swords-meaning-tarot-card-meanings?_pos=10&_sid=18b5a7f6f&_ss=r)
Lisa, 2019, 11/13/19, (https://www.thetarotguide.com/six-of-swords)