6 of Swords Advice

[November]

Hello everyone, I have a question about the 6 of Swords as advice. 

 

In the RWS deck we see 3 people crossing troubled waters together, with the hope to reach calmer ones.

 

Considering this image is it possible to interpret this card as "you need to go through this together"? I mean, you have a problem, but you're not alone, your loved ones are there to help you, their support is necessary to sort things out. 

 

Could this make sense? 

Thank you so much. 

Edited July 19, 2024 by November

[WhiteMoon]

I would say that if you are getting that message, it may be true for you. Intuition is more important than others' interpretations. However, that's not the usual interpretation of the card. In my readings, Six of Swords usually means the opposite, that you need to get away, get distance and perspective.

[November]

41 minutes ago, WhiteMoon said:

I would say that if you are getting that message, it may be true for you. Intuition is more important than others' interpretations. However, that's not the usual interpretation of the card. In my readings, Six of Swords usually means the opposite, that you need to get away, get distance and perspective.

 

Thank you for sharing, I can see that with this card. 

[dancing_moon]

For me, 6 of Swords as advice would be "move away from the situation/let go/leave it behind". Usually, it helps to pull a clarifier ("move where?").

 

Also, here's the description this card gets in the PKT:

Quote

A ferryman carrying passengers in his punt to the further shore. 

So, the man here doesn't really fit the bill of a "loved one", more so of "hired assistance" - perhaps, professional help wouldn't be amiss.

 

Hope this helps 😊

[November]

7 hours ago, dancing_moon said:

For me, 6 of Swords as advice would be "move away from the situation/let go/leave it behind". Usually, it helps to pull a clarifier ("move where?").

 

Also, here's the description this card gets in the PKT:

So, the man here doesn't really fit the bill of a "loved one", more so of "hired assistance" - perhaps, professional help wouldn't be amiss.

 

Hope this helps 😊

 

Thank you for sharing! Yes, your take makes sense. 

[DanielJUK]

I think a lot in this card about how the swords travel with them in the boat. From what Dear @dancing_moon said, Waite had a Ferryman rowing them and calls the others "Passengers". Their heads are covered by cloaks but it looks like a woman and child and there is a separation with the ferryman, like he is just doing his professional job, there is an emotional distance between them.

 

This can be just travelling over water but there is a sadness with this card. It does make me think of refugees or someone who has to move for their safety. Or Immigrants, wanting better for their families. The hope of the land on the other side of the water promises better times. This is leaving something behind, keeping it in the past and moving on to the future in some way. The promise and hope of a better life ahead. About the swords in the boat, she takes trauma and her thoughts with her, you can escape the situation but you still take the thoughts and memories about it with you. I think there can be quite a darkness and trauma of this card (to a varying scale) about why she has to go in this boat.

 

There is obviously a scale with this card from someone escaping a dangerous country, or a dangerous relationship, to going on holiday overseas. But this to me is needing a break from your loved ones, a time out! A lot of people come to London, like Mothers and their children and they leave their husbands and sometimes their children in their home country. They go on in advance but they are separated by travel, by the water, although just temporarily. This can also be to have a separation to pursue a goal that is important to you, like someone going to study and leaving their partner at home. So there is a separation here but it's needed and it's temporarily! The break is needed here for your emotional health and to think about to proceed 🙂 

[November]

Thank you for your exhaustive explanation @DanielJUK

[Rootwood]

My 'rule' in tarot is that the cards tell you about you.  They bring up what you need to know to do better in your own life situation.  But the 6 of Swords is perhaps the only card where I break my own rule.  To me,  the 6 of Swords is about escape because another person or the situation they create is making you unsafe. Often it is their belief systems, values, addiction, etc that have placed you in a dangerous position and you need to get away. I think of people fleeing abusive relationships. Or governments.  Or religions. Sometimes they need the help and shelter of a third person (the ferryman) to carry them to a better destination. But there is no joy in this trip. The figure is huddled, the equally huddled child held at side. They are downcast, sorrowful and heavy.   Swords are mind, mental, thoughts so it's an idea / belief  you need to get away from for your own safety - your own idea maybe or someone else's.  

[Chariot]

I like what everyone says on this thread.

There can be a comparison between the 6 of Swords and the 8 of Cups, in that both cards are about leaving a place and moving on.  Neither card radiates joy in the journey, like The Fool would do—so I would struggle to see the 6 of Swords as a 'holiday,' unless it's a holiday for badly-needed recuperative purposes.

The 8 of Cups is about taking the decision to move on, but also setting things in order before doing so.  (In the RWS deck, the cups are neatly stacked, as the person hikes off on the path away from the scene.)  The implication is that something or someone you spent a lot of time and energy on has become less significant now, and you have finally decided to wind it up, leave it behind, and move on.  There may be a sense of loss or disappointment, but you have made the decision calmly, have probably taken provisions with you, and your departure is planned-for, not sudden or impulsive

The 6 of Swords, on the other hand, is all about escape.  You have not had time to think or put your affairs in order.  Indeed you are carrying nothing but the proverbial shirt on your back.  There is a likelihood you may not particularly want to go where you're being taken—the people in the boat don't seem to be looking towards the destination at all, and are quite passive and perhaps depressed at the moment. You might not have much in the way of resources when you get there either.  But at least you'll be out of danger, and you've got away from trouble.  I often think of refugees when I encounter the 6 of Swords.

[November]

4 hours ago, Rootwood said:

My 'rule' in tarot is that the cards tell you about you.  They bring up what you need to know to do better in your own life situation.  But the 6 of Swords is perhaps the only card where I break my own rule.  To me,  the 6 of Swords is about escape because another person or the situation they create is making you unsafe. Often it is their belief systems, values, addiction, etc that have placed you in a dangerous position and you need to get away. I think of people fleeing abusive relationships. Or governments.  Or religions. Sometimes they need the help and shelter of a third person (the ferryman) to carry them to a better destination. But there is no joy in this trip. The figure is huddled, the equally huddled child held at side. They are downcast, sorrowful and heavy.   Swords are mind, mental, thoughts so it's an idea / belief  you need to get away from for your own safety - your own idea maybe or someone else's.  

 

Thank you @Rootwood, your take actually makes sense. 

[November]

17 minutes ago, Chariot said:

I like what everyone says on this thread.

There can be a comparison between the 6 of Swords and the 8 of Cups, in that both cards are about leaving a place and moving on.  Neither card radiates joy in the journey, like The Fool would do—so I would struggle to see the 6 of Swords as a 'holiday,' unless it's a holiday for badly-needed recuperative purposes.

The 8 of Cups is about taking the decision to move on, but also setting things in order before doing so.  (In the RWS deck, the cups are neatly stacked, as the person hikes off on the path away from the scene.)  The implication is that something or someone you spent a lot of time and energy on has become less significant now, and you have finally decided to wind it up, leave it behind, and move on.  There may be a sense of loss or disappointment, but you have made the decision calmly, have probably taken provisions with you, and your departure is planned-for, not sudden or impulsive

The 6 of Swords, on the other hand, is all about escape.  You have not had time to think or put your affairs in order.  Indeed you are carrying nothing but the proverbial shirt on your back.  There is a likelihood you may not particularly want to go where you're being taken—the people in the boat don't seem to be looking towards the destination at all, and are quite passive and perhaps depressed at the moment. You might not have much in the way of resources when you get there either.  But at least you'll be out of danger, and you've got away from trouble.  I often think of refugees when I encounter the 6 of Swords.

 

Thank you @Chariot, the comparison with the 8 Cups is helpful here, I agree. 

[Misterei]

On 7/19/2024 at 2:52 AM, November said:

Hello everyone, I have a question about the 6 of Swords as advice.

To me this card [all of them, really] is contextual.

In love readings, 6 Swords is usually NOT togetherness, but *moving on*.

Yet for a couple in a long distance relationship, travel is part of their relationship. So maybe they are travelling together.

 

For a business spread it can be work travel, or it could be *moving on* from your job. Depends if you travel for business, or if you are thinking of quitting your job, for example.

 

To read it as migrants or refugees, I would want to see World with it.

To read it as escape from an abusive situation I would look for other cards indicating abuse.

[Chariot]

@Misterei is totally right.  Context is everything.  
 

As far as doing reading about migrants or refugees, I would also need context—World is a very apt context! 🙂  What I meant was this card, on its own, always makes me think of seeking refuge, for some reason.  There is a 'fleeing' kind of vibe to it, when I see this card.  Are they being rescued?  Peace is on offer in this card, but not contentment—just the notion of escaping trauma.  The people depicted in this deck are seeking safety—either temporary or permanent—but aren't happy to be going.  The aura of depression is very strong in this card, as depicted in RWS-based decks.

I don't usually read this card as 'travel' in an ordinary sense of taking a holiday overseas or work-related travel.  Instead, I would probably see one of the knights (in their 'situation/action' mode) as meaning travel or visitors.  Or even The Fool, if the trip is exciting and to someplace new.

Edited August 3, 2024 by Chariot

[November]

Thank you both @Misterei and @Chariot. Of course it always depends on the context, I thought about togetherness because of the RWS image, but it makes more sense you moving on alone. 

[Kluizenaar]

To me the two hooded persons are subconscious aspects of your psyche, while the active ferryman symbolizes your conscious efforts and actions. 

 

So you could ask yourself if there is some unexplained anxiety or tension in yourself you need to address. What thoughts or feelings do you need to ferry across and leave on the far bank of the river? 

[November]

4 hours ago, Kluizenaar said:

To me the two hooded persons are subconscious aspects of your psyche, while the active ferryman symbolizes your conscious efforts and actions. 

 

So you could ask yourself if there is some unexplained anxiety or tension in yourself you need to address. What thoughts or feelings do you need to ferry across and leave on the far bank of the river? 

 

Thank you @Kluizenaar, by telling me this I understand more what the card was really about.. There are surely tension and anxiety that need to be addressed. 

Edited August 8, 2024 by November