Six of Swords Tarot: Meaning, Symbolism and Reversed Meaning

In brief: name, number and keywords

The Six of Swords is the card of passage. After the crisis of the Five, a crossing begins: you leave a place, a period or a way of thinking behind in order to reach a calmer shore. The atmosphere is solemn but soothed.

It carries the number 6. In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, it is the Six of Swords.

Keywords: passage, departure, transition, easing, journey, stepping back.

The image in the Marseille tarot

In the Tarot de Marseille, the Six of Swords is a pip card: six curved blades arranged in two rows of three, or in two groups facing each other, with leafy stems. No boat, no ferryman. Six appears here as a balance in two beats.

The journey belongs to the Rider-Waite-Smith deck; in the Marseille, it is symmetry that evokes harmony.

The scene in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck

A ferryman, seen from behind, pushes a boat with a long pole. On board, a veiled woman and a child sit with heads bowed. Six swords stand upright in the bow of the boat, blades pointing up.

The water on the left is agitated, choppy with small waves; on the right, in front of the boat, it is smooth. A shore is faintly visible in the distance. The sky is pale. The light is calm, the crossing silent.

Symbolism of the elements of the scene

A few details of the image, among the most commented. These are starting points for interpretation.

• The ferryman: the one, or the thing, that helps us cross from one shore to the other; a helper, a project, a period of time.
• The veiled woman and the child: those we take with us, or the part of ourselves that needs protection during the change.
• The six swords in the boat: the worries, the thoughts we carry with us. We do not always leave them on the shore.
• The water, agitated then calm: the turbulent past behind, a more peaceful future ahead, with no guarantee.
• The veil and the bowed heads: departure is not a celebration; it calls for recollection.

Upright meaning

Upright, the Six of Swords traditionally evokes a transition: a departure, a move, a change of situation, a journey that allows you to breathe. It can also describe an inner passage, from a difficult period to a more serene one, even if you carry your thoughts with you.

The card does not promise that everything will be fine: it shows that movement is possible. In a spread, it can highlight that it is time to step away from a conflict or a habit, and to leave behind what weighs on you. It predicts no journey.

Reversed: schools that differ

School 1: a crossing blocked. Reversed, the Six of Swords would speak of a delayed departure, resistance to change, a step backwards, or a problem you carry with you without having looked at it.

School 2: a forced passage. Others read a change that is imposed, poorly prepared or too fast. Many tarot readers do not read the reversed side and rely on the neighbouring cards.

Traditional correspondences and numerology

According to the Golden Dawn, which assigns a decan to each card from 2 to 10, here are the most frequently cited reference points (dates give or take a day).

Numerology of 6. Six is a number of harmony: two times three, the midpoint between one and ten, the point where you stand in balance. After the disorder of the Five, it brings back a form of peace. In the Golden Dawn's Kabbalistic reading, it corresponds to Tiphereth, Beauty, the centre of the Tree of Sephiroth.

The Golden Dawn calls it “Lord of Earned Success”. This name is a 19th-century occult convention; Waite's more discreet scene speaks of a measured passage rather than a triumph.

Common areas of reading

Tarot does not say what is going to happen: it offers images to reflect on. Here is what this card can bring to mind, in symbolic terms.

• Personal reflection: leaving behind a state of mind that weighs on you. A possible question: what am I ready to leave on the other shore?
• Relationships: stepping back from a tense relationship, or accompanying someone through a change.
• Work: a move, a change of post, department or organisation; a project changing direction.
• Money: a removal, a relocation, a reorganisation of spending; the card predicts nothing.

Combinations with other cards

A card is rarely read on its own: its neighbours nuance it. A few simple pairings, to be taken as starting points.

• The Five of Swords: stepping away from the conflict, with whatever remains of it.
• The Seven of Swords: a discreet departure, where strategy matters.
• The Chariot: movement, faster and more determined.
• The Star: a horizon of hope on the other shore.

To practise reading cards together, try the three-card spread. To see the whole suit, read the page on the swords.

Common beginner mistakes

• Taking the card as an announcement of a journey: it is first of all an image of transition.
• Forgetting the swords in the boat: changing place does not automatically settle the thoughts.
• Reading it as abandonment: the card is calm, not fleeing.

Reflection questions and keyword of the day

Keyword of the day: Cross. Choose a small change you keep postponing and make it the first step today.

Questions to ask yourself:

• What am I leaving behind, and what will I take with me?
• Who or what is helping me to cross?
• What is still weighing on me in the boat?

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Guide to the Minor Arcana.