Six of Swords
A ferryman poles a boat carrying a hooded woman and child toward a calmer shore: passage away from trouble, a transition toward easier times, and recovery already in motion.
Swords, VI
Upright keywords
- transition
- moving on
- passage
- recovery
- journey
- calmer waters
Meaning when upright
The Six of Swords depicts a quiet crossing: a ferryman guides a boat carrying a cloaked woman and a child toward a distant shore, with ruffled water on one side and smooth water ahead. It signals moving on from difficulty, whether through a transition, a journey, or a gradual shift toward calmer circumstances. Waite's own reading is simply a journey by water, a route or way forward, and the swords standing in the boat show that the passengers bring their troubles with them even as they leave. The mood is subdued rather than joyful, but the direction is toward relief.
On the card
- ferryman poling the boat from the stern
- A guide or helper, and the steady effort that carries one through a transition.
- hooded woman hunched in the boat
- Grief, weariness, and the need for shelter during a hard passage.
- child seated beside her
- Vulnerability, the future, and what one carries forward into a new life.
- six swords standing upright in the boat
- The troubles and memories that travel with the passengers; the mind's burdens brought along on the journey.
- rippled water on one side, smooth water ahead
- Leaving turbulence behind for calmer emotional conditions.
- distant shore with trees
- The destination: a place of greater peace and a fresh start.
- small punt
- A modest vessel for a manageable load; as Waite notes, the freight is light and the work not beyond the ferryman's strength.
In Waite’s words
A ferryman carrying passengers in his punt to the further shore. The course is smooth, and seeing that the freight is light, it may be noted that the work is not beyond his strength.
- Divinatory meaning
Journey by water, route, way, envoy, commissionary, expedient.
- Reversed
Declaration, confession, publicity; one account says that it is a proposal of love.
- Additional meaning
The voyage will be pleasant. Reversed: Unfavourable issue of lawsuit.
Correspondences
- Element
- Air
- Astrology
- Mercury in Aquarius
- Sephira
- Tiphareth (6)
- Golden Dawn title
- Lord of Earned Success
- Decan
- Jan 30 – Feb 8
- Number
- Six is harmony and restoration; in Swords it brings relief after the conflict of the Five, a slow movement back toward equilibrium.
To reflect on
- What am I ready to leave behind, and what am I still carrying with me?
- Who or what is helping me through this transition?
- What does the calmer shore look like for me?
In your readings
Hasn’t appeared in your readings yet.
Ask about this card
Marguerite, the traditionalist, answers from Waite’s text, what is drawn on the card and its correspondences. You can choose another reader in settings.