Six of Swords

Quick answer

The core meaning of Six of Swords is Harmony in the realm of Thought. Upright, it usually points to Journey by water, route, way, envoy, commissionary, expedient; reversed, it may suggest Declaration, confession, publicity; one account says that it is a proposal of lo.

Card imagery

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.

Upright meaning

Upright keywords: Thought: Harmony. Waite gives the upright divinatory meaning as: Journey by water, route, way, envoy, commissionary, expedient.

Reversed meaning

Reversed keywords: Thought: Harmony (blocked). Waite gives the reversed divinatory meaning as: Declaration, confession, publicity; one account says that it is a proposal of love.

Love, Career, Money and Growth

Love

In love, Six of Swords tends to show up as conversation, boundaries, misreadings, and the truth that needs saying. Upright it usually means transition, leaving the storm, and gradual recovery; reversed it tends to suggest carrying the old baggage along, or unable to truly leave.

Career

In your career, Six of Swords tends to show up as how decisions get made, how people talk, how competition and problems are handled. Test "transition, leaving the storm, and gradual recovery" against the real state of your project, your responsibilities and what has actually been said.

Money

On money, Six of Swords is a reminder about checking the information, the terms and the risk before anxiety drives the call. It stands for transition, leaving the storm, and gradual recovery, but it is no substitute for a budget, a contract and a risk assessment.

Personal growth

For self-enquiry, Six of Swords points at turning circular thinking into one clear judgement or one clear question. Be specific about the help you need and what you can carry yourself.

Yes or No

Upright

Yes

Reversed

No

This is our own quick read, based on which way the card’s meaning leans. Traditions disagree about individual cards, and an "Undecided" needs to be weighed against the position in the spread and your actual situation rather than taken as a one-word answer.

Waite’s Original Text (1911)

Additional Meaning

The voyage will be pleasant. Reversed: Unfavorable issue of lawsuit.

Quoted from A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911), illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith. The text is in the public domain.