Six of Swords
The Six of Swords signals a transition from difficulty toward calmer, more peaceful circumstances and marks the start of a healing or self-acceptance journey. It emphasizes that healing is not complete yet; you remain in a liminal space where pain and memory still linger. The card urges commitment to untethering yourself from harmful situations and trusting that the steps you take will lead you in the right direction, even if the path is unclear. Imagery of a boat moving to smoother waters, six nails, a waning crescent moon, and migrating geese reinforces protection, guidance, and movement toward better times.
Keywords
Keywords
Transition, leaving a bad situation, beginning a healing journey, liminal space.
Meaning
The 6 of Swords is about moving on from something hard to something better, signaling the beginning of a journey of healing or self-acceptance. However, we are not healed yet. The 6 of Swords is about the transition, the liminal space between here and there where we’re still hurting, still wounded. In this space, we almost never know exactly where we’re going, but moving forward is enough. If we’ve been experiencing tough times, this card is an indication that things can get easier, but we must commit to untethering ourselves from that which does us harm. The 6 of Swords asks us to trust that the steps we’re taking will lead us in the right direction. The most important thing is that we go.
Imagery
In our card, a boat moves from choppy to smooth waters, showing that we’re moving toward more peaceful times. The boat contains six nails, symbolizing the thoughts and memories which try to nail us down, to keep us stuck and hurting, but they will not sink our boat. In fact, in magic, nails are used for protection, and as difficult experiences can make us wiser, so the nails here may keep us safe on our journey. Above, a waning crescent moon symbolizes something coming to an end, and six geese fly in migration, reminding us to follow our internal compass, even when we don’t have a map.
Reassurance
We may not know where we’re headed, but we can have faith that it’s better than where we’ve been.
Footer
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Visual Description
A black-and-white magpie-like bird perches above a woven nest, holding a string of pearls in its beak. The nest contains several pale blue eggs and small objects—a ring, a key, a nut—lying in a dark, coiled interior. Multiple swords are thrust into the branches and earth around the nest, their hilts radiating outward. A pale sky and sparse twigs form the background, and the Roman numeral VII appears at the bottom of the card.
Fifth Spirit tarot
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