LS Secret Tarot - 6 of Swords

Centaur

I think that this card is one of the most gloomy looking in this particular deck. It depicts a rather dark, and dismal looking lake, upon which glides a boat. A seated man rows solemnly, and behind him stands a woman. She looks in the direction from which they are travelling, with a certain kind of sadness in her stance.

Interestingly, there are in total eleven swords depicted on this card. There are three below the boat, and three above. However, beside the standing woman, there are five swords placed inside the boat. What could this mean? The five of swords is often associated with some form of arguing or fighting... some form of upset. This would meld very nicely with traditional interpretations of this card as representing the transition from a difficult time, to a time which is more calm and balanced. The woman moves from a time of conflict to another time of calm and peace.

I think it would be interesting to take a guess at the relationship between the two figures in the boat? Any ideas?

Also, what is the building in the background? It looks almost like a church. Any thoughts?
 

spoonbender

Hey Centaur,
I think the 6 of Swords is one of the most appealing cards in the deck. To me, it has a very eerie, twilight-kind-of feeling. I don't know why, but it kind of seems to depict a scene from a folk tale. The whole card makes me think of legends and fairy tales. There's just something about this card that makes me feel there's much more to it than meets the eye - as if there's a whole history behind it. When I see this card, I have to think of the Dutch proverb "Stille meren hebben diepe gronden" ("Silent lakes have deep bottoms").

The young woman is going on a journey. I imagine the seated man wearing the hat came to pick here up. The few buildings on the shore they are leaving are everything the girl knows - but she is setting off now; I imagine suitcases in the boat, out of our sight. The girl seems sad, but at the same time she seems nervous - standing there, it seems like she is filled with anticipation. She doesn't know what to expect, she only knows what she is leaving behind.

Perhaps there aren't any suitcases in the boat after all, perhaps all she takes with her is the pain (the five swords) that made her leave in the first place...

Spoonbender

PS: How great that the Secret Tarots got its own Study Group Subforum!

**edited to add a better link to the card**
 

Centaur

Hey Spoonbender!

spoonbender said:
When I see this card, I have to think of the Dutch proverb "Stille meren hebben diepe gronden" ("Silent lakes have deep bottoms").

Nice quote. I think that it fits the card very well.

spoonbender said:
Perhaps there aren't any suitcases in the boat after all, perhaps all she takes with her is the pain (the five swords) that made her leave in the first place...

I guess that the swords might then represent emotional baggage?
 

galadrial

I also really like this card, it's so quietly powerful. To me the woman seems to have few external resources. No personal belongings are evident, her brown coat (dress?) does not look particularly smart, the boat is small and looks in need of upkeep, and I see the man rowing the boat as a paid hand, not as someone she can lean on for support. But she is standing up and her head is high. I think of her as having a lot of self-possession. Of having strong internal resources to draw upon that enabled her to leave an unhappy situation. I read in a book (can't remember which) the observation that the swords do not pierce the boat. I also see the swords as her pain and past memories- they are carried with her but do not keep her from travelling toward a calmer, kinder shore.
 

hyatt

Before i add my two bits, i just wanted to say that i too am pleased that secrets has it's own study group and that i feel the comments and discussions on it are really fantanstic. everytime i read a new post it gives me something to think about and i am thankful for it and those that reply.
I love this card too. I like how battered the boat is along with the clothing that they are wearing. You can tell that the people come from a good background but are traveling for their own personal reasons - maybe more intellectual or moral reasons than out of pure need.
The woman looks like a decorative woman carved into the front of a ship (sorry i don't know the right name). She looks like she is ready to face the hard weather ahead of her. I read somewhere that having just the swords in the boat is like carrying just your memories with you on a journey - traveling light. It does look like they just started on the trip as you can see the church or town in the background. I like that aspect of it - it gives you the courage to start something new, or escape a situation that you know is not in your best interest.
 

Centaur

hyatt said:
The woman looks like a decorative woman carved into the front of a ship (sorry i don't know the right name). She looks like she is ready to face the hard weather ahead of her.

Oooo, Hyatt, I really like that take! It is interesting to compare her to a carved figure. Usually the carved woman on the front of the ship (I don't know the name either! Haha), faces the direction of travel... she faces the hard-weather. In this case, the woman is not facing in the direction of travel... she is moving out of the hard-weather. From hard times to more peaceful times.

galadrial said:
But she is standing up and her head is high. I think of her as having a lot of self-possession.

I agree. I think she looks like a strong character. I wonder if she has been planning her escape/departure for some time?
 

Dakota

That would be a figurehead and yes, she faces forward, though I believe some ships have/had another figure on the stern.....
 

Centaur

Dakota said:
That would be a figurehead and yes, she faces forward, though I believe some ships have/had another figure on the stern.....

Thanks for that Dakota! It is annoying to be aware of something, and not know the name for it. LOL! ;)
 

hyatt

As for the relationship between the two people I think that they trust each other and know each other a little. I don't see them as husband and wife or lovers. Perhaps mutal friends going on an adventure together. Connected by an unfair or desperate situation. Funny how in desprate times you can become close with someone instantly and when in other fruitful times it takes years since you are busy and happy.
I thought the boat was going the other way. I know nothing about boats and I just assumed that she was in the front and he was in the back doing the labor. I think you can interpret it either way. But if he is in the front is the journey almost over? Are they going to the new village while she is still looking in the past? Confusing! I think I like it better if they are rowing away from the church about to embark on their journey.
 

spoonbender

hyatt said:
As for the relationship between the two people I think that they trust each other and know each other a little. I don't see them as husband and wife or lovers. Perhaps mutal friends going on an adventure together. Connected by an unfair or desperate situation.
That's interesting, Hyatt, because I didn't see the woman and man as friends. I felt that the man had come to pick her up or that he was a kind of ferryman, but wasn't emotionally involved. I think this will depend very much on the reading - I'll definitely keep your interpretation in mind.

I thought the boat was going the other way. I know nothing about boats and I just assumed that she was in the front and he was in the back doing the labor. I think you can interpret it either way.
I also thought the young woman was standing in the front - I liked that we could see what she was leaving behind. It would show that she fully knows what is in the past, but that the future is still unclear. It's nice to be able to interpret it both ways, though :).

Warm regards,
Spoonbender