6 of swords v 8 of cups

Hello all,

I just would like to hear some opinions on how readers here perceive the difference between 6 of swords and 8 of cups.. Because time and time again, I have seen great confusion with how people read 6 of swords specially, in various reading exchanges.. like people read 6 of swords as leaving a disappointing situation behind.. whereas 6 of swords is actually moving to a better ground and not necessarily leaving things or people behind while they come out of the mental turmoil..

most decks represent 8 of cups as a person or in my deck a couple moving away from something in the search for something else.. its about leaving a situation of disappointment behind.. living in exile sometimes .. and at its highest state , its a quest for meaning of life..

6 of swords represents a person and again in my deck a father and his children coming out of a difficult situation.. It represents passage from obstacles , moving away from immediate danger and struggle. A promise of better times ahead.. release of tension and anxiety after a period of strain. could also mean a literal journey..

so the way I see it is that the person/people in 8 of cups leaving a disappointing situation in which they will feel unfulfilled.. and its not to say that the situation was not fulfilling in general.. its just not good enough for the people/person involved.. and while they go on their journey to find that missing cup, they may not find it and sometimes they may even return to what they had before.

But in 6 of swords people/person are actually moving to a better place.. this is not to say that they are moving away from something, it could also be that the situation they are in will improve and their anxieties will lift.. in this case the people/person in 6 of swords will have no desire to actually step back into the situation of turmoil..

what does everyone here think..? I would love to know how different readers read these two cards, as it would greatly help with my future readings and understanding of these two cards..

many thanks xx

This is a good topic to ponder. Pictorially in the Anna K. deck, the main difference seems to be that the 8 of Cups is a solo journey leaving people and cups behind vs. 6 of Swords where you bring people and the swords with you. The other difference is that it seems in the 8 of Cups the person could stay whereas in the 6 of Swords the person has to leave. This seems especially so if you consider the previous scene in the 5 of Cups. If you look at the 7 of Cups too it is about confusion/illusion and the 8 of Cups then is about breaking the illusion and going off in search of what truly fulfills you.

Just some thoughts.

One has transportation and a goal in sight, the other...not

I think you're very right, Sirena.

We should first and foremost remember that 8/Cups is "Cups" and that means leaving behind some emotion or emotional interaction that has either run out or didn't give you what you thought it would. 6/Swords has to do with communication, information, etc. So, for example, you may be leaving arguments to head toward agreement.

Which clarifies the difference: in 8/Cups, one is leaving--and that is the best you can do. Rather like waking up the morning after drinking yourself stupid. You shouldn't have indulged, and the only thing you want is to get out of there. You don't know where you're going, you only know that you can't stay. But with 6/Swords you're going toward something. You're not merely leaving behind rough waters, you've a goal in mind: a quiet, peaceful shore up ahead.

The 6/Swords is sometimes seen as a "eureka" card, meaning that you've found some answer, some "boat" if you like, which is going to get you out of the chaos and to order. That vessel is an important part of the 6/Swords. As is the ferry man directing it. It gets you from the problem you were presented with on the one side, to the answer on the other side--it is, if you will the "solution" to how you get, mentally or verbally, from here to there. But with the 8/Cups that's not the case. The person has only their own two feet. There is no map, no vehicle, no help. All they've got is the light of the moon--their desire to leave and a sure feeling that leaving is the right thing to do. That, to me, is a significant difference.

Great question! Here's how I see it in my humble opinion:

If we're talkin' RWS imagery, the Six of Swords feels more cumbersome -- you're leaving some troubled waters behind, but since this is travel over water, the healing will take quite some time; travel by sea is a long journey after all. Not only this, the woman is seen traveling with a child, so there's an element of taking something with you from your past that will be with you forever -- but the woman will eventually learn to come to terms with it.

The woman seems to be cowering away from her past and almost distraught about what she's about to leave behind -- but she knows it's for the best to seek a better life for herself and her child.

But the most telling difference is the fact that the figure in the Six of Swords is being guided by a boatman -- a man of good character who is willing to guide her away from her troubles and take her to a safer, happier land. The 8 of Cups character does not have this guide -- he is following the moon and is taking a self-discovering journey on his own.

Also, since the 8 of Cups is on foot, I think the card denotes the actual decision of walking away from someone or something. It's swifter and to the point. But the 6 of Swords, surrounded by sea (lots of emotions here), points to the mental grievance and emotional baggage that comes with the healing of moving on.

It's great that you can decide to walk away from something (8 of Cups), but the actual process to moving away into something new and experiencing change is the real journey (6 of Swords)!

In short, 8 of Cups is the swift decision and the Six of Swords is the journey of healing from that change.

But that's just my take. =]

I've always seen the 8 cups as a solitary decision to leave. In the card (RW deck I use), the figure is moving away by foot. I don't think it's a swift decision necessarily. But it's a decision made alone. The 6 SW. shows a woman ( and Child?) being transported by a male fgure across a body of water. She is not alone. She has help. She's moving to something new where still water = calming of the emotions. There's a feeling of peaceful transition in this card that I don't seen in the 8 C. See the trees in full leaf on the distant shores? While in the 8 C the figure travels across jagged rough terrain. It was a difficult decsion, but it's been made and he's seeing it through.

I didn't use decks with fully scenic minor cards for most of my long association with the tarot, so I have no special attachment to the "mini-stories" they tell. Instead, I use an "energy model" and pay more attention to elemental (suit), astrological and numerical significance. The Sixes are about a temporary state of balance and harmony that eventually gives way to further unfolding of the elemental idea, ultimately being "disrupted" by the Sevens in the same way the Fives disrupt the momentary stability of the Fours, but less energetically. The 6 of Swords is therefore about a transient state of mental equilibrium or suspension of stress and anxiety - perhaps a brief, introspective recess from over-thinking a situation. The passive (maybe contemplative) figures in the boat of the RWS card could be saying the same thing.

The Eights represent a partial recovery from the instability of the Sevens, in which there is a futher refinement - and also attenuation or "enfeeblement" - of the elemental energy. I like Crowley's take on the 8 of Cups: "This card is not exactly 'the morning after the night before'; but it is very nearly that." The departing figure in the RWS card gives something of the same impression of disillusionment, resignation and discouragement. The hope in this card lies in achieving an escape from the doldrums.

Such a pertinent question! Thank you for bringing it up. Although I agree with the other posts, I believe it depends SO on the other cards coming with it. And the question asked. For instance, if the 6 of Swords showed in a reading on which means of transportation should I opt for while travelling - it could only mean , "take the boat/ship" instead of a plane or car. To me, the 8 of cups is more "abstract" in the sense that you can leave an m.o. or emotional habit without actually moving somewhere. Once it showed as a person leaving a party before getting too drunk . So, it does require a context but a great thread !

goldenVI said:

This is a good topic to ponder. Pictorially in the Anna K. deck, the main difference seems to be that the 8 of Cups is a solo journey leaving people and cups behind vs. 6 of Swords where you bring people and the swords with you. The other difference is that it seems in the 8 of Cups the person could stay whereas in the 6 of Swords the person has to leave. This seems especially so if you consider the previous scene in the 5 of Cups. If you look at the 7 of Cups too it is about confusion/illusion and the 8 of Cups then is about breaking the illusion and going off in search of what truly fulfills you.

Just some thoughts.

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I like the point you made about the transition from 7 to 8 of cups.. this is true.. its like in the 7 of cups the person was pondering on his options and finally chose one and in the 8 of cups finally is going for it... now how all this ends depends if the person has made the right choice.. I sometimes see the 8 of cups as some form of escapism too.. like the person is feeling unfulfilled and is trying to find something that would fill their soul.

In my deck, the 8 of cups is not a solo journey.. there are two people(a young couple) that are leaving something behind but again their journey is into the dark and into the unknown..

many thanks for your input..

Thirteen said:

I think you're very right, Sirena.

We should first and foremost remember that 8/Cups is "Cups" and that means leaving behind some emotion or emotional interaction that has either run out or didn't give you what you thought it would. 6/Swords has to do with communication, information, etc. So, for example, you may be leaving arguments to head toward agreement.

Which clarifies the difference: in 8/Cups, one is leaving--and that is the best you can do. Rather like waking up the morning after drinking yourself stupid. You shouldn't have indulged, and the only thing you want is to get out of there. You don't know where you're going, you only know that you can't stay. But with 6/Swords you're going toward something. You're not merely leaving behind rough waters, you've a goal in mind: a quiet, peaceful shore up ahead.

The 6/Swords is sometimes seen as a "eureka" card, meaning that you've found some answer, some "boat" if you like, which is going to get you out of the chaos and to order. That vessel is an important part of the 6/Swords. As is the ferry man directing it. It gets you from the problem you were presented with on the one side, to the answer on the other side--it is, if you will the "solution" to how you get, mentally or verbally, from here to there. But with the 8/Cups that's not the case. The person has only their own two feet. There is no map, no vehicle, no help. All they've got is the light of the moon--their desire to leave and a sure feeling that leaving is the right thing to do. That, to me, is a significant difference.

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very interesting take on the cards.. I enjoyed reading your analogy... And I can totally see the 8 of cups as walking away to find something else as the current situation did not offer any emotional fulfilment.. In my deck the young couple are almost running into the dark to find something else and another interpretation is about generations and how each generation has to find their own footing and place in life, even if the journey is unknown..

in the 6 of swords a father is moving away from a situation of turmoil on horse back with his children and far ahead there is a rainbow.. so definitely I see this as leaving mental anxieties behind and reaching a place of mental harmony..

so would you agree if I said that for instance in a case of a relationship, the 6 of swords could be the next phase of the relationship when the couple try to find some balance together and coming out of a difficult situation but the 8 of cups is leaving the person behind to find something better that will fulfil them.. ??

I always had a bit of problem how to distinguish between them specially in the future of a relationship reading..

many thanks for your rich input..

Enlightenment23 said:

Great question! Here's how I see it in my humble opinion:

If we're talkin' RWS imagery, the Six of Swords feels more cumbersome -- you're leaving some troubled waters behind, but since this is travel over water, the healing will take quite some time; travel by sea is a long journey after all. Not only this, the woman is seen traveling with a child, so there's an element of taking something with you from your past that will be with you forever -- but the woman will eventually learn to come to terms with it.

The woman seems to be cowering away from her past and almost distraught about what she's about to leave behind -- but she knows it's for the best to seek a better life for herself and her child.

But the most telling difference is the fact that the figure in the Six of Swords is being guided by a boatman -- a man of good character who is willing to guide her away from her troubles and take her to a safer, happier land. The 8 of Cups character does not have this guide -- he is following the moon and is taking a self-discovering journey on his own.

Also, since the 8 of Cups is on foot, I think the card denotes the actual decision of walking away from someone or something. It's swifter and to the point. But the 6 of Swords, surrounded by sea (lots of emotions here), points to the mental grievance and emotional baggage that comes with the healing of moving on.

It's great that you can decide to walk away from something (8 of Cups), but the actual process to moving away into something new and experiencing change is the real journey (6 of Swords)!

In short, 8 of Cups is the swift decision and the Six of Swords is the journey of healing from that change.

But that's just my take. =]

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hiya

many thanks for your input.. you have covered a few great points on the two cards.. yes can totally see that in the 6 of swords there is always a guide, in RWS there is the raft man and in my deck there is the father who is taking his children out of danger.. and the father being the experienced and wise person..

the only thing I would have problem with is that I don't see 8 of cups as a swift decision.. I would see it as that the person has come to this decision after being in a situation of un fulfilment for a while and finally deciding to take the leap into the unknown and walk away into the dark on foot to find something else..

but you are right on that the person/people don't really think about how to find the missing cup, they just go for it only relying on their faith and nothing more..

many thanks again