78 Weeks: Six Swords

jmd

To find out what these threads refer to, please seeThe link above provides suggested dates and links to all threads for this study.

Some amongst us may be working through the deck in a different order, and using different decks.

For more general comments or questions about the 78 weeks, please post in the thread linked above.

Enjoy!
 

CreativeFire

Six of Swords

continuing on with posting my notes for the 78 week study ;)

Six of Swords

Using the Universal Waite and Druidcraft 6 of Swords for my study this week, which I found an interesting combination as even though similiar core imagery with people in a boat on the water, the difference of perspective opens up for contrasting thoughts and interpretations.

As in the Universal Waite the image is seen by the viewer from the perspective of people leaving, moving away in a boat. The body language of the woman and child in the boat jumps out in this, in that they seem very dejected, tired or weary even depressed and saddened. The water is also a key part for me in this card in that on one side of the boat the water appears more turbulent and on the other calm - like they are moving away from troubles and into calmer more peaceful waters.

Now in the Druidcraft card the image is seen by the viewer from the perspective of people coming towards you or arriving in a boat. Also the people are sitting upright and looking out to what is ahead of them - which I interpret as a more positive aspect of optimistically looking forward to the peaceful waters of life ahead after already having left well behind any worries of the past ;)

Also something else I had not really thought about with this card - the boatman - as in both images he is not the main figures in focus, but more someone in the background helping the main characters on their journey. Which then started me thinking that perhaps this could also represent receiving help from another in a difficult time and someone who may be able to offer guidance or advice to steer you onto those calmer waters. This then also got me thinking of the other '6' cards in the minors - and that they seem to have a common link with someone helping eg. the man in the 6 of Pentacles helping others financially, and the older person in the 6 of cups offering emotional support and then finally in the 6 of Wands, the people around the central figure offering congratulations and helping cheer someone on their way with a positive frame of mind to a goal. Okay that is enough of me rambling on about this card :D
 

gregory

Six of Swords - Revelations Tarot

First impressions
Really REALLY hard work !

From the artist’s website
Upright

He pushes through the waters of life taking with him only his wits. He is on a journey away from a place where his skills were not utilized.

Reversed
The journey is difficult, the waters are rough - he pushes through as hard as he can manage.

Images and Symbolism
The card is about a journey away. The swords represent a mental journey. A condition of the mind which may need to change internally or with the help of external influence.
The transparent vessel is meant to indicate the delicate nature of the transition. A fragile boat of glass requires skillful and slow movement to prevent its bow from breaking against a crashing rock.

The reversed side man experiences difficulty through the could of fog and the torrent of waves. The journey will be difficult as he attempts to stay anchored with his oar to prevent himself from being swept astray.

Colour: electric + deep blues - associated with Aquarius

Traditional meanings
Upright:

Immediate problems will be solved; progress can be resumed. Movement away from imminent danger – but vigilance is still needed.
Reversed:
Partial success but problems will still be encountered.

My impressions:
Upright
A fit looking figure is poling a glassy boat through smooth waters. It looks as thought it is very hard work; in fact the water looks too deep for poling. It looks like night; there seems to be a moon-reflection at the bow of the boat. There are three swords stuck in the front of the vessel. It is a very calm and determined image.

Reversed
A similar sort of set up –but the waters are choppy, the poling looks incompetent and the boat looks like it’s sinking; in fact, except for the figure itself it all looks to be happening under water ! And he has a sort of desperate expression, and is looking backwards.

My take
Effort, in both aspects. Upright, though, it looks like positive effort – sustained and potentially effective. The reverse image looks more like someone trying desperately to hang on to something which is long gone – a lover, a job, or perhaps a fear of retirement by the kind of person whose job is their life, and defines who they are. He seems to be looking backwards – a regret for a loss which is in fact an essential one if he is to move forwards. Both aspects seem to suggest some degree of escape or release – a move away from something. Perhaps the upright one is more about letting go of something damaging and the reverse trying to hang on to it even though it IS damaging. So in effect, they are exact opposites in a way many reversals aren’t.

All the cards from this deck can be viewed here.
 

gregory

Thoth

Card name: Six of Swords

First impressions

Four slim swords – almost like fencing epées - meet at their tips in the centre of a golden Rosy Cross. Again – their hilts are varied – this time mostly by colour, though the designs are also varied – one has a rose, one a hexagram, one a ball, and I cannot actually make out the other three ! The cross is in the centre of a circle crossed my geometric lines which extend beyond it to the edges of the card; the circle glows gold at its outer edge, and outside it are more of the geometric shapes – some very much like the “windmills” of the two – which are a little like swastikas – these also have hints of gold about them, as do the lines which come from within the circle. Sigils of Aquarius and Mercury. The patterns get denser and denser towards the four corners of the card.

From the Book of Thoth
THE FOUR SIXES

These cards are attributed to Tiphareth. This Sephira is in some respects the most important of all. It is the centre of the whole system; it is the only Sephira below the Abyss which communicates directly with Kether. It is fed directly from Chokmah and Binah; also from Chesed and Geburah. It is thus admirably fitted to dominate the lower Sephiroth; it is balanced both vertically and horizontally. In the planetary system it represents the Sun; in the system of Tetragrammaton it represents the Son. The entire geometrical complex of the Ruach may be regarded as an expansion from Tiphareth. It represents consciousness in its most harmonized and balanced form; definitely in form, not only in idea, as in the case of the number Two. In other words, the Son is an interpretation of the Father in terms of the mind.

The four Sixes are thus representative of their respective elements at their practical best.

The Six of Swords is called Science. Its ruler is Mercury, so that the element of success turns away from the idea of division and quarrel; it is intelligence which has won to the goal.

SCIENCE SIX OF SWORDS

Tiphareth shows the full establishment and balance of the idea of the suit. This is particularly the case with this card, as the intellect itself is also referred to the number Six. Mercury, in Aquarius, represents the celestial Energy influencing the Kerub of the Man, thus showing intelligence and humanity.

But there is much more than this in the symbol. The perfect balance of all mental and moral faculties, hardly won, and almost impossible to hold in an ever-changing world, declares the idea of Science in its fullest interpretation.
The hilts of the Swords, which are very ornamental, are in the form of the hexagram. Their points touch the outer petals of a red rose upon a golden cross of six squares, thus showing the Rosy Cross as the central secret of scientific truth.

Images and Symbolism

Frieda Harris says in her essays:

Six of Swords = Science. Tiphareth in the suit of Air. Mercury in Aquarius.
The ornamental hilts of the Swords form a hexagon in the card. Their points touch the outer petals of the red rose upon a Golden Cross of six squares. The perfect balance of mental and moral faculties, hardly won and impossible to hold, interprets the idea of Science

Also:
Six of Swords= Science. Mercury in Aquarius. Tiphareth.
The points of the swords centre in a rose and cross. They are lying on a fencer's diagram (14th century) which was worked out scientifically to show the positions in which a fencer can stand and be invulnerable. The card suggests by its symmetrical design a perfect balance of intellect and principle.
Snuffin outlines the colour correspondences of the hilts: they are painted in the colours of the planetary paths in Atziluth: yellow (Mercury), violet (Jupiter), blue (Moon), Indigo (Saturn), Scarlet (Mars) and green (Venus.) He says that the planetary swords are brought into balance by the sun – represented by the cross - and points out that the cross is divided up into six squares. the cross itself symbolises the completion of the Greta Work. The two sigils are painted in violet, being the colour of Mercury.
Frieda’s reference to the fencers’ diagram fits with my seeing the swords as being epées !
DuQuette refers to the swords as being balanced and matched, but the different hilts trouble me; I have no idea what they mean. But I bet they were intended to mean something. The keyword is Science, which is indicated by the swords focusing “their powers of analysis upon the mysteries of being.” Other than their all pointing to the heart of the cross – I am not sure what this means !
Banzhaf sees the external striving for truth as the square, in which the circle around the rosy cross is placed – I hadn’t noticed :| and it even has six smaller squares at each corner of that ! – and the inner truth as the circle itself. He sees the six swords as being within a hexagram made up of two triangles ”pushed together” – I am not sure I can see this; there are SO many lines ! - but I think I see what he is getting at, at least ! And BoT refers to the hilts forming a hexagram. I’d have said they formed a hexagon, but still.
The six squares making up the cross are symbolic of harmony – I wonder if this also applies to the six more at each corner of the bigger square ?
This card is placed on the mid-point of the Tree of Life – Tiphareth – which signifies intellectual balance – and that it certainly is !
There are tiny arrows suggesting direction on some of the lines – on the circle (suggesting clockwise momentum) and on some of the crossing lines. I have no idea why, and none of the writers mentions them. At time like this I realise that this deck is NEVER going to be scrutable !

Meaning (cribbed from Wasserman)
Six of Swords: Science. Intelligence that has realized its goal. Labor. Work. Success after anxiety. Passage from difficulty. Journey by water. III-dignified: Selfishness. Conceit. Intellectual pride.

DuQuette
Labour, work, journey by water
Success after anxiety and trouble; self-esteem, beauty, conceit, but sometimes modesty therewith; dominance, patience, labour, etc.

Traditional meanings – From Thirteen’s book of meanings:
SIXES
Sixes are the restoration of balance and harmony after the upsets of the fives. These cards predict an exchange, a give and take that results in a new equilibrium. It may not last, but for that moment, everything is stable. With this card, there is an almost "Ah-HA!" of recognition as if you've found a solution, and more than a little awe at its perfect symmetry.
If you connect the sixes to the Lovers card you'll see how it works. Like Gemini, you recognize your twin, your soul mate, your equal. Maybe you didn't even know how uneven, how lopsided your life was, but now that you've met this person or thing your inner balance is restored. Here is the give and take that the cards say you need to achieve harmony.
Six of Swords
A boat of swords being ferried across a river with a woman as passenger. The classic Rider-Waite meaning is that one is leaving difficulties behind. A trip or change of scene may be the answer to restoring balance here. But there is more to it than this. In relation to the mind, ideas and words of the sword suit, this is also about finding a solutions to math problems and brain twisters, not just troubles.
The ferryman is part of the give/take here. He has a fare thanks to this passenger, and his passenger has a way across the river. What he symbolizes is help in finding answers or solutions to problems. He might be a reference book or website, or perhaps just someone who will listen while you talk and work things out in your head. He rows you in the right direction, away from confusion and mental turmoil to smooth, thoughtful waters. Waters clear and clam that you can, in fact, see the other shore, the answer, in sight!
There it is, a way to make your idea, your argument, your formula work smoothly, perfectly, beautifully. I sometimes call this the "Eureka" card in that it has that feeling of a scientist catching sight of a solution.
The reader should warn the querent that they haven't arrived at that other shore yet. There may be a good deal to work out, but this is a break-through moment where the mind is working once again. And whoever, or whatever helped you get there also feels mentally rewarded.
Note that this card can also be about trips by boat.
(I include Thirteen’s meanings here, but the way, as while someone else was adding them to her Thoth posts, I found them enlightening in context, even though the descriptions are way different !)

My impressions (appearance of the card):
It is a welcome move away from the muddled looking cards of the 4 and 5. There ARE patterns all over it – but they aren’t as chaotic, and the line work is finer. There seems to be a lot of detail that I cannot get a handle on – especially the tiny arrows – maybe that is part of “Science” – I was never very good at it…

My take (what I make of it/what I might see in a reading where I drew it)
Attention to detail; organisation, the importance of focusing on the central issue. There is a solution.