Some fights in life you just can't win. This is one of the lessons of the previous card, the Five of Swords. Maybe we are just fighting the wrong ones? What can we do then? The lesson of the Six of Swords is that sometimes it is best to let go and find some other goal worth fighting for. We need to rechart our territory and see what is coming next, what makes sense and where we can go from here. On this card we see a ferryman transporting two sad figures over to the distant shore. We see that the rough waters are behind them, while in front the water is calm. Obviously there is a solution, or at least relief from a former unhappy state, perhaps relief we couldn't see before because of the constant strife that sucked away all of our energy. Retreat sometimes seems cowardly, but the air element represented by the Swords suit relies much more on reason and logic than on heart and passion. There is a sense of depression in this card, which is natural, seeing that the people on the card are leaving something they have been fighting for, but we can also feel that they are leaving their problems behind and that there are happier times and calmer waters where they are heading.
On the card
A ferryman stands at the back of a small boat, pushing it across the water with a long pole. In the boat sit a woman, her head and shoulders wrapped in a cloak, and a small child huddled beside her. Neither of them looks back, and we see them mostly from behind, which gives the scene a quiet, sorrowful mood.
Six swords stand upright in the front of the boat, their points driven into its floor. They travel with the passengers: the memories and the painful thoughts are not left on the shore but carried along. Yet the swords are fixed and still, no longer raised against anyone.
The water on the right side of the boat, nearest to us, is choppy and rippled, while the water ahead is smooth. On the far shore there is land with trees, a promise of solid ground and safety.
The card describes a passage rather than an arrival. The ferryman, who guides and does the work, suggests that in difficult times we sometimes need help to move on. The journey is quiet and subdued, but it is heading towards calmer places.
Upright
Journey away from pain, leaving the difficulties behind, recovery, respite, brighter future, regaining balance, getting support in trouble.
Reversed
Struggle, stalemate, no hope, procrastination, refusal to face problems.