6 of Swords
The 6 of Swords is the sixth numeral card of the Swords suit. It is read as a transition — the movement of leaving a difficult situation behind toward calmer waters.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-18
Historical fact
Before the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, the 6 of Swords showed six swords arranged with no scene. Pamela Colman Smith illustrated, in 1909, the image that became standard: a ferryman poling a boat carrying a woman and a child, six swords standing upright in the vessel, gliding from choppy water toward calm water ahead.
Interpretation — Rider-Waite-Smith / Golden Dawn
In Waite's tradition, the 6 of Swords represents a journey — often by water — toward more stable circumstances, a movement out of a difficult period. The common reading links the card to leaving problems behind, though the process is neither instant nor weightless, as suggested by the swords standing in the boat. Reversed, it can indicate resistance to moving on or a return to already-overcome difficulties.
Interpretation — Thoth (Aleister Crowley)
In the Thoth deck, this card carries the title 'Science,' associated with Mercury in Aquarius. Crowley's reading shifts the focus from the RWS image's literal journey to reason and mental detachment as the true vehicle of transition — leaving hardship less through physical movement and more through clarity of thought.
This section presents one tradition's interpretation, not a verifiable fact.
Frequently asked questions
- Does the 6 of Swords indicate a literal trip?
- It can, but the more common reading is symbolic: a movement out of a hardship toward a more stable situation, not necessarily physical travel.
- What is the difference between the RWS and Thoth readings of the 6 of Swords?
- The RWS reading emphasizes the visual journey of the boat over water. The Thoth reading, under the title 'Science,' emphasizes reason and mental detachment as the real mechanism of the transition.
Sources
- Michael Dummett. The Game of Tarot: From Ferrara to Salt Lake City (1980).
- Arthur Edward Waite. The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910).
- Aleister Crowley. The Book of Thoth (1944).
- Stuart R. Kaplan. The Encyclopedia of Tarot (1978).