Six of Swords Tarot Card Meaning: Upright, Reversed, Love & Yes or No

Upright meaning

Keywords: Moving somewhere better · Luck slowly improving · Someone who helps · A key turning point · Leaving worries behind

On the boat's right side the water is choppy, but on the left, where the boat is heading, it's calm. The hard place is already behind you, and you're crossing toward quieter water. Notice, too, that the woman isn't steering the boat. The ferryman standing behind her is. This is a time to let someone help you and get a little better each day, instead of holding everything up on your own.

Love

The anxious stretch is passing, and things are getting easier. If you're single, a friend or acquaintance may introduce you to someone good. If you're in a relationship, a bond that's felt rocky for a while is slowly settling into calmer water.

Relationships

Someone may step in to build a bridge between you and another person. If something feels too hard to sort out directly, ask a person you trust to act as a go-between.

Career & study

You're at a turning point where your work shifts direction. Results won't show up right away, but hang in there a little longer and your effort will pay off.

Money

Your finances won't turn around overnight, but you'll gradually have more breathing room. Use a temporary fix for anything urgent, and save big decisions until things have settled.

Mind & wellbeing

The worries weighing on your mind are slowly getting lighter. A short trip, even just a day away for some fresh air, can help more than you'd expect.

As a person

Someone who quietly walks the same path beside you. Rather than leading from the front, they're the steady helper giving you a push from behind.

As someone's feelings

They feel at ease when they're with you. They want to leave the hard times behind and move somewhere more comfortable together.

What to do

Share one worry you've been carrying alone with someone you trust. A single message asking for their advice is enough.

Watch out for

Don't jump out of the boat halfway just because progress feels slow. And don't mistake a quick fix for a long-term solution.

Reversed meaning

Keywords: Unable to leave · Baggage you haven't put down · A delayed move · A heart tied to the past · Time to sort things out

Picture the six swords standing upright in the front of the boat. In the reversed card, they weigh the boat down like heavy baggage. It's time to go, but you're trying to bring every old problem with you, so the boat barely moves. Now is the time to choose what to take and what to leave behind.

Love

Memories of a past relationship are holding back new feelings. If you're single, you keep comparing people to an ex, and that's slowing down anything new. If you're in a relationship, old arguments keep getting dragged back up, and you're both worn out.

Relationships

An old hurt is making the relationship feel heavy even now. Talk through what needs talking through and let go of the rest, and things between you can start moving again.

Career & study

You want to make a move, but the decision keeps getting put off. If worry about past mistakes is holding you back, set that worry aside and deal with it on its own first.

Money

The weight of past spending is slowing down your new plans. Before starting anything new, clear up what's left over first.

Mind & wellbeing

You're moving forward, but your heart is still back where you were. If you feel heavy for no clear reason, check whether there's something you never quite finished.

As a person

Someone who knows they need to move on but finds it hard to let go. They care deeply, so they try to carry everything from the past with them and end up exhausted.

As someone's feelings

They have feelings for you, but something from their past isn't settled yet. They want to come closer, but that baggage makes them hold back.

What to do

Write down everything you're holding on to right now. Pick just one thing to take with you and one to leave behind, and you'll already feel lighter.

Watch out for

If you wait until every last thing is sorted before setting off, you'll never leave. Give yourself a deadline so you don't spend too long dwelling on the past.

Symbols in the picture

A ferryman pushes a small boat with a long pole, carrying a huddled woman and a child toward the far shore. It means you're leaving a hard place behind and moving toward calmer waters.

• Six swords in the boat. At the front of the boat, six swords stand upright in a row, their points driven down into the wood. These are the worries and hurts you couldn't fully shake off as you left. You aren't leaving them behind; you're bringing them along. When this card appears, it doesn't mean 'the problem is gone.' It means 'you're moving on, even while carrying the weight.'
  Reversed: Reversed, the swords stop being just baggage and turn into an anchor holding the boat in place. You're trying to bring every bit of the past with you, and that's delaying your departure.
• The woman with her head bowed. A woman sits hunched over, a cloth draped over her head. She's worn out, and her heart still feels heavy. She isn't rowing herself; she's letting the boat carry her. This is a time to lean on someone else's help and rest, rather than trying to hold everything up alone.
  Reversed: Her covered, hunched posture shifts from resting to quietly suffering. You're swallowing your struggles alone, and things will start to ease once you open up to even one person.
• The child beside her. A small child sits pressed close to the woman's side. Something precious you need to take with you. Some also see it as hope that hasn't gone out. When this card appears, it can also mean you're moving on for more than just your own sake.
  Reversed: The child pressed close feels less like a reason to go and more like a reason you can't. Take another look at what you truly need to bring and what you can leave behind.
• The ferryman. A figure stands at the back of the boat, pushing it forward. Waite wrote that the load is light, so the work isn't beyond the ferryman's strength. He's the one who knows the way and helps you get across. The person or the means you can rely on is already right beside you.
  Reversed: Someone is standing at the back, ready to push, but because you won't let yourself be carried, their effort doesn't move you. Help is close by, but you haven't yet found the words to ask for it.
• The long pole. The ferryman plants a long pole in the water to push the boat along. This kind of progress doesn't happen all at once. It comes one push at a time. Change won't arrive all at once; it will build up little by little.
  Reversed: The steady push-by-push rhythm has stalled partway. Don't wait for some big decision. Start again with one small push you can make today.
• Two kinds of water. The water on the boat's right side is choppy with ripples, while the water ahead on the left is calm. A contrast between the rough water behind and the calm water ahead. Waite also described the passage as smooth. The hardest stretch is already behind you.
  Reversed: The water ahead is calm, but your heart keeps looking back at the choppy waves you've already crossed. You're so busy replaying what's past that you can't feel how much easier things have gotten.
• The far shore. Land is visible far off in the direction the boat is heading. Your next place. You haven't arrived yet, but it's definitely there. You haven't arrived; you're still crossing. Just don't lose sight of where you're headed.
  Reversed: You can see the land in the distance, yet you hesitate because you don't know what will happen once you get there. You already know where you're going, so just decide on one thing you'll do first when you arrive.