Towards Something Better

 I've been pondering the Six of Swords.

I like it when this card comes up in a reading, it shows a transition towards calmer times, a movement from choppy waters to gentle, stillness.

I've just returned from a holiday, where I feel I have undergone stages of transition. Some deep thinking and decision making has taken place. Grown up decisions; thoughts and feelings about getting older, acceptance.....or not.

A Six is a number of harmony and balance. A pause where I can see how far I've come and perhaps celebrate what I've achieved or overcome to get there. Swords are associated with the realm of the mind so I am being asked to think about the journey and maybe communicate those thoughts with myself or share them with others. Even ask for help. This is where different depictions of a card can help me feel the nuances of the messages and what they are showing me.

Even though we're dealing with the element of Air, many depictions involve a journey over water, perhaps showing how closely connected our thoughts and emotions are.

 I love this example from the Hezicos Tarot. The boat is perched on the crest of a wave between the turbulent and the still sea while the solitary figure calmly gazes away from the wild side. The Swords are displayed on the sail, reminding me of the Air element and the challenges in my head. I love that the boat is pulled along by a Sea Dragon. To me, having a mythical creature assisting and guiding could be saying that help may come in some form of my beliefs, or my inner Dragon, not necessarily from outside. The sky is full of energy so strength is all around me and the lamp swinging from the mast shows me I'm not in the dark.

Here in the AnnaK Tarot the picture is along the more traditional lines of the Rider Waite Smith, of a ferryman taking one or more people across the water. The view of the retreating figures really encompasses the feeling of leaving something behind. Here, the destination isn't in full colour, showing that the idea of wherever I'm going hasn't been fully formed yet. I often wonder about mutual beneficiaries when a ferryman appears in an image. He (or she) is being paid for a service, and the passenger is taken where they need to go. Win-win. In this particular picture the ferryman carries four of the six swords, so is taking a lot of the burden or troubled thoughts himself. Perhaps he isn't a paid ferryman at all - he may be the companion of the seated passenger, again showing some kind of assistance is there for me. Also, the fact that it's a raft and not a more robust boat, tells me that this isn't a long journey.

We have the opposite view in the DruidCraft Tarot where a couple are being punted towards the reader. I love their active expressions anticipating the destination with interest. The Swords are splayed around them and the man is gripping one by the hilt. This may be showing me that one thought is paramount or uppermost at the moment. The arrival feels closer in this card and the golden sky is enveloping me in welcoming warmth.

Finally for this little grouping, this image is from the Japaridze Tarot and shows a bat-winged angel (the bat being a feature of Nino Japaridze's work) soaring over two landscapes. Instead of the contrasting water, we have a dark, desolate outcrop and a verdant sunny land. There is a smooth river dividing the two showing me that I have the choice of where to go. The angel depicts my thoughts as an overview of the situation I may be leaving behind, giving me 'the big picture' and not letting my thoughts weigh me down during this transition.

'Til next time,

Margo