Notes from the Tarot: The Sixes
The sixes of Tarot invite us into various forms of balance and equilibrium. Each of the sixes, in some way, guides us into a pause in order to acknowledge and act from balanced and centered truth.
Oftentimes this requires a courageous choice — choice that may not feel easy, yet at the same time feels ‘right’.
The Tarot sixes shares similar energy as The Lovers, adding a component of reflection(that which we see outside of ourselves, also exists within) and reciprocity(the balance of sourcing inward and/or outward). Which brings point to a powerful truth: none of us are alone in our human experience. There is a beautiful and powerful invitation to step into centered, healthy interdependence and exchange, realizing that we are not required to bare any load on our own. We can rest into the comfort of shared experience.
These cards offer a moment of calm and balance. How that looks for each six card and each reader is unique. Here are my notes from my tarot practice, and the guidance that I find within each of the sixes.
Six of Pentacles — there is a skill required in knowing when really to give, and when really to take. With spirit. With others. With material goods. With the ethereal. With this card we are invited into some sort of balance. Like an artist knows the exact right moment to stop painting or sculpting — we learn the art of co-creation and interdependency with others, within our selves, in our engagement with spirit. We are guided into skillful transactions, bringing us closer and closer to the flow of life & to the experience of oneness.
A literal example of the six of pentacles could be receiving and paying back a loan borrowed to you from a bank or a friend. To be in balance with the creditor and with yourself, you must evaluate how much money you truly need and take no more than that (even when the option for more is on the table). You must also be honest about what payment plan will work for you so that you are not paying too little, nor paying more than you can handle. This seems simple, but it requires skill to neither take more, nor give more, than is needed.
Six of Cups — similar to the pentacles, the cups asks us to skillfully evaluate what of ourselves we are holding and what of ourselves can be shared. Rather than coming into equilibrium with what is outside of ourselves, however, the six of cups invites us to come into balance with what is within our hearts. The cups rule the felt and sensual. This includes our emotions, feelings, senses and deep inner knowing.
A six of cups moment is one where we have a choice between closing or opening the heart to the world. This is a moment where perhaps we have been holding onto something in our hearts or our minds, that we can open to and offer outwardly. If this is so, we are invited into total vulnerability in expression to another being(s). In exchange, we are witnessed and held in our truth.
A six of cups example would be to write a poem and share it with a friend, a lover, a stranger, or a group. It’s a pouring out of our hearts to release and make space.
Six of Swords — there is an invitation for a mental shift with this card. This is a rebalancing of the mind as we are invited into transition — moving into the new while paying homage to the old. The six of swords can look a few different ways:
- drawing in friends and loved ones to mirror back to us what is true. This could look like processing with friends, loved ones, therapists and/or guides.
- engaging in ritual and ceremony to honor and clear the mind/body/space for what is to come.
- a discussion in closure with an old friend, relationship, or employer.
- releasing something that we have been holding onto, and deciding what we want to bring along going forward.
in any case, the six of swords guides us into balance of the mind for peace, clarity, and truth.
Six of Wands — the part celebration plays in our energetic equilibrium is brought to light with this card. The wands rule our passions, instincts, energy and motivation. When we get a spark of inspiration, this is a felt example of the wands. Likewise, when we lose inspiration or go into a rut, this is a felt example the wands. The wands suite teaches us to get to know, and then keep the candle flame of our lives lit, at the exact perfect height. The wands encourages us to neither burn out, nor consume ourselves in fire.
Celebration is a powerful regenerator of our flame — the energy, spark, instinct, and inspiration of our lived experience. The six of wands invites us to remember this, and to celebrate (with others!).
While it could represent an actual, material achievement, it doesn’t have to. Like the other sixes, the six of wands is a moment to pause. It’s a moment to reflect on all of the moments that have brought us to now. We have made it, and there is value in celebrating our successes to keep the internal flame lit, so that we can keep moving.
A great example to represent the six of wands is the celebration that occurs when a sales team meets their goals. The celebration allows the release of steam and acknowledge of hard work while it propels everyone into action for the next cycle.
Celebration is a powerful part of regeneration and growth, and should not be bypassed or missed. The six of wands is a beautiful reminder of this.
In general, the sixes of Tarot serve a potent reminder to pause, reflect, and come back home to self — in balance. The six of pentacles is about reciprocity as a whole, where the six of cups is about balance within. The six of swords invites us into a balance between past and present, in order to step into future. And the six of wands is about the balance required to regenerate and manage our energy overall.
Thank you for touching in to my take on the sixes.
with love & gratitude,
TCP
