Today we move on to the Six of Swords, which - in the system
I use - is linked to Mercury in Aquarius, as well as to the middle ten days of
Aquarius (30th/31st January to 9th February this
year).
Just to recap: Aquarius is the fixed Air sign, so we’re
looking at maintaining lines of communications, and establishing ideas and
concepts – but not just any old idea. This is the sign of the unconventional
and the unorthodox, the reformer and revolutionary. When we add Mercury, the communicator, the trader,
to this sign we have an energy that wants to express and share its ideas, its
ideology, its humanitarian aims, perhaps. Aquarius can be detached and
impersonal, so the method of communicating or sharing is likely to reflect that
– this won’t be about the emotions!
There could be lots of discussion, and perhaps even the establishing of
groups based around a common cause that will involve the need to make changes.
Innovative or experimental thinking – leading to the ‘science’ keyword used by
Crowley in his Thoth deck – is also an aspect of Mercury in Aquarius.
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Six of Arrows (trimmed):
© Wildwood Tarot
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But how is Mercury in Aquarius reflected in the Six of Swords? Traditionally, we tend to see the Six of
Swords as being about transition – leaving behind difficult situations and
moving towards a calmer place. Often the
image is one of people being carried by boat out of a stormy atmosphere into
one that looks more peaceful. The key, I
think, is that we find a way out of our difficulties by coming up with new ways
of thinking – that the solution comes through a different idea, perhaps even a
revolutionary or unorthodox one, or one that requires some experimenting.
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Six of Swords (trimmed):
© Shadowscapes Tarot
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In the Shadowscapes deck, we have quite a different image
but it still conveys the idea of a “passage from difficulty”, to quote the accompanying
book (details below). Although the creator of the deck doesn’t draw on
astrological associations, I can see Mercury’s ability to analyze and see
clearly helping to bring perspective to what lies ahead (Aquarius), easing the
transition.
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Six of Swords (trimmed):
© Thoth Tarot
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In the Thoth, the swords meeting at a central point
symbolizes the meeting of a variety of ideas that results in a new vision,
while the rose at the centre represents the blossoming of a new reality – the
transition to a new perspective, a calmer place. ‘Science’ here refers to the way in which new
knowledge helps us to move away from outdated ways of thinking – and the need
to communicate and share such knowledge so that others can adapt as well.
If you’ve enjoyed this post, you might be interested in my
e-book, Astrology in Tarot, now
available from Amazon.
Shadowscapes Tarot created by
Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and Barbara Moore, published by Llewellyn
Thoth Tarot created by Aleister Crowley, illustrated by
Lady Frieda Harris, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
Wildwood Tarot created by Mark
Ryan and John Matthews, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by
Connections
