General Book of the Tarot: Swords: Six of Swords

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Six of Swords

TRADITION: Route, way, path, envoy, journey by water, emigration, manner, expedient. Reversed: Proclamation, declaration, publication, avowal, knowledge, charter, constitution, bill, ordinance, discovery, vision, revelation, apparition. A proposal of love, says another rendering.

THEORY: This is the element of Earth on the Sixth house, and the Virgo-particulars expressed in 'earth' become the 'ways' that carry the message from the centre, the heart, to the parts of the system. So it is the nervous system and the arterial system in the animal and human body. Thus it must be the way or path leading out into the world from our house or living place. This explains what tradition says about envoy and emigration, though the latter is somewhat far-fetched, and not in every instance will the way lead so far as that, nor the path be trodden until we meet with a 'proposal of love.' But it is true, that the effect of that which this card represents may go far and in general signifies the message in the sphere of matter (Mercury is lord of this house), the message materialised. And this explains why tradition says it means 'apparition'--'publication'--'constitution' etc. It is quite correct therein. The message is conveyed by means of the way, path, canalisation, etc., and appears in some effect or other. So it may even be a vision or materialisation from the 'other side.' It may also, however, be the passing over to that side, the crossing of the Styx, which seems to be indicated by the picture of this card. The cusp of the seventh house in the horoscope