Six of Wands
The Six of Wands asks you to get on board with the future.
This card stirs you toward your dreams, goals, or aspirations. You might be narrowing down your focus or moving in a new direction. The Six of Wands encourages you to pivot towards the path that best serves you. Follow your ideas, gifts, or vision.
Often, this card requires you to depart from what you know. Getting where you want to may require stepping outside your comfort zone. As you make your way forward, stand confidently in who you are. Know that you hold something special and keep your outlook positive.
This card can indicate that you have praise or support from others. Encouragement from friends, colleagues, and family helps you move into the next chapter.
This card can also symbolize mobility or recognition. You could be traveling, moving, or receiving awards or praise. Your impact, work, or persona might become more visible to the public.
The Six of Wands reversed symbolizes disappointment or reconfiguration. You might feel like you haven’t achieved what you set out to, professionally or personally. Perhaps you’ve been underecognized or haven’t received the accolades you deserve. You might have done everything you can to make something work, only to find that the outcome doesn’t serve you or align with your needs.
To combat disappointment, a change of mindset or direction might be needed. Failure could be a matter of your perspective; are your expectations reachable? Are you asking the impossible of yourself? Maybe you’ve scaled a mountainside, but refuse to see it.
It might be time to question the mental framework you’ve been holding to. On the other hand, maybe you’ve given it your all and recognize that it’s time for a new approach or strategy. It can help to get clear about what you value and build from there.
In a reading about personal or romantic connection, the Six of Wands suggests positive movement or a need to clarify the direction of the relationship(s). Is the relationship or situation meeting your needs?
If drawn reversed, you might need to move on or reflect on where things stand.
While this tends to be a positive card for love or relationships when drawn upright, pay attention to the cards drawn alongside it. The attention the Six of Wands attracts can be a fallacy, akin to love-bombing or propping up a relationship with false promises. Behind closed doors, actions misalign with words.
This veneer is also more likely when the card is reversed. Relationships may have failed to deliver, or you may not have been able to give what you need to make them work.
Sometimes the reversal can indicate big visions getting in the way. You or your partner(s) may focus on their ambitions or garnering praise at the expense of the relationship(s).
When it’s hitting its high note, the Six of Wands is about moving in the direction of your ambition and receiving the praise you deserve. Confidence, focus, and clarity in direction get you where you need to be.
Sources
Greer, Mary. Archetypal Tarot. San Francisco, CA: Weiser Books, 2011.
Greer, Mary. Tarot Reversals. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2002.
Pollack, Rachel. Tarot Wisdom. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2008.
Snow, Cassandra. Queering the Tarot. Newburyport, MA: Weiser Books, 2019.
Tea, Michelle. Modern Tarot. New York, NY: Harper Collins: 2017.
Wen, Benebell. Holistic Tarot: An Integrative Approach to Using Tarot for Personal Growth. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2015.
Video
Tarot Spread
If you are drawn to the Six of Wands and want to dig deeper, get them outta your deck, make them your mascot, and draw some cards from the rest of the deck with this tarot spread I created!
