Meaning
The 6 of Swords Tarot card represents journey and travel, either spiritually or physically. It could mean that something in your day has moved on from you and won’t bother you anymore. Or it could be you simply moving on from an issue.
This is a card of forgiving and forgetting also. You’ve decided that no matter what pain has been caused in these situations, you are leaving it behind. You aren’t forgetting it, though, and are putting swords in front of you to protect yourself from future heartaches. Although there is not a lot of light in this card, and it has sad imagery, we are given peace through the hope that we are making the point to move past pain and stress and forge forward through our courage and intuition.
Symbolism
The suit of Swords is considered the most painful in the Tarot because the pain the swords can cause is a piercing. But some relief is found in the suit of swords, and the 6 of Swords Tarot card is just one of those examples. In this card, we see a man on a boat. His back is to us, but in front of him sits a woman and child. They are hooded and covered, so we can not see their faces, but their heads are down to suggest they have traveled a long journey—either emotionally or physically—to reach this point in the cycle. The upside to this card is the Sun on the horizon. The ferryman, or boatman, is taking the woman and her child toward this place. The imagery of this card places the swords in front of the woman and her child, suggesting they are being protected by higher thought and intuition and protected in general.
There is peace in the valley for the time being, as the woman and her child leave the past behind them and move forward, with the appropriate protection, to a better place.