Last but by far not the least of the Six cards of the Tarot Minor Arcana is the Six of Wands.\u00a0 As we\u2019ve come to discover, in the Tarot Minor Arcana, the Six cards are kind of unique.\u00a0 This is in part because of the properties of the number 6, and in part because of the properties of the Sephira corresponding to the Tarot Sixes on the Tree of Life.\u00a0 Before we talk about the Six of Wands, if you haven\u2019t read October\u2019s essay on the Six of Pentacles, and in particular the information regarding the number 6, please do so now.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Six cards of the Tarot offer the concept of forward momentum achieved through victory over the obstacles presented by Four (in the case of Wands cards, the creation of a strong foundation that allows us to look toward the future) and Five (inconveniences and cross-purpose efforts).\u00a0 These victories are met with the healing achieved through negotiation; of course, this means that acceptance is a part of these Six cards, self-acceptance and the acceptance acquired through effective interactions with both friends and enemies.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In sacred math, the number 6 is considered to be a powerful and pure number because the first three numbers, 1, 2 and 3, add up to 6, and because in the Christian creation myth it took Yahweh six days to create the world.\u00a0 This number offers the concepts of both vertical and horizontal balance, and the corresponding element and suit at their practical best. \u00a0This is particularly true of the Six of Wands, which tells of the achievements associated with growth, often through the successful navigation through some kind of challenge.\u00a0 Remember, the Six cards often present the corresponding element and suit at its practical best, and since the suit of Wands is about creativity and passion, it makes sense that the Six of Wands offers an acknowledgement of achievements gained through the application of creativity and passion. \u00a0In most cases even a reversed Six card has many benefits to offer a Seeker, and the meanings of the reversed Six of Wands can be similar to the upright interpretation, just less intense.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tiphareth or Beauty is the sixth Sephira on the Tree of Life, the second on the Pillar of Balance (which is the \u201ctrunk\u201d of the Tree), and it represents harmony, equilibrium, and the epitome of balance. \u00a0Above Tiphareth are the top three Sephiroth of the Tree, the Supernals, representing God\/Source\/the Higher Self.\u00a0 Below the Supernals and above Tiphareth is a void known as Da\u2019at or the Abyss; the Abyss separates (and also bridges) Deity\/the Higher Self and the rest of our life experiences.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Traveling upward through the Abyss is usually an uncomfortable but in the end beneficial process, for it involves coming to know our Shadow Self, and thus our entire awareness. \u00a0This knowledge is terrifying to our conscious mind and empowering at the same time, for it is the source of our personal ethical code and our ability to tell right from wrong. The Abyss is also associated with the cerebellum and the powers of memory and concentration, which allow us to recognize and sense the meaningfulness of life events in a personal, experiential way.\u00a0 The knowledge and awareness associated with the Abyss are not about the outside world, for the Abyss is connected directly to the one who is doing the knowing and the learning, the Self. \u00a0The Six of Wands represents that moment when we realize that our efforts to conquer the Abyss are bringing results that are worth celebrating.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Now that we\u2019ve talked about the number 6 in a general fashion as it connects to the Tarot and the Six of Wands, let\u2019s begin the process of breaking our Six of Wands card down even further.\u00a0 The Six of Wands is a Minor Arcana card, so we know right away that the message offered by this card will most likely be more immediate in nature, or will most likely be connected to more day-to-day issues.\u00a0 Remember, while on the surface a Minor Arcana card can appear insignificant or mundane, it can also possibly be a symptom of a deeper or wider issue.\u00a0 Nothing in the Minor Arcana is in any way minor in nature.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We already know that the easiest way to get a decent understanding of a Minor Arcana card is to examine its number, or in the case of Court Cards, its rank, and to examine its suit.\u00a0 In this case, we are dealing with the number 6, and the suit of Swords.\u00a0 These two ingredients could actually give you enough information about this one card to offer a useful interpretation, especially with all the cool information out there regarding the number 6.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The suit of Wands corresponds with the playing card suit of Clubs, the cardinal direction of South, and the element of Fire.\u00a0 In its natural state, the element of Fire is hot and dry.\u00a0 It tends to bring spontaneous change or impulsive, energetic effects.\u00a0 Fire is passionate in nature, and transforms everything in our world.\u00a0 Fire can sanitize or cleanse, and it can destroy everything in its path; Fire can warm us and keep us safe, or it can kill us.\u00a0 The cards of the suit of Wands teach us about Fiery attributes: creativity, ambition, growth, passion and actions, and how their presence or absence can affect our lives.\u00a0 The suit of Wands represents our ability to experience joy and passion (including sexual passion), and the Wands cards can represent our creativity, our ability to be artistic or to be drawn to beautiful things.\u00a0 Fire often represents Spirit or the Divine Will, and Wands cards also can present the possibility of some interaction with Spirit or the Divine.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Astrologically speaking, the Six of Wands represents Jupiter when it is in the sign of Leo. In Roman mythology, Jupiter is the ruler, guardian and protector of the gods. Similarly, the planet Jupiter is in many ways the ruler of our solar system.\u00a0 Some astronomers believe that Jupiter with its massive gravity actually protects the rest of our solar system by attracting or deflecting comets and asteroids that might otherwise threaten Earth.\u00a0 Like passions and emotions, Jupiter is brightly colored and covered with large and intense storms; the planet is symbolized by a lightning bolt.\u00a0 Jupiter needs 11.9 of our years to orbit our Sun, and it spends 361 days in each sign of the zodiac.\u00a0 Astrologically, Jupiter is associated with growth, expansion, prosperity, freedom, exploration, and good fortune. Jupiter is connected to long distance and foreign travel, higher education, religion, all humanitarian pursuits, and the law (and its role as a protector of society). Jupiter is also associated with gambling and merrymaking.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Sun sign of Leo is connected with the Lion, the king of the jungle, our Sun, the center of our solar system, and the element of Fire; it is a fixed sign.\u00a0 In Astrology, Fixed Signs are associated with stabilization, determination, depth and persistence. This means that Leos are powerful and willful in all they do, often achieving more than expected.\u00a0 Of course, they can also be inflexible, rigid, stubborn, opinionated and single-minded.\u00a0 Leos are passionate and courageous; they can combine dignity and strength in order to be effective leaders who have a talent for inspiring others to also go above and beyond what is expected.\u00a0 They tend to plunge into a situation without a second glance, but since they thrive on risk and competitive situations, the end result is often good.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When we combine these ingredients together, we end up with a pretty nice description of the Six of Wands!\u00a0 Let\u2019s reassemble our card.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
To sum up: the number 6 tells of the vertical and horizontal balance that is achieved through negotiation and acceptance; even the reversed number is still beneficial.\u00a0 The Sixes of the Tarot correspond with balance and beauty, a child\u2019s ability to find innocent joy in simple things, and the ability to remember and understand events of the past, whether pleasant or uncomfortable or challenging, in order to be a better person.\u00a0 The suit of Wands is about passion and ambition, creativity and the courage to take action, and the ability to feel vindicated by succeeding through hard work.\u00a0 The energies of this suit (and the element of Fire) are hot and dry, they tend to bring spontaneous change or impulsive, energetic effects.\u00a0 Jupiter is about expansion, growth, exploration, prosperity and protection.\u00a0 Leo is about leadership abilities, courage, loyalty and honor, ambition, creativity, and an enjoyment of being in the public eye.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
This means that the Six of Wands expresses the celebration we feel when we have passed some test or successfully met a challenge.\u00a0 This card is about realizing that we\u2019ve established our reputation with others, perhaps through an uncomfortable process; its most common image is a victorious warrior receiving the accolades and recognition of those around him.\u00a0 The Six of Wands can tell of having our day in the sun, and it can tell of feeling good about what we\u2019ve accomplished.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Tarot of the Sephiroth sees the Six of Wands as being connected to successes and riches of a spiritual nature, or at least achieved not only through our own efforts but also through Divine guidance and intervention.\u00a0 The Shadowscapes Tarot describes this card as representing someone who has ascended to authority and distinguished himself by being strong and clever.\u00a0 The Shadowscapes Six of Wands warns, however, of the danger of falling prey to pride.\u00a0 The Thoth Six of Wands reminds us of the balance and harmony of Tiphareth, and it reminds us that the strength which brings Victory (Crowley\u2019s keyword for this card) comes through being able to blend together opposites.\u00a0 The Llewellyn Welsh Tarot tells us that the Six of Wands represents establishing authority through gaining the respect of our peers.\u00a0 The Legacy of the Divine Tarot reminds us that the victory of the Six of Wands comes us because we were able to make use of the foresight of the Four of Wands, and because we were able to maintain our focus despite the churning energies, competition and cross-purpose of the Five of Wands.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A reversed Six of Wands could indicate that we don\u2019t yet have the right to celebrate.\u00a0 It could indicate a possible loss or humility or defeat, but the presence of the card, even if it is reversed, gives a bit of hope even on the darkest of days.\u00a0 A reversed Six of Wands could also be a warning that we have passed through justified pride and moved into arrogance and a sense of self-importance.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
There you go; we have covered all the Sixes of the Tarot Minor Arcana.\u00a0 That requires a bit of a celebration of our accomplishments because we successfully dealt with the challenges of the Sixes, eh?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Next time, we will go back to the Major Arcana and look at the Justice card.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Last but by far not the least of the Six cards of the Tarot Minor Arcana is the Six of Wands.\u00a0 As we\u2019ve come to discover, in the Tarot Minor Arcana, the Six cards are kind of unique.\u00a0 This is in part because of the properties of the number 6, and in part because of the properties of the Sephira corresponding to the Tarot Sixes on the Tree of Life.\u00a0 Before we talk about the Six of Wands, if you haven\u2019t read October\u2019s essay on the Six of Pentacles, and in particular the information regarding the number 6, please do so now. The Six cards of the Tarot offer the concept of forward momentum achieved through victory over the obstacles presented by Four (in the case of Wands cards, the creation of a strong foundation that allows us to look toward the future) and Five (inconveniences and cross-purpose efforts).\u00a0 These victories are met with the healing achieved through negotiation; of course, this means that acceptance is a part of these Six cards, self-acceptance and the acceptance acquired through effective interactions with both friends and enemies. In sacred math, the number 6 is considered to be a powerful and pure number because the first three numbers, 1, 2 and 3, add up to 6, and because in the Christian creation myth it took Yahweh six days to create the world.\u00a0 This number offers the concepts of both vertical and horizontal balance, and the corresponding element and suit at their practical best. \u00a0This is particularly true of the Six of Wands, which tells of the achievements associated with growth, often through the successful navigation through some kind of challenge.\u00a0 Remember, the Six cards often present the corresponding element and suit at its practical best, and since the suit of Wands is about creativity and passion, it makes sense that the Six of Wands offers an acknowledgement of achievements gained through the application of creativity and passion. \u00a0In most cases even a reversed Six card has many benefits to offer a Seeker, and the meanings of the reversed Six of Wands can be similar to the upright interpretation, just less intense. Tiphareth or Beauty is the sixth Sephira on the Tree of Life, the second on the Pillar of Balance (which is the \u201ctrunk\u201d of the Tree), and it represents harmony, equilibrium, and the epitome of balance. \u00a0Above Tiphareth are the top three Sephiroth of the Tree, the Supernals, representing God\/Source\/the Higher Self.\u00a0 Below the Supernals and above Tiphareth is a void known as Da\u2019at or the Abyss; the Abyss separates (and also bridges) Deity\/the Higher Self and the rest of our life experiences. Traveling upward through the Abyss is usually an uncomfortable but in the end beneficial process, for it involves coming to know our Shadow Self, and thus our entire awareness. \u00a0This knowledge is terrifying to our conscious mind and empowering at the same time, for it is the source of our personal ethical code and our ability to tell right from wrong. The Abyss is also associated with the cerebellum and the powers of memory and concentration, which allow us to recognize and sense the meaningfulness of life events in a personal, experiential way.\u00a0 The knowledge and awareness associated with the Abyss are not about the outside world, for the Abyss is connected directly to the one who is doing the knowing and the learning, the Self. \u00a0The Six of Wands represents that moment when we realize that our efforts to conquer the Abyss are bringing results that are worth celebrating. Now that we\u2019ve talked about the number 6 in a general fashion as it connects to the Tarot and the Six of Wands, let\u2019s begin the process of breaking our Six of Wands card down even further.\u00a0 The Six of Wands is a Minor Arcana card, so we know right away that the message offered by this card will most likely be more immediate in nature, or will most likely be connected to more day-to-day issues.\u00a0 Remember, while on the surface a Minor Arcana card can appear insignificant or mundane, it can also possibly be a symptom of a deeper or wider issue.\u00a0 Nothing in the Minor Arcana is in any way minor in nature. We already know that the easiest way to get a decent understanding of a Minor Arcana card is to examine its number, or in the case of Court Cards, its rank, and to examine its suit.\u00a0 In this case, we are dealing with the number 6, and the suit of Swords.\u00a0 These two ingredients could actually give you enough information about this one card to offer a useful interpretation, especially with all the cool information out there regarding the number 6. The suit of Wands corresponds with the playing card suit of Clubs, the cardinal direction of South, and the element of Fire.\u00a0 In its natural state, the element of Fire is hot and dry.\u00a0 It tends to bring spontaneous change or impulsive, energetic effects.\u00a0 Fire is passionate in nature, and transforms everything in our world.\u00a0 Fire can sanitize or cleanse, and it can destroy everything in its path; Fire can warm us and keep us safe, or it can kill us.\u00a0 The cards of the suit of Wands teach us about Fiery attributes: creativity, ambition, growth, passion and actions, and how their presence or absence can affect our lives.\u00a0 The suit of Wands represents our ability to experience joy and passion (including sexual passion), and the Wands cards can represent our creativity, our ability to be artistic or to be drawn to beautiful things.\u00a0 Fire often represents Spirit or the Divine Will, and Wands cards also can present the possibility of some interaction with Spirit or the Divine. Astrologically speaking, the Six of Wands represents Jupiter when it is in the sign of Leo. In Roman mythology, Jupiter is the ruler, guardian and protector of the gods. Similarly, the planet Jupiter is in many ways the ruler of our solar system.\u00a0 Some astronomers believe that Jupiter with its massive gravity actually protects the rest of our solar system by attracting or deflecting comets and asteroids that might otherwise threaten Earth.\u00a0 Like passions and emotions, Jupiter is brightly colored and covered with large and intense storms; the planet is symbolized by a lightning bolt.\u00a0 Jupiter needs 11.9 of our years to orbit our Sun, and it spends 361 days in each sign of the zodiac.\u00a0 Astrologically, Jupiter is associated with growth, expansion, prosperity, freedom, exploration, and good fortune. Jupiter is connected to long distance and foreign travel, higher education, religion, all humanitarian pursuits, and the law (and its role as a protector of society). Jupiter is also associated with gambling and merrymaking. The Sun sign of Leo is connected with the Lion, the king of the jungle, our Sun, the center of our solar system, and the element of Fire; it is a fixed sign.\u00a0 In Astrology, Fixed Signs are associated with stabilization, determination, depth and persistence. This means that Leos are powerful and willful in all they do, often achieving more than expected.\u00a0 Of course, they can also be inflexible, rigid, stubborn, opinionated and single-minded.\u00a0 Leos are passionate and courageous; they can combine dignity and strength in order to be effective leaders who have a talent for inspiring others to also go above and beyond what is expected.\u00a0 They tend to plunge into a situation without a second glance, but since they thrive on risk and competitive situations, the end result is often good. When we combine these ingredients together, we end up with a pretty nice description of the Six of Wands!\u00a0 Let\u2019s reassemble our card. To sum up: the number 6 tells of the vertical and horizontal balance that is achieved through negotiation and acceptance; even the reversed number is still beneficial.\u00a0 The Sixes of the Tarot correspond with balance and beauty, a child\u2019s ability to find innocent joy in simple things, and the ability to remember and understand events of the past, whether pleasant or uncomfortable or challenging, in order to be a better person.\u00a0 The suit of Wands is about passion and ambition, creativity and the courage to take action, and the ability to feel vindicated by succeeding through hard work.\u00a0 The energies of this suit (and the element of Fire) are hot and dry, they tend to bring spontaneous change or impulsive, energetic effects.\u00a0 Jupiter is about expansion, growth, exploration, prosperity and protection.\u00a0 Leo is about leadership abilities, courage, loyalty and honor, ambition, creativity, and an enjoyment of being in the public eye. This means that the Six of Wands expresses the celebration we feel when we have passed some test or successfully met a challenge.\u00a0 This card is about realizing that we\u2019ve established our reputation with others, perhaps through an uncomfortable process; its most common image is a victorious warrior receiving the accolades and recognition of those around him.\u00a0 The Six of Wands can tell of having our day in the sun, and it can tell of feeling good about what we\u2019ve accomplished. The Tarot of the Sephiroth sees the Six of Wands as being connected to successes and riches of a spiritual nature, or at least achieved not only through our own efforts but also through Divine guidance and intervention.\u00a0 The Shadowscapes Tarot describes this card as representing someone who has ascended to authority and distinguished himself by being strong and clever.\u00a0 The Shadowscapes Six of Wands warns, however, of the danger of falling prey to pride.\u00a0 The Thoth Six of Wands reminds us of the balance and harmony of Tiphareth, and it reminds us that the strength which brings Victory (Crowley\u2019s keyword for this card) comes through being able to blend together opposites.\u00a0 The Llewellyn Welsh Tarot tells us that the Six of Wands represents establishing authority through gaining the respect of our peers.\u00a0 The Legacy of the Divine Tarot reminds us that the victory of the Six of Wands comes us because we were able to make use of the foresight of the Four of Wands, and because we were able to maintain our focus despite the churning energies, competition and cross-purpose of the Five of Wands. A reversed Six of Wands could indicate that we don\u2019t yet have the right to celebrate.\u00a0 It could indicate a possible loss or humility or defeat, but the presence of the card, even if it is reversed, gives a bit of hope even on the darkest of days.\u00a0 A reversed Six of Wands could also be a warning that we have passed through justified pride and moved into arrogance and a sense of self-importance. There you go; we have covered all the Sixes of the Tarot Minor Arcana.\u00a0 That requires a bit of a celebration of our accomplishments because we successfully dealt with the challenges of the Sixes, eh? Next time, we will go back to the Major Arcana and look at the Justice card.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":190,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/190"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9549\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}