Six of Swords
„striking insight and awareness“
symbols: rite of passage, transition of mind, upcoming insight, gnosis, and epiphany
expression: Tiphareth through Yetzirah
element: air
Often, this card is associated with leaving something or someone behind and turning towards a new beginning. For this to happen, a major transition has to be made. This will to change is always based on a striking insight, which cannot be ignored or buried. The saying „what has been seen, cannot be unseen“ describes this awareness best.
In a spiritual context such an occurrence is called epiphany or enlightenment. It is often misunderstood that feeling enlightened is a constant state of being. It is rather a groundbreaking insight, concentrated in one moment, which changes everything. Keeping this light burning is quite a different challenge and an ongoing process, which can follow this moment of transition.
In the lower part of the card, we can observe the entangled cycles, which we call our normal courses of life. They seem to be endless and offer no visible escape. However, in each circle, we return to our basic values and to the initial point of being. From there emerges an opportunity. A small path leads upwards. Like the DNA, it spirals up, accompanied by the serpent of knowledge and insight. This path won’t be easy to attain, and it isn’t a cozy one. It is often lonely and difficult to aspire, while held down by daily routines. Leaving the circle of struggle, we are now able to enter the circle of insight, marked by the expanding mushroom in the middle.
These rare moments appear almost, like taken out of space and time. We wouldn’t need to wonder, if we’re on such a path – certainty takes over. It is immediately recognized, when being there – it is the return to simply being, recognizing the sentence “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14) to be entirely true and honest. This moment is followed by epiphany and a decision or choice.
The two hands touching the head of the mushroom are taken from Michelangelo’s „The Creation of Adam“. They symbolize the next step in evolution of the self, self awareness and being close to the initial inner sparkle (this could be „Kia“ in Austin Osman Spares words).
After being struck with awareness, two paths are possible to walk on. This card is the chance for huge change but there’s always a choice. It is possible to fall back into daily routine and take the way down into our secure loops. It’s not a bad choice, only in rare cases, and with time we decide to walk on further. However, we can’t expect that the cycles appear to be the same as before. They may feel more stale and steadier, when having been part of a true insight.
If the other, greatly brave path is taken, the next step will be a new beginning, and a part of the true self would be evoked somehow. In the upper part of the card, we can grasp what this means. Focus, being in control of our own lifes and further transition into being „more“ than we were before. There is a fantastic opportunity within this card – we may not waste it, by overthinking this process, but we need to follow our gut feeling, which will guide us well.
