The Sixes Reversed

Six is a number of balance and resolution. After the upset of the fives comes the quiet and problem solving of six. Reversed, therefore, suggests that answers and balance have somehow been put off or kept away altogether:

Six of Swords

The wonderful Six of Swords is all about escaping troubled waters. The boat may not have reached the shore, but it might well be in view. The answer to communication problems, mental worries, even science and math problems written on a chalkboard are becoming clear. Turn the card up-side-down and it's rather like overturning the boat. Everyone is in the water, the swords sinking to the bottom. Not only is there no getting the problem solves, but all that the boat was carrying gets lost as well.

If I got the reversed Six of Swords for a querent, I'd be worried that the poor person was going to lose all their important notes. That their computer might crash, or the person they needed to help them get to that other shore was going to suddenly move to another country, no forwarding address. The querent is going to have to swim for it and do the best they can without boat, oarsman or swords.

Six of Wands

The victory card is all about success, applause and accolades. The energy the person put into their endeavour has paid off and they have won. Reverse it however, and we can easily see several interpretations: opposite being a defeat rather than a win, but more likely, the blocked interpretation of something getting in the way of victory. I would read this as either a victory delayed, or one achieved but not getting the applause it should get.

I have a friend who works in the movie business. He worked very hard on a movie, but when he saw the credits, is name was hidden away, barely there. This would be, to me, the Six of Wands reversed. The querent is cheated of the satisfaction and laurels he ought to have gotten for his hard work.

Six of Cups

The nostalgia card is about finding answers in the past, in old friends, old family members, even just memories of youth and innocence. Reverse this and such memories or friends and family cause more problems than answers. If I got the reversed Six of Cups for a querent, I'd say that their childhood was so bad that anything that reminds them of it causes them emotional upset rather than emotional peace and joy.

If I got this card for them, I'd be very worried that they were going to run into a relative or old friend who had caused them pain and problems. A glance back at their school yearbook would only have them remembering how miserable they were, not, as with the upright card, their first love or happier times.

Six of Pentacles

The generosity card is about balancing out the scales by giving - or receiving. This is a card about finding an answer in charity, and the querent might be on either end of it - sharing the wealth, or getting their share from some benevolent soul. Reverse this, however, and there is no money to share. The querent may want to share in order to solve a problem, but finds themselves short of cash. Likewise, they may need some generosity in order to survive, but there is no one willing to give them a helping hand.

If I got this card I would assume that the querent either was having trouble getting a scholarship or charity, or that they wanted very badly to help someone but hadn't the resources to do it.

Onto the next reversed Tarot card, the Sevens...

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