Welcome to Tarot for Scholars, a resource that helps you weave the deep wisdom of tarot into your daily life and work. In each post, we offer reflections and prompts for exploring your own inner world and unlocking the unique creative power of your scholarship.
6 of Swords
About this card
The liminal experience of being carried by currents toward an unknown shore. Awaiting the clarity that the mere passage of time can bring through no effort of your own. Moving steadily through a situation without being changed by it or trying to change it. A solemn transition without transformation. Calmness, stillness, and stoicism within a painful or heavy reality, passing from one phase to another, neither overwhelmed by a problem nor trying to grapple with it.
Other interpretations
Margy’s cards, clockwise from top left: Radiant Tarot; New Chapter Tarot; Cosmic Slumber Tarot; Shining Tribe Tarot; Elemental Tarot; Navigators Tarot of the Mystic Sea; Spolia Tarot; Tarot of the Spirit.
Helen’s cards, clockwise from top left: Moon & Stars Tarot; Light Seer’s Tarot; Japaridze Tarot; Canes Arcanae; Star Spinner Tarot; Muse Tarot; Tarot of Mystical Moments; Forest of Enchantment Tarot.
Questions and prompts
Can you think of a time when you have lived the liminality of the 6 of Swords as a scholar? What “river” were you gliding on? What “boat” was carrying you? How did the experience change you; what was different about your life afterwards?
Imagine that the three figures represent three distinct phases in your life as a scholar: first the child (student?), then the huddled adult (apprentice?), then the adult standing with an oar (author?). Which figure feels most relatable to you right now? Why?
Building on the previous question, reflect on what distinct qualities your scholarly process might have in each of the three stages. How might your awareness of the other two stages help you navigate whichever stage you are currently in?
Thanks for joining us for Tarot for Scholars! Your hearts, restacks, and comments brighten our day. 💫
Yours in scholarship,
HELEN SWORD is a scholar, poet, award-winning teacher, and founder of the WriteSPACE, an international writing community with members in 30+ countries. Her research-based books, articles, and online tools empower scholarly writers to write more clearly, confidently, prolifically, and with greater pleasure.
Visit Helen’s website here.
MARGY THOMAS is the creator of ScholarShape, a body of work dedicated to elucidating the patterns of Story-Argument across genres, disciplines, and life itself. Through services and DIY resources, Margy helps scholars use Story-Argument patterns to design their work — and to find its deeper meaning and higher purpose.
Visit Margy’s website here.
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