Where the divinatory meanings of the fours in a deck of playing cards are all about stasis, the meanings of the sixes are all about direction and forward movement. This theme, like that of the fives, is somewhat unique to playing card divination (rather than being associated with standard numerology). The best explanation I’ve heard for it is that it’s drawn from the shape of the pips on the card itself; the six pips taken together look sort of like a road. And that’s really what these cards are about: the paths that lead you in one direction or another.
Six of Diamonds: The Direction of Power – “Acquisition”
If the sixes are about direction and the diamonds are about power and resources, the Six of Diamonds represents moving in the direction of increased power and resources. I personally think of this as “the Midas card,” after the mythological King Midas, whose merest touch turned everything to gold (though without the tragic moral undertones). When the Six of Diamonds comes up in a reading, it indicates that you are on easy street. Opportunities seem to fall into your lap, and every one you turn your hand to seems to flourish and blossom. Everything is going your way.
The imagery associated with the Six of Diamonds is “streets of gold,” and good decisions more generally. It’s about making sound choices that seem to work out for you without much effort. The resources you need to reach your goals are speeding your way, like a rain of golden coins dropping from the heavens.
Six of Clubs: The Direction of Labor – “Direction”
With the Ace of Clubs we talked about planning, the Six of Clubs is all about execution of that plan. Here the direction of your next step is clear – there is no ambiguity on the path, no decisions to be made – this is a card about putting in the work to follow that path. When you know what you need to do, and it’s just a matter of getting it done, you’re likely to turn up the Six of Clubs.
Hutcheson links this card to imagery of footprints, or a clear trail. Both cases where there is a clear indication of direction for you to follow. You haven’t reached your destination yet, but you know how to get there from where you currently are. The steps are laid out before you, be they literal or metaphorical.
Six of Hearts: The Direction of Intimacy – “Fidelity”
Strong relationships, be they romantic or platonic, are built on trust. That trust is derived, in large part, from constancy. It is hard to trust someone when you aren’t confident they’re going to follow through on the commitments they have made. This is where the Six of Hearts shines. It’s a card about quietly, steadily showing up. It’s about saying what you mean, and doing what you say. It’s about remaining true to someone else; loyal in a world that would seek to constantly test that loyalty.
In addition to loyalty generally, the Six of Hearts is also associated with imagery of a dog, or the concept of stamina. A dog because it is an animal that exhibits unqualified, adoring loyalty. Stamina because remaining constant in the face of trouble takes fortitude. It takes no courage to be a friend during fair weather; remaining true when the storms come is the real test.
In readings about romantic relationships, the Six of Hearts is a very auspicious card. It doesn’t describe the kind of tumultuous infatuation you might find at the beginning of a relationship, but instead the steady warmth of a relationship likely to endure for decades.
Six of Spades: The Direction of Strife – “Temptation”
Where the Six of Diamonds was about things being easy, the Six of Spades is about them being challenging. But – critically – these are challenges of our own making. This is a card about temptation, and the inability to resist it. About the poor choices we make coming back to bite us.
The Devil card in the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot shows two naked people chained at the feet of a hulking demonic figure. But you will notice, when looking closely, that the chains lie loose about their necks. The “prisoners” have the option to remove them. But they don’t. They are trapped by their inability to resist their own vices. The Six of Spades has a very similar feel to it. It’s not about being trapped by external circumstances. It’s not about learning new information that makes you regret your past choices. You go into your decisions clear-eyed; you know you will probably come to regret your choice, but you go ahead and make it anyway.
In contrast to the Six of Hearts, the Six of Spades is a really rough card to turn up in a reading about a romantic relationship. Where the former conveys a steady fidelity, the latter screams “affair.” Perhaps not one that’s being acted on yet, but one that’s being actively considered.
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