Welcome to Tarot Thursdays! This week we will be exploring the Six of Wands and how it can be used as a prompt or brainstorming in our writing.

Tarot is an interesting thing. It’s based upon symbolism and metaphors through imagery. With these images the subconscious mind is tapped into through the story provided. Not everyone gets the same thing from a piece of art. Each piece will influence each person in a slightly different way.

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Introduction of the Card

The Six of Wands is card number 27 in the deck and the sixth card of the Wands Suit in the Minor Arcana of the Tarot.

Let’s take a look at the following examples of this card below.

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Card Examples

Notice the similarities between them and take note of their differences. Do any of these move you more than the others? Take your time and allow these cards to tell you their story.

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My Analysis of These Cards

Each of these cards depict a victory of some sort to me. In the Mythic Tarot, he has clearly won the Golden Fleece from the dragon. In the Dragon Tarot, the dragon has claimed a large diamond for its prize. The man has returned home in a grand parade in the Universal Tarot and in the Tarot of Dreams the man is celebrating upon a balcony dressed in ceremonial gear. They all look quite pleased and satisfied with their lot in life here in these images.

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Themes of the Card

Each card has a set of keywords associated with it that serve as themes for its image. These keywords will vary somewhat depending on who you ask.

According to the Learning the Tarot website, the keywords associated with the card are:

• TRIUMPH
• ACCLAIM
• PRIDE

You can learn more about what this site has to say about this card here.

According to the Biddy Tarot website, the keywords associated with the card are:

• PUBLIC RECOGNITION
• VICTORY
• PROGRESS
• SELF-CONFIDENCE

You can learn more about what this site has to say about this card here.

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What this Card Means to Me

This card is all about winning and crushing it. Getting to write the words “THE END” at the bottom of that first draft. Isn’t that the coolest thing you ever felt? Crossing the finish line in a marathon – and yes it’s pretty damn sweet when you come in first place, but I’ll also argue it feels pretty damn good just to cross that line too so both are a win in my book. Graduating from anything – especially from college when you’ve worked so long and hard for it. The list goes on.

And in stories we seem to really love the victories of the underdog that manages to come out on top despite everything. The courage, valor, and determine that gets them there is truly inspiring. Especially when the story is based on real life.

So naturally, the keyword I choose for this card is: VICTORY.

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Music Playlist

In this spirit of all this, these are the songs I have picked out for this card.

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The Writing Exercise

This exercise is a free write. Permit yourself to write whatever comes to mind based upon the theme of this card. Choose a keyword or key phrase and run with it to see what you come up with.

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I would love it if you linked or pinged back what you wrote so I could see where you went with this.

Happy writing!

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Mythic Tarot by Liz Greene (Author), Juliet Sharman-Burke (Author), Tricia Newell (Illustrator) © 1989
Dragon Tarot by Terry Donaldson (Author), Peter Pracownik (Author) © 1996
Universal Tarot by Lo Scarabeo (Author), R. De Angelis (Illustrator), A. E. Waite (Designer) © 2001
Tarot of Dreams by Ciro Marchetti (Author), Lee Bursten (Author) © 2015