Mary El Tarot - Six of Swords

Bat Chicken

http://www.mary-el.com/swords2.html

So in following the Six of Wands, the angel in the Six of Swords carries the rod of Asclepius. He is Raphael, the Healer. The sigil on his chest is for the Archangel Raphael. In occult Christianity, Raphael represents Mercury.

The children would appear to be accompanying him across a bridge. Whatever it is they leave behind, they leave behind forever. The look forward, holding each others' hands for comfort and begin the journey of healing.

Thoughts?
 

Milfoil

You seem to have summed it up beautifully Bat Chicken.

From the pain and birthing process of the 5 of Swords now we see the healing in it's living and forceful form. Those bright red wings which completely overshadow everything, living red, blood red, life red surrounds and protects them. The dog, perhaps a symbol of loyalty and guardianship accompanies the still naive and tender young souls, the animus and anima of oneself and one's soul which has already begun the healing process and finding its path in the awareness of the greater assistance which surrounds us.

The strange Asclepius staff with it's spiral at the end, suggesting the inner, visionary journey of transformation and wisdom is present but not yet in the possession of the young ones. It has to be held by the healer which as yet is Raphael, the travelling companion of Tobit's son Tobiah. Through thick and thin, yet disguised as a human, Raphael guides and protects Tobiah, finally curing his father of blindness when they complete their journey. This new vision of the father or the older way of seeing things, via the sons learning or new way of seeing is a perfect mirror for the 6 after the pain of the 5.
 

Mi-Shell

After the immediate gut reaction about this being yet another angel subsides I am really looking at the card= What is on there – NOT what I know from the book:

The predominant color is red. Alarm!!! Huuuuuge red wings – waaaay too big for that scrawny lad…. But red wings none the less…

Is THAT, why I had that instant = before thinking reaction? Red is also Blood and guts but also heat and sun and lust and fire…..

There is a rather puny looking red haired teenager guiding 2 younger kids, that could be his younger siblings – or smaller kids from the playground. This guy certainly poses no threat to anybody, he is malnourished and pale, nerdy looking. His hand is also kindly , protectively petting the neck of a medium sized Dog – a hunting Dog maybe…(I am not good with the names of breeds…)

Hands.
Hands are predominant as well.
The hand on the Dog’s neck, the older girl holding hands with the younger boy,interweaving their fingers.
With an open hand the skinny teen points the way ahead, up some flight of stairs, while also with his thumb holding a strange long stick around which a black Snake-like ribbon is curled. This staff somehow reminds me of the caduceus – and right, I am finding out, that Raphael is in charge of healing and guiding the soul towards harmony and integration by dispelling fear, ignorance and – as in my case - oooold hang-ups!

See! :) That was not sooo bad.

Looking at a christian angel in a new way and actually finding out, what they think he is for, instead of shutting down by the first sight of it

In wikipedia I find out that he too is a patron of physicians, so that is, what the blood and guts wings are for… :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archangel_Raphael

In the RWS system the 6 of Swords is often shown as a person in a boat, embarking on a journey, the boat filled with the 6 swords – the thoughts, the mind, Dark clouds in the distance speaking of past troubles, perils, hard times and hurts….

So this guy is the boat for the journey forward.
Into seeing things differently
taking off some old blinders
and let in some light and tolerance.

Day 2 with this card:
However, a second look at the card a day later revealed my un-ease with this impish pan like creature leading away these children. To where? Is he using the Dog to lure them?
Also to me the strange anatomy of the Beings in the cards in general is quite distracting, when trying to make sense of a Tarot image. In this card deciding ifff this is just a bad try at drawing human hand intertwining – or do I have to include this unnatural holding pose into a reading?

Day 3 with this card:
Somehow, This morning, looking yet again at this image I had the sad and creepy feeling, this impish angel is leading away 2 kids, that just died…. Somehow I had the feeling, the darker hand folded into the boy’s hand is not his sister’s but his mother’s and she is still on the side of the living. For a fleeting flash I had an image of a car crash in my peripheral vision….. :(
 

missy

Six of Swords

This archangel or otherworldly figure is taking care of the children ... as it will take care of us unseen. The dog is a sign of guardianship ... the dog will also look after the children / us. This card emphasizes we will be looked after.

The red in the background could be the archangel's wings, or it could be read as danger (that the archangel is protecting the children from), or it could be read as action that needs to be taken.

Oddly, when I think of the traditional RWS Six of Swords and how it has to do with "moving away" presumably to a safer place, this card also has that same feeling of "moving" away to a safer place. (i.e., the man in the RWS card is "escorting" the woman and child to safety, just as the archangel in this card is "escorting" the children to safety.)
 

cSpaceDiva

When I look at the 6 of Swords I'm not sure what my role is. Am I an angel, a child, or a dog? Or am I all of the above? This cards is about guiding, not ferrying or carrying, just showing the way and providing support and encouragement, as the children (seekers?) make the journey under their own power. In this way the journey itself makes them stronger, whole. The inclusion of the dog signals to me that all are welcome, without judgment.