Discussion Group - Sixes

Looking at the sixes I notice they all have groups of people. So I'm thinking that the querent's relationship to others is significant in each card.

In each card one person is helping or watching over others -- the man giving charity in Pentacles, the boy giving flowers to the girl in Cups, the ferryman conveying the woman and child in Swords, and the hero gazing benevolently on the masses in Wands. So I think it's a chance to look at how the querent relates to others, especially on ways they can help or lead.

There's always the possibility of identifying with the other side, being the beggar, the innocent child, the refugee, one of the masses ... and trying to understand the circumstances or relationship that puts the querent in this position.

I'm studying 6 of cups this week in my 78-week program and kept this card in mind the other day, when I became a bit angry with one of my nephews over a minor misunderstanding -- I decided the best reaction was to ignore the slight and turn the conversation to a positive note. Life is long, try to set a good example and let the small stuff go!

For me the sixes represent the best of the suit - coming between the struggles and upset of the fives and the tests of the sevens. My favorite word for the sixes is "reciprocity," meaning "a relationship of mutual dependence or action or influence."

For instance, a leader needs followers and vice versa. Some kind of exchange is taking place that benefits each in their own way. With Swords the reciprocity may exist among the people on the boat but it's also between the two shores, or between troubled and calm waters, or between the near and the far.

Sorry to get off-topic with the flowers - could the moderator move that info to a different thread?

Mary