Six of Wands Tarot Meanings
The card of victory, recognition, and progress.
Last Updated: April 16, 2024.
The Six of Wands is the sixth card in the suit of Wands (also known as the suit of Rods or Staffs) and one of the fifty-six suit cards from the minor arcana. In divinatory tarot, the Suit of Wands is associated with the element of fire and traditionally signifies creativity, inspiration, ambition, determination and willpower. Each card of this suit represents aspects of our lives such as career, travel and spirituality.
Divination practices such as cartomancy can help us make decisions, offer guidance, and help us tune into our intuition when we are at a crossroads in our lives. Understanding the meanings of each tarot card can help you sharpen your interpretative skills so you can get the most out of your readings.
The Six of Wands is all about the recognition you’re receiving from the outside world for the great things you have been achieving! So, whilst you may be recognising this yourself, this Six is very much all about how others are recognising it all alongside you. This has been a time where you’ve been tuning in with yourself to use your own knowledge and strengths in order to drive successful results with whatever your focus was – well done! This Six is all about winning and receiving the deserved recognition.
In this article, we will discuss the meanings of the Six of Wands in various tarot reading contexts as well as the different symbols and nuances that can be found within this court card.
Pictorial Symbolism in the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck
The artworks from the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck contain deeper esoteric meanings that tarotists love to decipher.
The Six of Wands is represented by a proud person sitting tall on a beautifully decorated white horse as they travel through a crowd of cheering people. The white of the horse is very much related to the symbolism of strength and success. The decor on the horse shows that this is someone that doesn’t shy away from making the public aware of their achievements.
The person also holds a wand firm and strong and wears a wreath around their head, this is someone that isn’t afraid to show off exactly what they have and what they have done, and the crowd around them love it. Praise is being shown in abundance for this person as they show up just for them.
The Six of Wands key correspondences
Upright keywords | Victory, success, fame, supporters, self-esteem, pride, recognition, achievement. |
Reversed keywords | Failure, lack of support, losing, disappointment, lack of self-esteem. |
| Yes or No | Yes |
| Numerology | 6 |
| Element | Fire |
Ruling Planet | Jupiter |
| Astrological Sign | Leo, August 2nd - August 11th |
What does the upright Six of Wands mean in the Tarot?
The Six of Wands represents reaching a significant milestone in your life, and its cause for celebration. You’ve come through the worst of things, everything that the Five of Wands had to throw your way, and you found a way to be the bigger and better person and work out the cooperative and calm action required for progression – you did it!
And you’re now here to reap the benefits of that successful progress. This Six is all about recognition for overcoming those challenges, so well done to you! You’re not only basking in the confidence of your own achievements, but externally you will be receiving acclamation from those around you, people are very much cheering in your corner right now. You should be proud!
When pulled in the upright position, the Six of Wands is associated with victory, success, fame, supporters, self-esteem, pride, recognition, and achievement.
What does the upright Six of Wands mean in a love reading
If you’re in a relationship, then the Six of Wands is a fabulous card to receive as it suggests that you and your partner are on a real high together right now. The relationship is looking glorious, you’re both confident together, you’re both feeling stable in this relationship, and you’re finding a lot of support from one another. It’s all in a very healthy state at the moment, and you’re definitely feeling proud of that fact.
If you’re single, then the presence of this card usually suggests that you’re about to meet someone that ticks all of those lovely boxes of yours. Oh yes, someone quite grand and spectacular (in your eyes) is on their way to you.
This will be someone that will treat you exactly the way you want to be treated, this will be someone you find a lot of comfort and stability with, and it all makes for a beautifully successful connection – romantic or otherwise, whatever a relationship means to you!
What does the upright Six of Wands mean in a career reading?
Well, work right now is simply divine! You are receiving all the recognition you deserve! This could either be in the form of a promotion, a pay rise, or all the hard work you were putting into a project or work-based task has paid off beautifully and successfully – and you’re feeling very proud of it, and so you should be!
But remember just because your projects are seeing the great results you wanted, you can’t let your head swell! You’re allowed to enjoy the moment and praise yourself as much as you like, bask in it all, but don’t get carried away.
The Six of Wands as feelings/emotions
If you are asking the tarot how someone feels about you, pulling the Six of Wands suggests that this is someone that feels so great about you! They are very, very attracted to you, and absolutely see your connection being able to bloom and blossom into something beautiful – should you allow it.
This will be someone that admires you and they will typically be eager to spend more time with you at any given opportunity. This person simply just really enjoys being around you, you bring them a lot of joy and happiness whether that’s directly or indirectly, and this person just really appreciates you.
The Six of Wands as a person
As a personality archetype, the Six of Wands represents someone that is an accomplished and successful individual, typically viewed as a leader or as an intuitive entrepreneur. This will be someone that’s incredibly confident with their abilities, this can even come across as cocksure at times, but they won’t always be egotistical about things.
This is someone that knows how to set goals, stick to them, and achieve them. They’re willing to put in the work that’s required to get to where they want to go, and they have a track record of absolutely smashing it most times – if not every time.
Sometimes this person may need the help and guidance of their nearest and dearest to keep them grounded, as their love for the spotlight is what can trigger that egotistical behaviour.
The Six of Wands as advice
It’s time to focus on the goal and run at it. With the correct support and network around you, you can absolutely excel at this. You can take command of how this venture goes, you just need to trust in your natural abilities – you 100% have what it takes!
Even if you’re concerned about what people will think about the direction you’re choosing, you still need to go for it. Be the trendsetter that someone else might need.
You have others you look up to for what they’ve done, right? This could be you in someone else’s life, so go for it, you got this. You can be the leader someone else needs.
What is the zodiac or astrological sign associated with the Six of Wands?
This card has the timing of Jupiter in Leo, of the dates August 2nd to 11th and it is ruled by the sign of Leo. Leo is a creative sign that enjoys fame, feeling special and having a great time whether socially or romantically.
The Jupiter aspect is incredibly beneficial here, as a planet it has themes of success, so it’s an optimistic placement.
Is the Six of Wands a yes or no card?
Because of the generally positive nature of the Six of Wands, this makes it one of the minor arcana’s ‘yes’ cards! Success is most usually inevitable at the end of the road with this card, so it usually bodes well for any ‘yes’ question as it’s suggesting pretty much that “yes, you will be successful in this endeavour”. With this ‘yes’ comes the inspiration required in order to propel oneself forward down the route towards success, so embrace the feeling and go for it! Right now, it’s all favoured.
Below are some of my interpretations, as an experienced tarot practitioner, based on different types of questions:
Querent question: “Will I get the job?”
Card interpretation: The Six of Wands usually bodes well for career readings, especially when it comes to promotions and new jobs – so if this Six pops up with your question being around this subject, it’s looking great! Something new is coming, whether that’s a promotion within your current job, or a completely new job elsewhere entirely! But either way, it’s all looking very promising for you to have this new opportunity in your career, so you need not worry.
Querent question: “Is this new person in my life good for me?”
Card interpretation: This could be someone that helps you understand your own emotional needs better. This is going to be someone that typically attracts a lot of attention, and if you decide to end up by their side, you too may end up sharing the limelight with them. And, quite frankly, not everyone enjoys being the centre of attention! But you may also come to find that you thoroughly enjoy it, and this person has helped bring that side of you out. But if you don’t enjoy it, and prefer being in the background, then you’re more aware now of emotionally what you prefer to deal with – and where you’re most comfortable. It’s up to you how you wish to proceed moving forward with someone that attracts attention wherever they go. So in the sense of helping you learn about yourself, it’s looking good in that light.
Querent question: “Will I achieve my current goals?”
Card interpretation: Oh sweetling, you very much are on your way to victory with what it is that you’re after! The Six of Wands very much favours working towards your desires and putting in the work required, and it typically indicates success in these matters. Not only will you be feeling great because of it, but those around you will also recognise the journey you’ve been on to achieve what you have. Proud times are coming, it’s all looking very bright!
Querent question: “Should I start my own business?”
Card interpretation: Absolutely. You have the drive and leadership-like qualities that make for a great business owner. Starting a new business requires a lot of ambition and stability, and right now you absolutely have both to offer. So, this would very much be a great time for you to dive into this avenue if you so wish! You’ll put in the hard work that’s required, but you also won’t shy away from diving headfirst into whatever you need to do to get this idea off the page and into reality. New ventures like this do best with someone that’s happy to be a trendsetter, someone that’s confident, and can stand at the front and go “I can do it”, not someone that shies into the background and goes with the crowd, avoiding attention – and that isn’t you. You’ve got what it takes.
What does the reversed Six of Wands mean in the Tarot?
In a reversed position, the Six of Wands indicates that a person is usually feeling full of self-doubts and lacking any sort of confidence in their own abilities. You’ll be seeing yourself in a negative life due to the failures and battles you’ve been facing at the moment, and you’re finding it hard to pick yourself back up out of the slump.
This is a time when you need to turn to those around you for help, your community will assist in getting you out of this rut and bringing you back to where you should be mental – which is not seeing yourself so poorly!
When pulled in the reversed position, the Six of Wands is linked with failure, lack of support, loss, disappointment, and lack of self-esteem.
What does the reversed Six of Wands mean in a love reading?
If you’re in a relationship, then the Six of Wands isn’t the most supportive of cards to receive, unfortunately. Things aren’t going great, are they? Both of you, or one of you, in this relationship aren’t being the most supportive you could be towards your partner.
This Six very much suggests that the love deserved is not being the love delivered, and this is leading to difficulties within the relationship, and feelings of neglected, unloved, and unimportant.
Communication, with no blame, can be beneficial here. If you’re single, then the appearance of this card indicates that you may be struggling with having any confidence to get out there and show your face to the dating world – your own worries here are holding you back. Focus on your self-worth, what makes you happy outside of romance, and who you are as an individual for the time being, and know that the reversed six here isn’t indicating failure… it’s a delay.
What does the inverted Six of Wands mean in a career reading?
Right now, you definitely aren’t feeling the best about your work or workplace! You have absolutely no motivation for work right now, you cannot tap into your creative stream, projects are failing or producing poor results, you’re feeling as though all you’ve done is being completely overlooked and others are being favoured (such as losing out of promotion) and you’re feeling like a failure because of it.
The disappointment you feel in your work can be the biggest inspiration for moving forward, however. When we know what we don’t want, it’s clear what we do. Make moves, and take action, to strive for the outcome you do want, and not be disheartened.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the 6 of Wands tarot card is a powerful symbol of victory, success, fame, supporters, self-esteem, pride, recognition, and achievement. When this card appears in your reading, it is often a sign that you have achieved success and are in a good place. It is also a reminder to take pride in your accomplishments, enjoy the moment, and appreciate all that you have accomplished.
Despite its association with mysticism and occultism, the tarot has grown to become much more than a simple “fortune-telling” tool. For many tarot practitioners, it is a complex system made of symbolic imagery and psychological considerations (Jungian archetypes for example) that can be used for self-exploration, meditation, and personal transformation.
The 56 lesser arcana cards relate to the day-to-day events of our lives, the more mundane aspects of our existence. Even though that part of the tarot is about the “smaller picture”, it symbolizes the constant choices we make that shape our lives, our characters, and ultimately our destinies.
Have you ever had a reading where the Six Of Wands appeared? What was the outcome? What does that card mean to you personally? How do you interpret this card in your own tarot practice?
Share your thoughts and experiences with me in the comments below. Additionally, If you want to know more about the different tarot cards, feel free to check out my complete list of all 78 tarot cards and their meanings.
Written by Amy
Outside the weird and wonderful world of my craft, I like to cosplay and fully dive into the fantasy genre across all forms, from books to video games and everything in between.
Learn more about the Suit of Wands
This page is part of our comprehensive list of the 56 minor arcana tarot cards & their meanings. If you enjoyed the read, then you’ll love the following articles.