You learn a lot about Tarot cards when you compare them with one another. Especially those that are similar. The six of swords and the eight of cups both deal with moving on. So what’s the difference between them?

A key to this is in their suit. One is swords and the other is cups. Swords are about thoughts. Cups are about emotions.

Let’s look at them more closely…

Straight away, you can see there’s a contrast between how the people in these cards are moving. In the six of swords, a woman and child are being propelled from one shore to the other by a boatman. In the eight of cups, a man is choosing to turn his back and leave behind something of value he has clearly built up over time.

The six of swords vs the eight of cups boils down to this…

It’s being forced to move on vs realising that you need to walk away.

It’s about trying to let go of dark thoughts vs looking for greater emotional nourishment in your life.

It’s picking up the pieces vs discarding what is no longer appropriate for you.

It’s recovering from a tough time vs choosing a different path.

Does that make sense?