Bohemian Gothic Tarot
SIX OF WANDS
Lighter or more conventional meanings
Justifiable pride * A hard-won and worthy victory * Taking a moment to bask in the glory * Feeling strong self-esteem * A sense of personal achievement * Recognition for what you've done.
Darker, shadow or more hidden meanings
A victory won at the expense of others * Vanity and egotism * The wrong side wins * Taking all the credit, not acknowledging those who have helped * Letting a triumph go to your head, becoming dictatorial and over-confident * Demanding admiration, whether or not you deserve it.A dark knight rides through a stone arch, holding aloft his still bloody lance and followed by his gruesome soldiers. If he is entering a city in triumph then we must fear for the future of its occupants. Above him a gargoyle in the shape of a black witch on a broomstick shrieks in jubilation.
The Six of Wands points to pride, achievement and, sometimes, winning out over an enemy. In the traditional RWS deck it can be a good card to see when it indicates well-founded self-esteem or a period of justified celebration. However, in the Bohemian Gothic variant the darker side is emphasised and it becomes uncompromisingly sinister in meaning. We see a knight who rides at the head of a ghastly army. He is handsome and impressive but a dictator, someone who will crush those who stand against him rather than negotiate or co-operate. This is a commander who is not just proud, he is vain and convinced of his own glorious right to take what he wants.
When someone's pride becomes outright vanity or even, at its most extreme, conceited egomania, then they are capable of doing a lot of damage to the self-esteem of those with whom they come in contact. Less obviously, this kind of vainglorious arrogance is often disastrous for the person him (or her) self. Driven by over-confidence and self-regard, they think that happiness and fulfilment only comes through an ostentatious victory over others - a miserably negative way to live. That's an extreme though, it's more likely that in a reading this card will indicate personality tendencies or behaviour rather than full-blown megalomania. When it comes up in a spread, consider carefully whether it points to someone who just has a healthy self-confidence. If it seems, rather, to suggest a person who regards themselves as better and more important than others it might be a good moment to point out the old saying about pride coming before a fall.
