Six of Swords Journal Prompts: 15 Questions for Transition & Healing
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BY NICOLE LAU
The Six of Swords: Journaling as Transition Work
The Six of Swords is the card of transition, moving forward, and the healing journey. When you journal with this card's energy, you're not writing to arrive instantlyβyou're writing to honor the journey. This is journaling as transition work, as healing practice, as the sacred act of witnessing yourself in the boat, moving from rough waters to calm.
These 15 journal prompts are designed to help you navigate transition, understand what you're leaving behind, and clarify what you're moving toward. They will ask you to honor where you've been, acknowledge where you are, and envision where you're going. Some questions will bring grief for what you're leaving. Some will bring hope for what's ahead. Both are part of the journey.
Approach these prompts with gentleness, patience, and trust in the process. The healing you seek is in the journey itself, not just the destination.
How to Use These Prompts
Sacred Preparation
Before you begin, create the conditions for transition journaling:
Physical Space:
β’ Find a peaceful, quiet place
β’ Have your journal and a pen
β’ Optional: Place your Six of Swords card where you can see it
β’ Create a sense of sanctuary
Mental Preparation:
β’ Take 10 deep breaths
β’ Set the intention: "I honor this transition. I trust this journey. I am moving forward."
β’ Acknowledge you're in the boatβin process, in transition
Energetic Activation:
β’ Say aloud: "I am leaving what no longer serves. I am moving toward healing. I trust the journey."
Writing Guidelines
Write from the Boat:
You're in transition. Write from that in-between place, not from where you were or where you're going.
Honor the Journey:
Don't rush to the destination. The journey itself is sacred.
Be Gentle:
Transition is tender. Be kind to yourself as you write.
Trust the Process:
You don't need all the answers. You just need to keep moving forward.
The 15 Six of Swords Journal Prompts
Prompt 1: What I'm Leaving Behind
The Question:
What am I leaving behind? What rough waters, difficult situations, or painful circumstances am I moving away from?
Why This Matters:
Naming what you're leaving helps you consciously release it and honor what it taught you.
Writing Guidance:
Write about:
β’ What you're leaving (relationship, job, place, pattern, belief)
β’ Why you're leaving
β’ What it cost you to stay
β’ What you're ready to release
Integration:
Say: "I acknowledge what I'm leaving. I honor what it taught me. I am ready to move forward."
Prompt 2: What I'm Moving Toward
The Question:
What am I moving toward? What calm waters, better circumstances, or healing am I seeking?
Why This Matters:
Clarifying your destination gives direction to your journey and hope for the transition.
Writing Guidance:
Describe:
β’ What you hope to find
β’ What calm waters look like for you
β’ What healing means
β’ What you're creating through this transition
Integration:
Visualize yourself arriving at those calm waters. Feel what it will feel like.
Prompt 3: Where I Am in the Journey
The Question:
Where am I in this transition? Am I just leaving shore? Mid-journey? Approaching calm waters? How does it feel to be here?
Why This Matters:
Understanding where you are in the journey helps you know what you need and what's appropriate for this stage.
Writing Guidance:
Reflect on:
β’ How long you've been in transition
β’ What stage you're in
β’ How it feels to be in the boat
β’ What this stage requires
Integration:
Honor where you are. You don't need to be further along. You're exactly where you need to be.
Prompt 4: The Six Lessons I'm Carrying
The Question:
What six lessons, gifts, or pieces of wisdom am I carrying forward from what I'm leaving? What are my six swords?
Why This Matters:
The swords represent what you carry forwardβnot baggage, but wisdom. Naming them transforms pain into growth.
Writing Guidance:
List six specific lessons or gifts from what you're leaving:
β’ What I learned about myself
β’ What I learned about others
β’ What I learned about life
β’ Strengths I discovered
β’ Wisdom I gained
β’ Growth that happened
Integration:
Thank each lesson. These swords serve you now.
Prompt 5: My Ferryman
The Question:
Who or what is guiding me through this transition? Who is my ferrymanβthe support, guidance, or divine presence carrying me?
Why This Matters:
Recognizing your support helps you trust the journey and know you're not alone.
Writing Guidance:
Write about:
β’ Who supports you (people, therapist, friends, family)
β’ What supports you (practices, beliefs, faith)
β’ How you're being guided
β’ What helps you trust the journey
Integration:
Express gratitude to your ferryman. Let yourself be supported.
Prompt 6: What I'm Grieving
The Question:
What am I grieving as I leave? Even when leaving is right, there's loss. What am I mourning?
Why This Matters:
Honoring grief is part of healthy transition. You can grieve what you're leaving even as you move toward something better.
Writing Guidance:
Write about:
β’ What you're losing
β’ What you'll miss
β’ What's ending
β’ What you're saying goodbye to
Integration:
Allow the grief. It's okay to mourn even when moving forward is right.
Prompt 7: What I'm Hoping For
The Question:
What am I hoping for on the other shore? What do I hope will be different? What am I moving toward with hope?
Why This Matters:
Hope sustains you through transition. Naming what you hope for keeps you moving forward.
Writing Guidance:
Write: "I hope..."
List everything you hope for:
β’ How you'll feel
β’ What will be different
β’ What peace looks like
β’ What healing brings
Integration:
Let yourself hope. Hope is not naiveβit's courageous.
Prompt 8: What the Journey Requires
The Question:
What does this transition require of me? What do I need to do, be, or allow to make this journey?
Why This Matters:
Understanding what the journey requires helps you show up for it appropriately.
Writing Guidance:
Explore:
β’ What actions you need to take
β’ What you need to release
β’ What you need to accept
β’ What you need to trust
β’ What support you need to seek
Integration:
Commit to what the journey requires. You can do this.
Prompt 9: My Fears About the Journey
The Question:
What am I afraid of in this transition? What scares me about leaving, about the journey, or about arriving?
Why This Matters:
Naming fears reduces their power and helps you address them.
Writing Guidance:
Write honestly about:
β’ What you're afraid of
β’ What could go wrong
β’ What you're uncertain about
β’ What makes you want to turn back
Integration:
For each fear, ask: "Even if this happened, could I handle it?" Usually, yes.
Prompt 10: What I Need to Trust
The Question:
What do I need to trust to make this journey? What must I have faith inβmyself, the process, the divine, the future?
Why This Matters:
Transition requires trust. Identifying what you need to trust helps you cultivate it.
Writing Guidance:
Write: "I need to trust..."
β’ That I'm making the right choice
β’ That I can handle this
β’ That better exists
β’ That I'm supported
β’ That the journey is worth it
Integration:
Practice trusting one thing at a time. Trust builds through practice.
Prompt 11: How I'm Different Already
The Question:
How have I already changed through this transition? Even in the boat, even mid-journey, how am I different from when I started?
Why This Matters:
Recognizing growth that's already happened validates the journey and builds confidence.
Writing Guidance:
Reflect on:
β’ How you've grown
β’ What you've learned
β’ How you're stronger
β’ What you can do now that you couldn't before
β’ How your perspective has shifted
Integration:
Celebrate the growth. You're already different. The journey is working.
Prompt 12: What I'm Leaving Behind That I Don't Miss
The Question:
What am I leaving behind that I'm actually relieved to release? What rough waters am I glad to be moving away from?
Why This Matters:
Recognizing what you don't miss reinforces that leaving was the right choice.
Writing Guidance:
List what you're glad to leave:
β’ Toxic patterns
β’ Painful situations
β’ Limiting beliefs
β’ Harmful relationships
β’ What drained you
Integration:
Feel the relief. You're free of this. You made the right choice.
Prompt 13: My Commitment to the Journey
The Question:
What am I committing to for this transition? How will I show up for this journey? What promises am I making to myself?
Why This Matters:
Conscious commitment strengthens your resolve and clarifies your intention.
Writing Guidance:
Write: "I commit to..."
β’ Staying in the boat (not turning back)
β’ Being patient with the process
β’ Seeking support when needed
β’ Trusting the journey
β’ Honoring my healing
Integration:
Sign your commitment. Make it real.
Prompt 14: What Calm Waters Look Like
The Question:
What will calm waters actually look like for me? How will I know I've arrived? What will be different?
Why This Matters:
Clarifying your destination helps you recognize when you're approaching it.
Writing Guidance:
Describe in detail:
β’ How you'll feel
β’ What your life will look like
β’ What will be different
β’ How you'll know you've arrived
β’ What peace feels like
Integration:
This vision guides you. Keep it clear.
Prompt 15: Gratitude for the Journey
The Question:
What am I grateful for about this transition? Even in difficulty, even mid-journey, what gifts has this passage brought?
Why This Matters:
Gratitude transforms the journey from burden to blessing.
Writing Guidance:
Write: "I'm grateful for..."
β’ The courage to leave
β’ The support I've received
β’ What I'm learning
β’ The growth happening
β’ The hope I'm discovering
Integration:
End each journaling session with gratitude. It shifts everything.
Integration Ritual: Honoring the Journey
The Transition Ceremony
You'll need:
β’ Your journal entries
β’ Bowl of water
β’ Small boat
β’ Six objects (your swords)
β’ Candle
The Ceremony:
1. Review
Read through all your journal entries. Witness your journey.
2. Create the Waters
Fill bowl. One side is where you're leaving, the other is where you're going.
3. Place Your Six Swords
Put six objects in boatβeach representing a lesson from your journaling.
4. Light the Candle
Place it on the far sideβthe calm waters you're moving toward.
5. The Journey
Slowly move boat across water. Say: "I honor this journey. I trust this transition. I am moving forward."
6. Arrival
When boat reaches calm waters, say: "I am healing. I am growing. I am arriving."
7. Gratitude
Thank yourself for making this journey, for having courage, for trusting the process.
Affirmations for the Journey
β’ I honor this transition
β’ I trust the journey
β’ I carry wisdom, not baggage
β’ I am supported through this passage
β’ I am moving toward healing
β’ I am brave enough to leave
β’ I am patient with the process
β’ I am arriving at calm waters
Final Thoughts: Writing the Journey
The Six of Swords asks you to honor the journey, to trust the transition, to be patient with the process. These journal prompts are tools for that sacred workβthey help you understand what you're leaving, clarify what you're moving toward, and witness yourself in the boat, making the passage.
Journaling won't make the journey instant. It won't eliminate the transition. But it will help you navigate it with awareness, honor it with intention, and trust it with faith.
You're in the boat. You're making the journey. You're moving toward calm waters.
Write it. Honor it. Trust it.
One word, one breath, one stroke of the oar at a time.
As you navigate these waters of transition and healing, let the tarot journaling prompts 100 questions for self discovery gently guide your reflections, while the 30 day tarot practice workbook offers a steady companion for deepening your understanding during this tender passage, and to truly honor the journey's pace, consider the 52 week tarot journey a year of weekly spreads daily pulls deep reflection to carry you through each phase of your inner voyage with grace and presence.
