In cartomancy with playing cards, the Six of Spades (6♠) is the card of sickness, and is traditionally called “the wards of a hospital”.

All sixes in cartomancy are connected with trouble, so obviously the Six of Spades is going to be a really bad card, and of course on of the worst things that can happen to a living thing is to get sick, so the primary meaning of the card is that of sickness.

The sickness the Six of Spades speaks about can be literal or metaphorical. Traditionally, the organs or body parts affected by the illness are found in the cards adjacent to the Six of Spades, but I would urge you to be extremely cautious. Never diagnose. The best you can do is tell the querent to seek a second opinion if you see that their doctor seems to be way off.

But the cards surrounding the Six of Spades can also signal money coming from the sickness, such as is the case with sick pay, if there are small Diamonds, or insurance money, etc. Furthermore, the sickness may be that of an object which malfunctions or is broken.

Alternatively, the sickness can be metaphorical, and in that case the Six of Spades represents a situation of great pain or, alternatively, a situation where something is rotten. A sick love, for instance can mean different things when you’ve been jilted at the altar and spend your days crying or when he or she is an abusive asshole. In both cases there is a sense of sickness, but in one case the sickness is of the heart, in the other the sickness is of the asshole.

In work readings the card is still negative, and it can point to a sick approach to finances or finances that are unwell. It can signify bad working conditions that make one sick or unemployment, depending on the surrounding cards. It can, of course, signal a career in the healthcare system.

Psychologically, it is a card of great suffering, but depending on the surrounding cards it can show a maladaptive personality, morbid behavior or things that are “wrong” one way or another with the person’s psyche.

Some Combinations:

K♠ – 6♠ = going to the doctor
6♠ – A♠ = surgery (the Ace is the blade)
2♦ – 6♠ = a diagnosis or prescription
6♠ – 6♥ = healing (if swapped, no healing) in all contexts
10♣ – 7♠ – 6♠ = an accident while traveling (if A♥, a domestic accident, if 10♣ and 6♠ alone it can be a “sick car” needing a mechanic)