Two of Swords
Suit: Swords
Element: Air
Function: Intellect, the mind,truth, objectivity
A blindfolded woman in white sits on a stone bench at night, a giant sword in each hand, her arms crossed over her chest. The crescent moon rises. It’s twilight over a rocky expanse of water. She doesn’t tire. She doesn’t drop the swords.
She wears a white shroud, the color of purity, the color of absence. She’s trying to remain objective, but at her foundation – her feet – she stands on the power of her mind, symbolizes by her yellow shoes. The crescent moon shows that her troubles are just beginning, but like all troubles, they will cycle though.
The water behind her moves around the rocks, like the adaptable woman who will move around her problems if she can figure the way. As it is, she’s at an impasse. She’s not worried. Rather, she accepts that at this moment, she‘s not sure, and she’s going to take all the time she needs to make her decision because it’s that important, and it deserves that much care. Even though her swords are heavy, she doesn’t waver.
Truthfully, she could only wield one of those swords if she wants to use them. She has to choose one, but which one? And so she sits. If she chooses one, she has to drop the other. She may regret it. She may make the wrong choice. She may not be ready. She’s blindfolded and can’t see what’s ahead of her. But what she’s NOT doing is running away from her dilemma. She’s NOT letting someone else make the decision. She’s NOT pitying herself for her dilemma. She’s certainly not giving up and leaving it to chance.
The Two of Swords is about taking the time to make careful decisions. Even if there is no obvious benefit to one over the other, but to not choose wisely and deliberately is dangerous. It requires being uncomfortable and it requires facing the darkness.
Of course, the problem is that this is a blind choice, and there’s no way to know all the facts. Some of this decision will have to be based on experience or instinct.
When Two of Swords is Reversed:
When the Two of Cards is reversed, the querent is struggling with making a decisions and not knowing everything about either choice. However the querent can’t handle the choice. They can’t weigh the pros and cons, and they can’t bravely face the choice in front of them. They may want someone else to do it for them, or to let one of the choices fall away so they don’t have to make a decision. They may not trust their own minds and intelligence enough to know they can make a good, sound decision.
When this card is reversed, it can also mean that the querent is stuck between two parties, two people, or two situations in which they can’t take a side and can’t resolve the problem. No matter which way they move, they’ll get hurt, so they’re waiting for the issue to pass before they do anything.
In a three-card reading, this card means…
Past: In the past, the querent was stuck between a rock and a hard place and had to make a tough decision.
Present: Currently, the querent is stuck between two options, one not better than the other, and not sure what to do.
Future: In the future, the querent is going to come to a point where they’re stuck between two choices and can’t decide between them.