"Open your eyes’, urges the swan, proffering a token, a flower, a poppy that is the sleeping death that existence becomes when stubborn barriers cannot be laid aside."

- Stephanie Pui-Mun Law & Barbara Moore
(Shadowscapes Companion)

"The Two of Swords is a portraiture of the meditative mind that contains the quality of bringing peace, clarity and balance to the mental realms of consciousness. This symbol represents the integrative mind, or the mind that has been able to bring two or more issues together into a state of resolution, which is represented by the two swords piercing the blue lotus blossom of wisdom."

- Angeles Arrien (The Tarot Handbook)

"The Moon is change, but Nature is peaceful; moreover, Libra represents balance; between them, they regulate the energy of the Swords."

- The Book of Thoth
(Aleister Crowley)

"Another barrier between people is a deadlocked situation. When two parties are set in their positions – cut off from each other – there is a stalemate. To break it, the ‘opponents’ must come out from behind their swords and listen to each other. The lesson of the Two of Swords is that barriers are not the answer. We must stay open if we are to find peace and wholeness."

- Learning The Tarot (Joan Bunning)

"We must remember that the natural vocation of a sword is to fight, to cut, to pierce, to kill. It is an instrument of action. Just like the mind, just like the Ruach, the intellectual part of the soul, it is in constant movement."

- Understanding Crowley’s Thoth Tarot
(Lon Milo DuQuette)

"The sparrow looks up wistfully at the soaring birds overhead. They exhibit dynamic energy as they fly in proximity of two swords being supported by ice-covered branches. The little sparrow stands upon a snow-covered patch and is contemplating whether it should attempt to fly up to the branches to examine the swords more closely. But the little bird fears the tangle of icy branches. The cold ground represents mental stasis; the branches signify expansion and the possibility of higher levels of intellectual exploration. The soaring birds have successfully ascended to the realm of higher thought and are in the process of absorbing the mental energy emanating from the two swords."

- Animals Divine (Lisa Hunt)

"He stands in the path, warding off those who venture near. His cloaked presence is obdurate and imposing. Steel flashes as he draws the two swords to bar the way. ‘Who wishes to pass?’ he demands, with eyes and teeth that gleam like the reflections from the twin blades. He stands there, as hard and unyielding as the metal of the forged swords. The spirits of the woods writhe and churn in the trees around him. They draw back from that cold steel, from that icy figure.

The Two of Swords is a stalemate, an impasse. Neither side will compromise, and so no progress can be made until one chooses to step aside. It is a lock-stepped balance, a strange dance that struggles to find some grace without yielding any ground. It is a denial of truth, an avoidance of what is clear before your eyes or hiding in your heart.

‘Open your heart’, urges the swan, tendering the beating gem, the heart that stills when there is only the desire to take and not give."

- Shadowscapes Companion
(Stephanie Pui-Mun Law & Barbara Moore)

"This card is ruled by Chokmah in the Element of Air. This suit, governing all intellectual manifestations, is always complicated and disordered. It is subject to change as is no other suit. It represents a general shaking-up, resulting from the conflict of Fire and Water in their marriage; and proceeds, when Earth appears, to crystallization. But the purity and exaltation of Chokmah are such that this card manifests the very best idea possible to the suit. The energy abides above the onslaught of disruption. This comparative calm is emphasized by the celestial attribution: the Moon in Libra."

- The Book of Thoth
(Aleister Crowley)

"Eastern mystics tell us that the mind is the great enemy. If we are to achieve profound levels of consciousness, the mind must be overcome. Fearful that its existence and control will end, the mind resists these efforts at all costs. This is why so many cards in the suit of Swords seem so frustrated, anxious, nervous, even tortured."

- Understanding Crowley’s Thoth Tarot
(Lon Milo DuQuette)

being observant
study and reflection
discovering new facets
adept communication
cooperating with others
 

being diplomatic
giving clear advice
being objective
examination of facts
biding your time
 

strong agreements
making new partnerships
clear decisions
finesse and brilliance
maintaining eloquence
 

making new bonds
finding camaraderie
mental brilliance
being certain about facts
flowing with patience
 

Patience, Finesse, Honesty, Impartiality, Skill, Grace, Precision, Fair dealing, Fact, Profound intelligence, Tests, Mastery, Affiliation, Verdicts, Meeting, Reserve, Waiting, Arbitration, Detachment, Judgments, Conservation, Concentration, Speculation, Review, Debate, Analysis, Maintaining Your Cool, Avoiding an Unpleasantness

Complexity, Division, Falling out, Stalemate, Blocking Emotions, Denying true feelings, Stifling a natural response, Hiding distress, Dogmatism, Defiance, Elitism, Evil, Breach, Vanity, Keeping another at arm’s length, Being defensive, Turning a deaf ear, Pretending everything is fine, Avoiding the Truth, Refusing to look at facts, Rigidity, Inflexibility, Arrogance, Polarity, Stagnation, Closing your eyes to what’s going on, Prejudice, Ignoring the warning signs, Choosing not to know, Being at a Stalemate, Feeling afraid to act, Acrimony, Reaching an impasse, Staying stuck, Disagreement, Refusing to decide, Being unwilling to rock the boat, Difficult decisions, Exaggeration, Coldness, Incompatibility, Staying on the fence, Neutrality, Indifference

Stalemate ends, Better feeling, Conflict avoided, Compromise reached, Subjectivity, Vacillation, Indecision passes, Confusing information, Deceit, Agreements overturned, Wrong conclusions, Fraud, Irreconcilable differences, Lies, Loss of equilibrium, Lack of perspective, Incompatibilities resolved, No detachment, Refusal to face facts, Argument

Irrational behaviour, Contradiction, Indecision, Inept communication, Good advice ignored, Apathy, Being swayed, Emotion dominates logic, Dullness, Loss of poise, Sabotage, Surface understanding, Partiality, Lack of curiosity, Conformity, Stupidity, Unfair decisions, Rigid allegiances, Lack of education, Adverse judgments, Indecision, Refusal to see truth, Delusion, Conflict, Superficiality, Lack of insight

"The reversal asks to strengthen the positive and release the negative. Any path will always lead to both being fulfilled."

- Michael Tsarion

- Opposing Cards: Some Possibilities -
 

The Moon
self-deception, not seeing the Truth

The Nine of Wands
being defensive, closing yourself off

The Seven of Swords
running away from the Truth

The Four of Pentacles
stalemate, blockage

- Reinforcing Cards: Some Possibilities -
 

The Fool
opening up, uninhibited

Wheel of Fortune
moving, getting things going

Justice
accepting the truth
accepting responsibility

The Star
free flow of positive feelings

The Three of Wands
moving forward
looking at the facts