TAROTTwo of Swords
Upright
Inability to make difficult choices. Choosing one path over another.
Facing a problem with two mutually exclusive and difficult solutions ahead.
Making slow progress because of difficulty or indecision.
Inability to see the way forward or secrets held against you.
Intuition
The card’s figure is Circe the sorceress. Her symbolism and archetype changes depending on who you ask: cruel/kind, a woman to be feared/desired, a character who hates everyone, or just wants someone to love her. In modern literature, she symbolizes a woman who does not fit into expected stereotypes.
What and who she is becomes a complex decision in itself!
Reversed
Being in a position with no good choices or only difficult paths ahead. Being ‘between a rock and a hard place’.
Facing progress where all routes forward have bad consequences.
Being in a situation where you will be blamed whatever choice you make because the damage has already been done.
Being unable to move forward.
Hiding from responsibility.
Astrologia
Diplomatic, emotionally sensitive, does well in relationships. May have strong artistic inclinations and very often a pleasant and popular personality. Can be lost without people around them, becoming clingy or a people pleaser. Reacts badly when life throws obstacles that require a path with no clear sense of fairness or ideal justice.
Two of Swords
After the burst of inspiration of the Ace of Swords, our plans and ideas hit reality and its unforeseen problems and unmade choices. Two of Swords signifies a difficult decision ahead.
The card shows a dark background, suggesting a lack of information or an inability to see too far ahead, making the decision all the more difficult.
The decision involves two mutually exclusive paths forward as shown by the woman holding crossed swords, and again by the background (where we see foaming water around rocks and a sea monster, more on them both later!).
The way forward means picking one path or the other.
Yet the woman does not appear afraid or troubled. The moon is above her and giving her some power, but more that, she is calm with her eyes closed and levitating in the air and staying away from the difficulties ahead.
She is in a position of safety and in calm contemplation. Hopefully she will make her decision and move when she is ready. But perhaps she is stuck there and unable to move.
Whatever happens, one thing is certain, she is not a victim, but a woman with some considerable powers of her own to rely on…
Circe
Circe is a powerful demigoddess in Greek mythology. The Daughter of the Sun God Helios (as seen in the Sun card), she is an immortal sorceress. Like the Goddess Artemis (the Archetype of the irrepressible feminine, and shown in the Chariot card), Circe is a woman who is everything large parts of the ancient world thought was everything a woman must not be (and sadly, many parts of the not-so-ancient world still do).
Not subservient to any husband and powerful in her own right, sure of her own sexuality and using it for her own ends (and certainly not for creating a family). Prone to violence, jealousy, and deceit, but also beating male warriors easily and without a fight.
She was seen in ancient times as an evil witch or simply a woman looking for a man to love her. In more recent literature, she is seen in a much more modern light; a feminist heroine or woman who lives her own life by her own values, despite archaic rules set against her.
So, who or what is Circe? One of the most complex characters in mythology.
She changes depending on your viewpoint and is the epitome of the difficult puzzle. So who better to hold the two swords of a difficult decision?
Description and Symbology
As mentioned in the previous section, Circe is a complex mythological character. At worst an evil witch and at best a noble Byronic character, modern anti-hero, or a woman who realizes she is hated merely because she is powerful.
More importantly, the woman/Circe is neither afraid nor anxious. She is instead calm and in a place of safety, contemplating the problem by using her intellect with her eyes closed.
Behind Circe, we see a dark sea and brooding sky, representing an uncertain future. The scene is lit only by the moon. Intuition may be useful as a guide when logic and reason become unstuck by equally bad choices. Pick the choice that feels right for you.
To the left of the card, we see foaming water near rocks. This is Charybdis, one of two ancient sea monsters that protected the Strait of Messina (if Italy is a foot kicking a ball-shaped Sicily, the thin expanse of water between foot and ball is the strait). Charybdis manifests as a whirlpool on the water’s surface, pulling sailors down and pushing ships onto deadly nearby rocks. Charybdis still exists - the strong currents of the strait can form into whirlpools.
On the other edge of the card, we see Scylla, a many headed sea serpent whose large and powerful snaking heads could snatch up several sailors in each lightning-fast attack. Sharks (including Great Whites) migrate through the strait, and they may be the source for Scylla.
Ancient mariners trying to get past this stretch of water had a difficult decision. They could sail left or right, passing one monster or the other (or if they were really foolish, go between them and attract both!) but neither was a good choice. This myth may be the source of the idioms choosing the lesser of two evils, being between a rock and a hard place, and many others. Perfect for the sense of the Two of Swords.
The Woman
The woman/Circe is deep in contemplation, considering a difficult either-or decision that is graphically reflected by the crossed swords forming a forked path. She is unafraid, instead using her intellect to plan a way forward. When she moves, she will move with determination and readiness to face difficulty.
The dark way forward
The way forward is dimly lit and unknown, represented by a treacherous sea and foreboding clouds. The only light comes from the Moon, suggesting intuition may lead the way. When intellect fails, and you must choose quickly, pick the one that feels right, because intuition often knows what your waking mind doesn’t.
Between a rock and a hard place
The way forward is flanked by two mythical sea monsters. Scylla and Charybdis literally represent being stuck between a rock and a hard place. You will have to face one of two difficult problems ahead, but at least you have time to plan and prepare for the encounter. Sometimes knowing your adversary and sticking to a plan is all the advantage you need!
Tips for Readings
The following table shows the upright and reverse meanings for general questions. The last row ('Yes/No') is useful when you are picking a single card to decide a yes or no decision.
Upright
Reversed
There is a reckoning ahead where you must make a choice. This may be between two people in your life, or between your relationship and something else that is dear to you.
It may be between career and relationships or it may be between which partner’s careers is more important. Whatever the cause of the disagreement, the card suggests the way forward is possible if you put your mind to it. If that does not work out, not making a decision is the worst option of all, and using your intuition on what feels right is better than not making the decision at all. At least now you move forward.
There is a reckoning ahead where you must make a choice with no good options.
It may be caused by a red-flag disagreement between yourself and your partner (that lays down lines in the sand, and your only option is to back down or break the relationship). It may be a career, location, or money decision where one party has to back down.
There is no wait-and-see option because not doing anything will either hold you back or make a decision without your input.
The card suggests you must make a decision by picking the option with the least loss that maintains your sense of self. This may mean cutting ties or taking pain, but sometimes we have to leave something cherished behind to grow.
You will be required to make a decision soon, and it will irrevocably set a future path.
It may be deciding between two jobs, a choice of career promotions, a major project decision, or more general decisions such as money vs. security or career vs. relationship.
Whatever it is, the card suggests there is a way forward if you put your mind to it, and if that doesn’t work, simply pick the one that intuitively feels right. The worst choice is doing nothing. That will be something you will regret in later years.
You will be required to make a decision soon with no clear outcome, or one where the choices are all bad. Choosing between a pay-cut and a failed relationship, between letting a project fail or undermining your boss's incorrect decisions… all situations where someone gets hurt!
The card suggests doing nothing may be the easiest decision, but it is the worst one, as the decision will be made for you. You then forfeit your voice in the matter, and at the very least you will always regret this.
The true way forward is to pick the route with the least losses (and that maintains your sense of purpose). If you can’t even do that, pick either, because again, doing nothing is the worst decision because it will always cause regret and lack of growth.
Although not directly associated with health (swords is about the mind not the body), this card denotes a difficult decision that can be solved, but it will drain you the longer you suffer via indecision. The best route is to set aside time to make the best decision you can, then move forward with the decision behind you.
Although not directly associated with health (swords is about the mind, not the body), the card denotes an impossible decision that you are faced with. There are no good options, and doing nothing means you won’t move forward, or the decision will get made without you anyway.
The only way forward without suffering the stress of indecision and the regret of not choosing it to make a decision. Pick the one that results in the least loss, or the one that intuitively feels right. At least this way, you move forward.
There is a looming decision to be made between at least two future paths, and the choices you make will fix your direction.
When considering this, make sure to pick the one that is best for you through thinking through the implications whilst at the same time being true to your personal values.
The reason for this is clear; making difficult decisions is one of the most powerful ways you move forward, but they also have the power to change you irrevocably.
There must always be a moral aspect to all our decisions, otherwise we chip away at our morality with every decision until there is nothing left!
There is a decision that must be made that has no good outcomes and loss whichever route is chosen.
This is perhaps one of the trickiest problems to navigate, but the only right route is the one that minimizes your losses whilst keeping you as true to your inner beliefs as possible without lying to yourself.
The worst decision you can take is to do nothing, as that will either block your growth or make the choice for you (and you will regret it whatever else happens because there will still be losses).
There is a decision to be made on your finances that involves choosing between two routes forward.
This will be a difficult decision to make, but it is necessary to make it before you can move forward.
The card suggests thinking rationally about it, but if you cannot decide, pick the one that feels right. Making no decision will be the worst option, as it prevents you moving forward.
There is a difficult decision to make on your finances where either route will lead to losses or other detriment to your life.
There is no option to defer the decision either because that route means you lose by default or the decision will be made for you, and you will then have no choice.
The only way forward is to take the pain and choose the option with the least loss, and doing it quickly to reduce the collateral and fallout. This will be difficult emotionally, but must be done.
Indefinite because this card simply tells you the yes/no question is actually a difficult one, and one you need to think through for yourself.
Indefinite because this card tells you there isn’t a yes/no question in front of you. There are no good options available to you. This is a no/no, but you must pick one!
The way forward is to pick the one with the least loss to you, and only you can decide that.
Reading the Card
The upright card
The upright Two of Swords states a difficult choice will soon occur. This could be between opposing forces, taking sides between two people in your life, opposing points of view, or two paths forward.
The choice is hard, but you must select one to move forward. The card suggests you have the power to make the choice. Although the going will be hard, the worst thing you can do is make no choice and stay put. That would prevent you moving forward and constitutes a lack of growth or running away from the problem.
The card further recommends that using your intellect and thinking the problem through is a good option. If that yields no result, intuition and choosing the option that feels right is far better than staying put and doing nothing.
The reversal
The Reversed Two of Swords denotes the same situation as the upright card, but this time there is absolutely no positive path forward, as both choices have bad repercussions for you. You are likely to be stuck where you are, unable to move forward for fear of the losses. This time, your eyes are closed not because you are thinking things through, but because you are avoiding the situation.
In real life you will always reach positions where you have to let someone or something go to move forward and there is no good option to avoid this.
The impossible dilemma of Scylla and Charybdis occurs in Homer’s Odyssey. The hero, Odysseus (Eight of Cups) must sail past the two monsters. Circe advises him to sail towards Scylla at full speed. Although Scylla will take one sailor for each of her heads, she can only attack once because of the ship’s speed. Being trapped by Charybdis would risk the entire ship.
Thus, Odysseus beats the dilemma by taking decisive action and accepting and planning for the losses he will incur by choosing the lesser loss (several sailors vs. the entire ship).
We grow fastest when we are making difficult choices because making good decisions in bad situations quickly defines who we are. We most ultimately decide what is best for our own growth, and that is usually what moves us forward and with the least loss.
Making good decisions in bad situations quickly defines who we are.
Card Design Process
The design notes for this card had no sketches, but just the following three bullet points;
- Circe. Complex character, a perfect candidate to hold the swords.
- Dark sea and foreboding clouds, lit only by the moon. Intuition lights the way forward.
- Scylla and Charybdis on either side of the card. They represent equally bad decisions.
We’ll leave it up to the reader to judge how close final card got to this basic but concise specification.
The other thing that was changed in this card was the orientation of the swords. In the standard Two of Swords, the blades look like they may cut the woman’s neck, and some new to Tarot initially think the pose has fatalistic undertones.
Care was taken to ensure the woman on this card is seen to be powerful and completely safe from harm until she moves forward. Choosing someone powerful like Circe also helped!
Final Words
The Two of swords represents difficult choices you will need to make in life so you can move forward. It suggests making difficult choices is something we often run away from. Yet, this is frequently something that we need to face to move on in life. Making good decisions in bad situations is one of the things that quickly defines who we are.
