When you search Google for the meaning of Two of Swords, you will see that there are generally limited interpretations that predominate; The most commonly mentioned meanings are ‘Blocking out emotions’ and ‘conflicts or doubt’. The ‘most peculiar’ I found: “Someone who adapts to the precepts of those in power”…
I do not agree with these simple interpretations; In addition to being particularly colored, they are also one-sided and detract from the value of this card; That’s why I’d like to show another side here, where the Marseille Tarot will come to the rescue later.
Two of Swords in the Waite-Smith Tarot
The two’s in Tarot are about duality and therefore about separation. But they are also about preparation, accumulation and growth! In Waite-Smith’s Tarot card Swords 2 we come across the separation clearly for the first time: First, the separation between the ‘inner world’ and the ‘outer world’ (because the woman is blindfolded). In addition, the separation between mental (swords) and emotions (the water behind the woman). That the woman is ‘blocked’ in her emotions is a subjective assumption that many tarot readers make. This suggests that it ‘happened’ to the woman. But people forget that this could just as well be a conscious action on the part of the woman!
She is faced with a problem or decision and retreats into her inner world to think calmly. Because she wants to get everything clear, she tries to leave her emotions aside for a while. We also call this ‘FOCUS’. Sometimes a situation requires focus and mental effort. That seems very normal, but it’s harder than you think!
Two of Swords in the Marseille Tarot
When you’re focused on a certain subject, you don’t have an ‘eye’ for other things. So you have demarcated or limited the area where your attention goes. But in your ‘head’ the idea or topic you are thinking about grows. The Swords 2 from the Tarot de Marseille symbolizes this phenomenon in a subtle way…
On the card you can see two swords that both form a bow. These arches ‘demarcate’ a space in which a flower blooms. The flower is large and the branches fill the entire space. It grows and blooms comfortably and protected in its ‘assigned’ spot. The flower represents thoughts, dreams, ideas, and concepts that spread through your mind. Right in the middle is a black dot: the focal point! The flower has 8 petals and 8 branches, indicating that you are open and striving for ‘perfection’.
It is true that ‘Boundaries’ and ‘Restrictions’ can be blocking, but they are also protective; For example, the “positive” meaning of the card may be that a person is preparing to grow or trying to move forward, but he or she is NOT yet crossing certain boundaries. Or that someone benefits from a ‘perfect’ situation or the right conditions. One tries to get a clear view of the situation that is all-encompassing and one is focused!