Image: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain/CC0)
TL;DR: Waite wrote in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911) that the Two of Swords means conformity and balance, courage, friendship, harmony in a state of armed peace, while reversed it means deception and disloyalty. In modern Tarot reading, this card is often understood as standing between two difficult choices when upright, and prolonged stalemate when reversed. Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: name what is being avoided and gather more facts before deciding.
What is the 2 of Swords card?
In the 78-card Tarot deck, the Minor Arcana consists of 56 cards divided into four suits: Swords, Cups, Wands and Pentacles. The 2 of Swords belongs to the suit of Swords, and is often associated with a state of tense balance and hesitation before a choice.
The Rider-Waite-Smith deck was first printed in 1909, with illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith, based on the ideas of Arthur Edward Waite. Waite set out its divinatory meaning in his book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911), and that meaning is often different from how the card is commonly read today.
What does the iconography of the 2 of Swords mean?
According to Waite's description in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911), the card shows a female figure who is blindfolded, balancing two swords on her shoulders. That is the original description; other details such as the stone seat, the sea or the crescent moon are not mentioned by Waite in that description, so here we record only what Waite wrote and what can be seen in the illustration.
The image of the blindfolded woman
Waite writes: "A hoodwinked female figure balances two swords upon her shoulders." In symbolic reading, the blindfold is often linked to a lack of vision or to turning focus inward, but that is an added interpretation, not Waite's own wording.
The two swords
Waite records only that two swords are held balanced on the shoulders. He does not describe them as crossing into an X shape or forming a right angle. So when speaking of the position of the two swords, one should stop at "two swords held balanced on the shoulders", exactly as in the original description.
The surrounding setting
Waite does not describe a stone seat, the sea or a crescent moon in the passage about the Two of Swords. Those details, if they appear in the illustration, belong to the observation of the image rather than to what Waite wrote. One should not attribute to Waite symbolic meanings that he did not state.
What is Waite's 1911 divinatory meaning?
Waite writes in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911) that the Two of Swords carries the meaning: Conformity and the equipoise which it suggests, courage, friendship, concord in a state of arms; another reading gives tenderness, affection, intimacy. He also notes: The suggestion of harmony and other favourable readings must be considered in a qualified manner, as Swords generally are not symbolical of beneficent forces in human affairs. The Reversed meaning according to Waite is: Imposture, falsehood, duplicity, disloyalty.
A close translation: conformity and the equipoise the card suggests, courage, friendship, concord in a state of arms; another way of reading it gives tenderness, affection, intimacy. The suggestion of harmony and other favourable readings must be considered in a qualified manner, because Swords in general do not symbolise beneficent forces in human affairs. Reversed: imposture, falsehood, duplicity, disloyalty.
So Waite's meaning is fairly complex, with both a favourable side and a warning side, and he himself states that the favourable meanings should be understood with caution.
How does present-day Tarot reading understand the 2 of Swords?
In present-day Tarot reading, the 2 of Swords upright is usually understood as standing between two difficult choices, needing to weigh things calmly before deciding. Reversed, this card is usually understood as a drawn-out deadlock, avoiding the truth so as not to have to choose. The common keywords are hesitation, balance, decision.
This is the popular meaning today and also the meaning the site's card-drawing tool uses. This meaning is not the divinatory meaning Waite set out in his 1911 book.
In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, what does this card say?
In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, the 2 of Swords is the card of the moment of standing still before a fork in the road. It promises nothing about the future, and it does not decide on behalf of the querent; it only describes a psychological state that is holding the balance between two sides. The reader can use this card as a mirror to ask themselves what they are truly weighing.
2 of Swords in love, work and mental health
2 of Swords in love and relationships
In matters of the heart, this card often suggests an issue that has not been spoken about between two people, or a hesitation that has not been cleared. If you are single, it may reflect uncertainty about your own feelings. Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: try to name what is being avoided, and only speak up when you feel safe enough.
2 of Swords in work and finances
At work, this card often appears when there are two difficult options, or when you stand between two streams of opinion. On finances, it suggests being cautious and gathering more information before making a big decision. Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: do not rush to a conclusion just because one side is louder; write down on paper the facts you have and the facts you are missing.
2 of Swords and mental health
This card is often tied to a state of tension from having to weigh things constantly. Suppressing emotions can come with fatigue or difficulty concentrating. Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: if the state persists, turn to someone you trust or a mental health professional; this is not something you have to resolve alone.
Tarot, seen in a healthy way, is a tool for self-understanding, not a form of superstitious fortune-telling or a substitute for deciding your life.
Quick reference table: What do the Two of Swords upright and reversed mean?
| Aspect | Content |
|---|---|
| Deck group | Minor Arcana - Suit of Swords |
| Number | 2 |
| Main keywords | hesitation, balance, decision |
| Waite's divinatory meaning (1911), upright | Conformity and the equipoise which it suggests, courage, friendship, concord in a state of arms; another reading gives tenderness, affection, intimacy |
| Waite's divinatory meaning (1911), reversed | Imposture, falsehood, duplicity, disloyalty |
| Meaning in present-day reading, upright | Standing between 2 difficult choices, needing to weigh things calmly before deciding. |
| Meaning in present-day reading, reversed | A drawn-out deadlock, avoiding the truth so as not to have to choose. |
Overview article on the topic: Tarot Basics: The 78 Cards And The Meaning Of The Major/Minor Arcana
