A querent once laid the Two of Swords on our reading table, face down. When she turned it, the blindfolded woman stared back, and she said, “I’ve been wearing that blindfold for three years.” That is the card’s grip: it shows a person who has chosen not to see. The Two of Swords upright represents deliberate avoidance, a stalemate between two equally uncomfortable options, and a refusal to engage with an emotional truth. Reversed, the blindfold slips or is torn away, forcing a decision, releasing suppressed feelings, or sometimes deepening the confusion before clarity arrives. The difference between the two positions is the difference between holding your breath and being forced to exhale.
Definition: What the Two of Swords Actually Means
The Two of Swords is the card of the blocked crossroads. In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck (1909), a woman sits on a stone bench, a blindfold covering her eyes. She holds two long swords crossed over her chest, their points aimed at opposite shoulders. Behind her is a body of water and a crescent moon. She cannot see the swords or the path ahead. The card’s core meaning is indecision born from fear of pain: the querent knows two options exist but refuses to examine either one because the truth would hurt. Upright, the blindfold stays on. Reversed, the blindfold is removed — either by circumstance or by the querent’s own hand — and the swords uncross, signaling movement, confrontation, or a painful release.
History and Origins: Where the Blindfold Came From
The Two of Swords first appears in the earliest surviving tarot decks of 15th-century northern Italy, such as the Visconti-Sforza (c. 1450). In those decks, the card showed two swords crossed, often with a figure or a shield, but no blindfold. The blindfolded woman is the invention of Pamela Colman Smith, who illustrated the Rider-Waite-Smith deck under the direction of Arthur Edward Waite in 1909. Waite’s Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910) describes the card as “a woman blindfolded, with two swords crossed upon her shoulders.” He wrote that it represents “the balance of forces” but also “the impossibility of decision.”
Smith’s image drew on earlier allegories of Justice (who is sometimes blindfolded) but twisted the symbol: Justice sees truth despite the blindfold; the Two of Swords woman refuses to see. The crescent moon behind her — a detail Waite called “the moon of intuition”, suggests that the answer lies in emotion, not logic, but she blocks it. The water at her feet represents the unconscious, which she also ignores.
In Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot (1944), the card is renamed “Peace” and shows a different image: a figure holding two swords that form a cross, with a rose at the center. Crowley saw it as a truce between warring forces, but he warned that this peace is “the peace of exhaustion, not of victory.” The Thoth version lacks the blindfold, but the tension remains.
Symbolism and Meaning: What Changes When the Card Flips
Upright symbolism. The blindfold is the central symbol: it is self-imposed. The querent knows the swords are there but refuses to lower her arms and look. The crossed swords represent two equal forces, a job versus a relationship, a truth versus a comfort, a yes versus a no, that cancel each other out. The stone bench suggests rigidity, a refusal to move. The moon and water hint at the emotions being suppressed. In readings, upright Two of Swords often appears when someone says “I don’t want to think about it” or “I’ll decide later.” It is not a neutral pause; it is an active block.
Reversed symbolism. The blindfold slips or is removed. The swords uncross, or the figure drops them. The meaning shifts from avoidance to confrontation, but the confrontation may be messy. Reversed, the card can indicate:
- A decision finally made, often under pressure.
- A truth that can no longer be ignored (a secret exposed, a feeling admitted).
- An emotional breakdown that clears the air.
- Alternatively, deeper confusion: the blindfold comes off but the person cannot process what they see, leading to panic or rash action.
The key difference is movement. Upright is frozen. Reversed is thawing, sometimes into a flood.
Practices and Traditions: How Readers Use the Reversal
In the Marseille tradition, reversals are not used; the card is read solely by its position and surrounding cards. But in the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, which dominates modern English-language tarot, reversals are standard. We ourselves read them as a signal that the energy of the card is blocked, delayed, or turned inward.
When the Two of Swords appears reversed in a spread, we ask the querent: “What have you been avoiding?” The answer is often something they already know. The card rarely brings new information; it confirms that the blindfold is coming off. In a relationship reading, upright Two of Swords suggests one partner is avoiding a difficult conversation; reversed suggests the conversation has started or is about to explode. In a career reading, upright indicates a stalemate between two job offers; reversed indicates a decision made, or a third option that breaks the deadlock.
A practical technique: if the Two of Swords reversed appears alongside the Eight of Cups (walking away) or the Tower (sudden upheaval), the decision will be forced by external events. If it appears with the Star (hope) or the Ace of Cups (new emotion), the decision leads to relief.
Comparisons: Adjacent Cards and Notable Texts
The Two of Swords is often confused with the Eight of Swords, which also shows a blindfolded figure surrounded by swords. But the Eight of Swords is about victimhood and self-imposed imprisonment; the figure is bound and cannot move. The Two of Swords is about choice: the querent can move but refuses to see. The Three of Swords (heartbreak) is the consequence of the decision the Two of Swords avoids. The Four of Swords (rest) is a deliberate retreat, not a denial.
The card also echoes the Justice major arcana, which holds a sword and scales and wears a blindfold. Justice sees impartially; the Two of Swords sees nothing. In the Thoth Tarot, the Two of Swords (Peace) is closer to Justice, a temporary balance, but Crowley still called it “the card of the suspended judgment.”
Notable text: Waite’s Pictorial Key remains the definitive source for the upright meaning. For reversed meanings, the earliest systematic treatment appears in Mary K. Greer’s The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals (2002), which argues that reversed Two of Swords indicates “the release of blocked energy, often through tears or anger.”
Common Misconceptions
“Reversed always means good.” Not here. Reversed Two of Swords can mean a painful truth that the querent was not ready for. The blindfold comes off, but the view may be ugly.
“The card is only about love choices.” It appears in love readings often, but it applies to any situation where two options are equally weighted and the querent refuses to examine either one.
“The blindfold means the person is ignorant.” It means the person is choosing ignorance. The card implies awareness of the avoidance, not innocence.
“Reversed means the decision is already made.” Sometimes. But it can also mean the decision is being forced before the querent is ready, leading to a worse outcome. Context from surrounding cards is essential.
FAQ
Does Two of Swords reversed always mean a decision is made?
Not always. It means the avoidance is ending, but the decision may still be in progress. The querent is now aware of the need to choose.
Can Two of Swords reversed indicate worsening indecision?
Yes. If the blindfold comes off and the querent panics, they may make a hasty choice that creates more problems. The card does not guarantee clarity, only movement.
How does Two of Swords reversed differ in love readings?
Upright often signals one partner stonewalling or refusing to discuss a problem. Reversed signals that the problem is now on the table, a fight, a confession, or a breakup.
Is Two of Swords reversed always a negative card?
No. It can be a relief. A long-standing stalemate ends. The querent may finally speak their truth. The pain is real, but the paralysis is over.
Closing
The Two of Swords reversed does not promise an easy path. It promises that the path is no longer blocked by your own hands. If you are reading this card for yourself, the question is not “What should I choose?” but “What have I been refusing to see?” That question leads deeper into the tarot minor arcana, where each sword card cuts a different kind of knot. For more on how reversals change meaning, see our glossary entry on reversed tarot. And for a focused look at this card in love and relationships, read our guide to the Two of Swords in love readings.