Two of Swords: tarot meaning, upright and reversed

A blindfolded figure holds two crossed swords before a sea and crescent moon.

Upright

stalemate · guarded balance

A decision is being held in suspension while opposing considerations remain balanced.

Reversed

indecision · exposure

Avoidance may no longer sustain the truce; missing information needs attention.

In a reading

The position gives this card a particular task: a description of the situation, a challenge, or guidance. Read its image and meaning alongside the other cards and the question that brought them together.

Golden Dawn correspondence

Moon in Libra, 0–10 degrees. This is the attribution in Book T.

Sources

A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot. These notes are original interpretations of the Waite–Smith imagery, informed by that text.