Morgan Greer Study - 2 of Swords

[Sulis]

Thought I'd post what I've got in my journal about this card.

Only one person on this card.
A blindfolded woman, dressed in a rich looking green gown stands in front of the ocean. Her belt is very ornate.
Her arms are crossed at the wrists across her heart chakra and she holds 2 swords which extend out of the top of the picture. They look heavy: I don't think she could hold this pose for very long.
A waxing cresent moon is in the sky.
Swords are about intellect but there is a strong emotional quality to this card - the ocean behind her twinkles beautifully. Water is the element of the emotions and the subconcious.
Green is the colour of the heart chakra.
She's closed herself off. Guarding herself. Nothing can get in, so nothing can effect her but equally nothing can get out.
Stalemate
Compromise
Truce
Temporary peace
Consider your options
Conflicting thoughts
Decision time - a choice needs to be made.

I really like this card. I think the ocean looks beautiful and I love the green clothing. Look forward to hearing others views.

Love

Sulis xx

 

[Pipistrelle]

Hi Sulis,

Your posts on both the 2 of Rods and 2 of Swords have been very helpful - thank you.

You mention choices for both cards... do you consider the choices represented by each card to be of different types or do you think "choices in general" are signified by each? Are "choices" more or less inherent in all the twos because of the duality of the number two?
It seems the 2 of cups and 2 of pents don't seem to have as much to do with choices (although I'm a newbie so correct me if I'm wrong), so what is it about the 2 of Rods and 2 of Swords?

My quick thoughts...in the 2 of Rods, the spark provided by the Ace of Rods has taken some form and now perhaps there is a decision to be made regarding how to take this forward...which I suppose is when you would start to involve other people...?

In the 2 of Swords, the 2 swords are pointing in two different directions representing (as you said) two conflicting or separate ideas or thoughts. There is a hint of the Justice card here...considering both sides perhaps? Or am I off track? Justice isn't blindfolded, whereas the woman in the 2 of Swords is. Is the blindfold because she doesn't want to acknowledge the truth? Why is she standing in front of all that water? You mentioned Sulis that water represents emotions and the subconcious, so how does this play into the meaning of the card?

In a imaginary race between the suits of rods and swords, starting with the ace, it would seem that wands are racing ahead at the 2 stage, whereas the swords are stuck at the first hurdle in the 2 of Swords....

Please excuse the rambling of this post. I haven't had much time to consider these cards yet and I'm just throwing stuff out there. Hopefully, I'll be able to answer some of my own questions over this weekend.

And Sulis, please don't think I'm picking on you by asking all these questions...they're really directed at everyone (and me!)

Pip

 

[Sulis]

Hi Pip,

For me, I'd say the 2 of Swords is more about decisions that need to be made (maybe between 2 things, maybe not) and yes, choices. I think all of the 2s present us with choices - that's the nature of the number 2.

Those 2 swords are heavy and she has them in a very unnatural position - it's like a pause, a truce, a stalemate where nothing is happening but she can't stay like that for very long or her arms will ache and eventually she'll have to put them down. She has to decide which way she's going to go. It's an uneasy or temporary peace in that it can't last long, something has got to give.

Swords are about the mind, the intellect, communication and also about conflict. They're double edged, those swords just like words - they can hurt and they can also help; whereas wands are more about action, projects, business plans, the creative spark rather than something we've logically thought out. I'm not very good at getting what's in my head down on paper, never have been.

I like your comparison to Justice and in a lot of decks Justice is blind - non-judgmental.

I think that duality is present in all of the 2s; the blending of energies. Sometimes that involves another person, sometimes those energies are within us.

There is water in a lot of the Swords cards and I think that when you're talking about the mind the emotions are never far away. There is often an intuitive aspect to thought and intuition is one of those areas linked to the element of water.
The 2s are also connected to the High Priestess; that lady of duality and intuition.
I'd love to hear other folks take on the water aspect of this card.

I think the thing to remember when looking at any card to study is that every card has a miriad of meanings. In a reading one or more of those readings will come through depending on the question, the spread, the surrounding cards etc.

Don't worry Pip, I know you're not picking on me

Love

Sulis xx

 

[Emily]

Two of Swords

The Two of Swords shows a blind-folded woman holding two crossed swords in front of her, blade up. She is dressed in a grey tunic and dark yellow top. The dress is belted with a gold and green belt. Its a dark card to look at, behind her is a blue sea, again moodily dark, with rocks coming out of the water. In the background is also either a crescent moon or an eclipse.

I always see a sort of balance in this card - but of things happening you don't want to see - but sooner or later choices or a decision has to been made. Maybe you think by being in denial you can just ignore what is happening or is going to happen around you. When I see this card I always think of the phrase 'Ignorance is bliss'.

Yellow :- intellect, mental energy
Green:- healing, calming,
Grey:- indicates a balance of two opposites
Turquoise:- is a colour of compassion and healing (I think this the blue used on the card)

Some keywords for this card (Spiritual Tarot)
Stalemate
Avoidance
In denial

Hi Sulis - just read your posting - not sure now whether the dress is grey or a very dark green lol - think I'll stick with a grey/green

 

[Pipistrelle]

I've just read the LWB for this card, which says:
"Blind faith in direction. One who conforms to the dictates of authority."

If she just took the blindfold off, the woman would perhaps be able to work out what she wanted to do but at the moment, she's just doing/believing what she's told. This is a different slant on what others have said - that she doesn't want to see what's happening - in this case, it's that she hasn't yet acknowledged that she has the right/responsibility/ability to lift that blindfold and make her own mind up. Too often, we accept others' opinions as fact and don't bother to research ourselves. I guess I'm just "rehashing" Emily's ignorance is bliss line here but it is starting to fall into place for me.

Of course, if she does summon up the courage to remove the blindfold and start searching for the truth (not just someone else's version of the truth), then she's likely to run into the next card...the 3 of swords (ouch). But at least then she can make an informed decision.

But I think, to go back to a point Sulis made, she is holding those heavy swords in an uncomfortable position and can't stay like that forever. So this isn't just ignorance, full stop (if it was, the card would just be a blur, because all we would see is the inside of the blindfold). This is a burgeoning awareness of your ignorance. She knows/we know she's blindfolded and that she's not seeing the whole picture. It's just a matter of time before the need to know becomes greater than the fear of what she'll see when she removes the blindfold.

Interestingly, I think this also explains the large body of water behind her. Sulis tied this to the subconcious and so it is what she knows (there's more to this situation than she can see) but hasn't yet acknowledged - hence, it is behind her. The swelling water represents, in this case, the "burgeoning awareness of her ignorance".

She is holding the swords with her hands crossed in front of her heart - protecting herself. She doesn't want to get hurt. She is willing - at the moment - to stay in this position of denial. But that water (those thoughts/doubts at the back of her mind) will remain and soon she will need to act upon them. However, in order to remove the blindfold she will have to drop the swords...and leave herself unprotected, vulnerable and liable to get her heart run through with three very pointy swords.

This has been an "ah-ha!" moment for me so if anyone has anything to add/detract from what I've just written, it would be most useful (i.e. I have a chance of understanding it now )

Pip

 

[Emily]

Hi Pipistrelle,

Until I did the study for this card I was having a problem with it - I thought the meanings seemed very close to the Two of Pentacles but now I realise that they aren't, I just wasn't looking at the card close enought.

I think your and Sulis's take on the card have made it alot clearer. Epecially the bit about eventually having to take the blindfold off so the card isn't just about sheer ignorance or total denial

 

[Sulis]

Yep, I really like your take on the Blindfold too Pip.

I've looked at all of the 2s together and got loads out of doing it that way. I much prefer looking at each number from each suit; comparing them and noting the differences and similarities. This seems a much better way of learning for me than by going through each suit from ace - 10.

I'm enjoying this - I've been neglecting my Morgan Greer lately in favour of my DruidCraft but this study group has made me go back to my old favorite and I'm getting a lot out of these cards now.

Love

Sulis xx

 

[Cascade]

Morgan Greer/2 of Swords

I just noticed the belt on this card. I'll have to add the "comma's" on her buckle as part of the "holding pattern' this card evokes.

 

[Reed]

In a imaginary race between the suits of rods and swords, starting with the ace, it would seem that wands are racing ahead at the 2 stage, whereas the swords are stuck at the first hurdle in the 2 of Swords....

Heh,heh. Your observation makes me think of a phrase a friend of mine uses when I'm thinking too much -- analysis paralysis

Reed

 

[autumn star]

I have enjoyed reading all your comments ... they have been helpful in my interpretation of the card.

This card is a pretty card ... It takes place at night and there seems to an ocean or coastline behind her ... there are rocks in the water anyway ...

She is crossing her heart ...

There used to be something that I always used to believed ... and that's ... there are some things that you don't want to know ... and that it was better to just continue on in ignorance ... and it seems this way with this girl .... it's like she knows the truth ... but she just can't accept it or acknowledge it because it's too painful ... I know because I have been in this position ... even her clothing seems to completely cover her... her dress comes right up to her neck ... like she is trying to hide ... and protect herself ... but in reality she can't protect if she can't see ... it's kind of like ... if she accpets the truth ... or what ever is out there that she doesn't want to see ... then it would be far more painful than the position that she's in ... which leads to the heartbreak of the 3 of Swords ... I wonder if that has any significance. She feels safe where she is ... she has put up barriers to her heart ... and basically to herself in general ( the night, the covering clothes). If the water represents the subconcsious ... then I would say that somewhere inside herself she knows the truth ... but can also represent confusion and fear.

I hope that makes sense

I would be interested to hear what others think of this ...

autumn star