Rider-Waite (Primary): The Process of Experience / Zen Tarot (Auxiliary): Guidance for the Soul
Two of Swords
This card is the “Actual Display” of your current situation. “The Two of Swords” in Rider-Waite represents “Stalemate,” “Defense,” and “Refusal to See.” A blindfolded woman sits on a stone bench, arms crossed with swords, with a calm but turbulent sea behind her. On a practical level, this indicates you are in a “dilemma.” To protect yourself from hurt, you choose to close off emotions and refuse to see the truth, causing things to stagnate. This is a state of “cold war.”
Due to copyright issues, BJD Tarot is used to replace Rider-Waite
📖 Rider-Waite: The Actual Display of Reality
| Area | Upright (Bad/Warning: Stalemate/Defense) | Reversed (Good/Turning Point: Reveal/Flow) |
|---|---|---|
| Love | Cold war, refusal to communicate, closed heart, avoiding decisions, hesitation between two choices, repressed emotions. | Breaking the stalemate, truth revealed, willing to communicate, making a choice (breakup or makeup), releasing repressed emotions. |
| Career | Project stagnation, waiting for news, unwilling to take a stand, caught in office politics, passive waiting. | Situation clarifying, starting action, no longer watching, revealing hidden issues, breaking status quo. |
| Academic | Mental block, inability to write, avoiding grades or problems, learning bottleneck. | Clear thinking, finding solutions to problems, willing to face weaknesses. |
| Friendship | Cold war with friends, not wanting to take sides, keeping distance, refusing to communicate. | Misunderstanding resolved, re-dialogue, honestly facing issues between friends. |
| Cooperation | Negotiation deadlock, heavy defensiveness on both sides, unwillingness to concede, contract on hold. | Negotiation restarts, breaking deadlock, one side compromises or quits, things start to flow. |
| Wealth | Frozen funds, afraid to invest, turning a blind eye to financial status, avoiding bills. | Facing financial reality, starting to handle debt, funds unfreezing. |
Zen = Manifesting simplicity. No judgment of emotions and desires. Return to purity.
Zen Observation: Two of Wands
The Two of Swords depicts a figure blindfolded, holding two crossed swords across her chest, seated before a calm yet deep body of water. Often mistaken for avoidance or a stalemate, this card in a Zen context represents the profound practice of “Pratyahara,” or the withdrawal of the senses to turn inward.
The blindfold is not a sign of ignorance, but a deliberate choice to block out the visual distractions of the external world. Our daily lives are filled with the noise of duality: right versus wrong, good versus bad, action versus inaction. When the senses are overwhelmed, the mind cannot find peace. The Two of Swords teaches us that in the center of every storm, there is a quiet eye. You are invited to close your eyes to the chaos outside and return to the rhythm of your breath, finding the sanctuary within.
The crossed swords symbolize the balance between opposing forces—logic and emotion, tension and relaxation. This is not a passive state, but one of active poise, much like a tightrope walker maintaining equilibrium through intense focus. The Zen lesson here is to embrace the “space of not-knowing.” Do not rush to force a decision or break the silence. Allow the tension to exist without judgment. The answer you seek will not come from frantic analysis, but will arise naturally, like the moon reflecting clearly on a still lake, once your mind settles into true equanimity.
想親身體驗 MSER 的靈性轉化嗎？
Wish to experience the MSER spiritual journey?