Libra in the Minor Arcana: The Two of Swords

Now let’s turn to the Minor Arcana.  In the astrological correspondence system that I follow, Libra is linked to the Two, Three and Four of Swords. Today I’m going to look at the Two of Swords, which corresponds to the Moon in Libra. It also corresponds to the first 10 days of Libra – this year, from the 23^rd September to 2^nd October.

Libra is the cardinal Air sign, so we’re looking at creative energy around activity involving thought, ideas, logic, reason.  Libra, as we’ve already seen in previous posts, is also about partnerships of all kinds, but the emphasis isn’t on the passion but rather on the contractual side of things – wanting to ensure equality and fairness within the relationship, be it personal or professional.  Libra, through its rulership by Venus, is the peacemaker, the lover of harmony and refinement.

The Moon is associated with the element of Water, through its rulership of Cancer, and so we have a link to the watery realm of feelings and emotion.  The Moon in Libra, then, will bring sensitivity to what could otherwise be a quite detached, ‘airy’ approach to relationship.  The Moon in Libra will want to protect and nurture those partnerships, and will quite probably be very aware of their partner’s emotions and how they might react to situations. They may also be very vulnerable to their own emotions!

Two of Swords (trimmed):

© Thoth Tarot

So how might this play out in the Two of Swords? I’m going to start with the Crowley Thoth deck, not least because the Two of Swords in this deck carries the keyword ‘peace’.  The two crossed swords in the image pierce a rose; the symbolism suggests surrendering to love (the rose) rather than war. Remember that slogan ‘Make love, not war’?!  The message is about being able to use intuition and awareness (the Moon) to see things clearly so that a decision can be made.  The windmills in the background represent the ideas – the inspiration (‘in-spire’ – to breath in) – in our imagination that need to be brought forward.

Two of Swords (trimmed):

© Sharman-Burke/Caselli Tarot

A more traditional depiction of the Two of Swords can be seen in the Sharman-Burke/Caselli deck. Here we have a woman, blindfolded, with two swords crossed over her chest, sitting with her back to a stormy sea.  There’s a waxing crescent moon in the sky behind her; that, and the fact that her back is turned to the sea, suggest she’s chosen to ignore her emotions.  She wants to protect herself (the Moon, again) from the challenges and difficult decisions facing her.  The blindfold is part of that protection; the challenges are in front of her but by choosing to cover her eyes, she doesn’t have to face them.  No sign of the ‘peace’ that the Thoth’s Two of Swords shows us (although the crossed swords in that image represent the sense of being at a crossroads).  However, the message is similar – hiding from reality takes a lot of effort, and that effort can’t be maintained indefinitely; those two swords will become too heavy.  By drawing on intuition rather than over-protection (i.e. using the Moon’s energy in a different way), a way forward can be clearly seen.

Two of Swords (trimmed):

© Druid Craft Tarot

The creators of the Druid Craft Tarot follow the tradition of the blindfolded woman and the crossed swords, but here she turns her back to us, facing instead into the forest.  Two paths stretch out ahead of her, both leading into the forest but where they will end up is unclear.  By wearing the blindfold, she avoids having to make the decision as to which way to go.  Again, if she were to choose to use her awareness, rather than choosing to hide (thinking she’s protecting herself), she might be able to ‘see’ which path to choose.

Two of Arrows (trimmed):

© Wildwood Tarot

In the Wildwood Tarot, created by Mark Ryan and John Matthews, and beautifully illustrated by Will Worthington, the Two of Arrows also shows a blindfolded woman with crossed arrows against her chest. We also see the scales of Libra overhead, against the backdrop of a stormy, cloudy sky, but the scales are not balanced.  The reading points for this card talk about injustice and inequality – very Libran themes – and the need to balance the scales through honesty.  We’re asked here to question, to use our mental awareness – the cardinal, airy qualities of Libra as well as the instinct of the Moon – to decide what is just and fair.  In that way, the scales will be balanced, bringing perhaps that sense of ‘peace’ of the Thoth’s Two.

If you’ve enjoyed this post, you might be interested in my new e-book, Astrology in Tarot, now available from Amazon.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tarot created by Juliet Sharman-Burke, illustrated by Giovanni Caselli, published by Connections

DruidCraft Tarot created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections

Thoth Tarot created by Aleister Crowley, illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris, published by US Games Systems, Inc.

Wildwood Tarot created by Mark Ryan and John Matthews, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections.

To ruffle or not to ruffle? Margarete Petersen’s Two of Feathers

Two of Feathers (trimmed):

© Margarete Petersen Tarot

Moving on today to the Two of Feathers, which lie horizontally across the face of a large disc.  The feathers point in opposite directions, so again, opposition. One feather looks ruffled compared to the other one - the need to balance opposites? The circle in the background implies wholeness or union. 

It also reminds me of the Moon, which is part of the astrological association for this card – Moon in Libra.  Libra is the cardinal Air sign, so we’re looking at creative energy around activity involving thought, ideas, logic, reason, while the Moon is associated with the element of Water through its rulership of Cancer, so we have a link to the watery realm of feelings and emotion.  Objective feelings – is that even possible?!?

Margarete Petersen writes about meditation, about observing our thoughts and letting them come to a standstill. How apposite to be looking at this today, coming so soon after the Equinox – when we’re poised at that delicate balance between equal day and night!  She asks us to “Feel the power of the space that lies between a dying and a newly forming thought”. (p 73 of her LWB)

Two feathers at rest

Rough, smooth - opposed yet balanced 
Still mind holds power.
 
Margarete Petersen Tarot, AGM-URANIA, 2004

Libra in the Druidcraft’s Minor Arcana: The Two of Swords

Now let’s turn to the Minor Arcana.  In the astrological correspondence system that I follow, Libra is linked to the Two, Three and Four of Swords. Today I’m going to look at the Two of Swords, which corresponds to the Moon in Libra. It also corresponds to the first 10 days of Libra – this year, from the 23^rd September to 3^rd October.

Libra is the cardinal Air sign, so we’re looking at creative energy around activity involving thought, ideas, logic, reason.  Libra, as we’ve already seen in previous posts, is also about partnerships of all kinds, but the emphasis isn’t on the passion but rather on the contractual side of things – wanting to ensure equality and fairness within the relationship, be it personal or professional.  Libra, through its rulership by Venus, is the peacemaker, the lover of harmony and refinement.

The Moon is associated with the element of Water, through its rulership of Cancer, and so we have a link to the watery realm of feelings and emotion.  The Moon in Libra, then, will bring sensitivity to what could otherwise be a quite detached, ‘airy’ approach to relationship.  The Moon in Libra will want to protect and nurture those partnerships, and will quite probably be very aware of their partner’s emotions and how they might react to situations. They may also be very vulnerable to their own emotions!

Druidcraft Tarot (detail)

So how might this play out in the Two of Swords? The Druidcraft follows the tradition of the blindfolded woman and the crossed swords, but here she turns her back to us, facing instead into the forest.  Two paths stretch out before her, both leading into the forest - but where they will end up is unclear.

  

The blindfold, I think, serves two purposes.  Is she hiding, and in so doing, protecting herself (the Moon), from the challenges and difficult decisions (Libra) facing her?  The challenges are in front of her but by choosing to cover her eyes, she doesn’t have to face them. She’s at a crossroads – shown by the diverging path but also the crossed swords she holds in front of her. Hiding from reality takes a lot of effort, though, and that effort can’t be maintained indefinitely; those two swords will become too heavy. 

 

The other way to approach this is to see the wearing of the blindfold as a means of shutting out external influences. By drawing on intuition rather than over-protection (using the Moon’s energy in a different way), a way forward can be clearly seen. She senses the right time to make the decision, the right time to take action, to challenge or to mediate.

Either way, we are still dealing with opposition (the Two), two opposing points of view, which need to be reconciled.  The Libran qualities of peace (also connected to the Moon) and harmony (through Venus’ rulership) are required in the form of mediation and/or diplomacy.  If not an actual opposition, it will be a dilemma – a wavering between two options (the Libran ‘indecisiveness’, which I think isn’t really indecisiveness – more that there are so many things to weigh up that time is required). 

We’re asked here to question, to use our mental awareness – the cardinal, airy qualities of Libra as well as the instinct of the Moon – to decide what is just and fair.  In that way, the scales will be balanced, bringing a sense of ‘peace’ and resolution.

Druidcraft Tarot created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections