2 of Swords

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2 of Swords – Peace

Last night, I had a couple of hours to myself so I turned off the computer and sat down to read. Before I started reading, I drew the 2 of Swords from the Haindl.

The 2 of Swords is not only one of my favourite Haindl cards, it’s one of my favourite cards in most decks. I find it very calming. In the Haindl, it is called Peace and it shows a winter scene. Everything is stillness. Two swords are suspended in the centre of the card, between two rock faces. Beyond the swords, tall cypresses line a snow-covered path that leads into the distance and a small, cold sun (or moon) hangs low in the overcast sky.

Despite the cold, the card invites me to go for a walk down that snow-covered path. It is a card of time-out and contemplation. Choosing to spend my time reading instead of working or aimlessly surfing was a deliberate choice made in favour of the kind of peace shown in this card. Over the last day, my online interactions had become confrontational – a storm in a tea-cup which had quietened down but not altogether disappeared. Things were peaceful again but the tension was still there, like the two opposing rock faces in the card. It felt like a good time to let it be.

Interestingly, the card on the bottom of the deck was the 2 of Cups. Whereas the beautiful peacock can represent attraction, the 2 of Swords shows the opposite – like two negative poles, or oil and water, the rock faces seem to repel each other. And the two peacekeeping swords hang in between.