TAROT

Two of Swords (Reversed) § King of Swords § Justice (Reversed)

The Two of Swords inverted means we have the opportunity to release the stress of trying to choose. We are no longer in a holding pattern emotionally or intellectually. Truth does often hurt, of course, but trying to force a reality you prefer onto the one that exists is not going to work. Philosopher and novelist Colin Wilson wrote: It is as impossible to exercise freedom in an unreal world as it is to jump while you are falling. We can not begin from a place we are not located. We need all the information to consent. We have a right to know what is truthful. We have a right to know exactly what is being arranged for and around us. Anytime someone manipulates you to agree with an idea or to go along with their plans and desires—it’s a big deal. It might seem small or like a misunderstanding, maybe even playful, but it’s a test of limits that creates tolerance for each subsequent and increasingly disorienting test. The Two of Swords inverted frees us from the feeling of obligation to anything that attempts to instill a lack of confidence in people by glossing over or omitting facts.

The King of Swords is stoic. He likes order and the boundaries it requires. He is unsatisfied with what he perceives as an abdication of responsibility that allowed for long-term problems to set in. Very few things cause an emotional response from this cool-headed and logical king, but letting down those who have put their trust in you, or in the role you occupy within a system, brings out his uncharitable side. The King of Swords wants to know exactly who signed on the dotted line and made the decisions and wired the money. He wants to hear from those who wrote the policy or disseminated the guidelines for their underlings to follow, first. He wants to hear it from their own lips. The King of Swords imparts this lesson: Put the stories and information you hear into your own words. This is how to check for missing pieces and deceptive turns of phrase. Remember, the King of Swords will gladly take those who have offended his sense of ethics to court. He enjoys making cowards squirm.

The Justice card frequently points to our maturity and asks if we are applying it to the situations at hand. It is impossible to achieve a balanced set of scales when there is a lack of mature analysis. Justice is in her inverted position which means someone is not feeling that what is fair is, in fact, fair. Justice is one of the more patient among the archetypes. She will explain carefully and ask experts to lend their knowledge to you, but if you refuse to lead yourself and instead depend on others to monitor your feelings and desires, she will let you fail on your own. Justice tells us to stop enabling weaponized immaturity. Those who can reframe every data point as a violation of what is fair to them are extracting far too much. This is as true in your personal life as it is in global politics. The tactic is part of the means by which societies that center destruction and captivity came to exist in the first place. Correct anyone who attempts to offer reasons why it is impossible for societies to exist explicitly for the purpose of supporting people and waterways and forests and other animals. It is simply not true. May we remain unwavering.