2 of Swords — Choosing Among Competing Ideas

A blindfolded woman sits facing away from a sea filled with rocks holding two swords crossed in front of her.

Traditional Interpretation

One who is resisting making a decision between two equally difficult options.

What it Means to Me

While the swords are identical there is one deciding factor in the picture: The Moon. Even though the woman is blindfolded the suggestion is that she can sense the presence of The Moon and 'leans' toward it in her decision. The fact that her dominant hand (the one folded away from her body) has subconsciously pointed toward the moon already implies that the decision was made before this point, but she has to consciously realize it.

Place in my Journey

This image is about making a major decision using internal faculties (intuition) rather than external ones (sight). The implication is that it's more about knowing what you really want than deciding what you 'should' do. This brings to mind my decision to go back to UNH after returning from Ireland. I didn't have a clear direction externally to go back, in fact there were many obstacles to my returning (no job, no home, no classes). It was what I truly wanted though, so it was the right choice for me.