The Two of Swords Revisited

[DrDunbar]

Greetings, Friends,

 

As some of you know, I am creating a new Smith-Waite deck. I just finished The Two of Swords and was hoping to get your input on it. The primary focus of my deck is symbolism, and more specifically, the actual symbols found on each card. Most of the cards I have designed so far are very much in keeping with the general "idea and feel" of Smith's illustrative interpretation, although I have taken the liberty of adding some symbolic elements of my own when I feel they might enhance the meaning of the card. As I was creating The Two of Swords, I went back and read Waite's description of the card (as I have been doing with all the cards). Interestingly, he describes this card as such: "A hoodwinked female figure balances two swords upon her shoulders." I decided to redesign this card by, 1) completely "hooding" the woman rather than using just a blindfold, and, 2) actually balancing two swords upon her shoulders. (View the card below).

 

As you can see, this demonstrably changes the over all feel of the card. Instead of crossed arms and a very closed-off, protected posture, the woman now has open and extended arms. The balancing swords further Waite's interpretation of this card as "Conformity and the equipoise (balance of forces or interests) which it suggests, courage, friendship, concord in a state of arms." You will notice that I gave the figure a pendant: the Yin and Yang, which of course is a well-recognized symbol of balance.

 

I would love to hear what you think of this new design. I do subscribe to the mantra that "there is no right way or wrong way to interpret the tarot" and so I am always open to hearing and learning new insights from anyone.

 

Thank you!

 

Dr. Dunbar

 

[Newpath]

That definitely gives the message of ‘balance’ to me. I’ve always seen the two of swords as more of a decision to be made than anything (I rarely read definitions I make my own mind up based on the image). If the true meaning of the cards is more to do with balance then this is a much better image. 

[Eric13]

I don't know, maybe it a little too much on the balance issue. There's a reason why the lady is blindfolded and a reason why the crescent moon is in the picture, why she's in front of water with the swords held across her chest. Something about that cover over her head I don't like at all really. 

[DrDunbar]

2 hours ago, Newpath said:

That definitely gives the message of ‘balance’ to me. I’ve always seen the two of swords as more of a decision to be made than anything (I rarely read definitions I make my own mind up based on the image). If the true meaning of the cards is more to do with balance then this is a much better image. 

Thank you, Newpath, for the feedback. Yeah, I've been enjoying going back and reading Waite's description of each card. It has taught me a lot and changed my thinking on some cards I thought I knew well. Again, no right or wrong way, right? 😄

[DrDunbar]

2 hours ago, Eric13 said:

I don't know, maybe it a little too much on the balance issue. There's a reason why the lady is blindfolded and a reason why the crescent moon is in the picture, why she's in front of water with the swords held across her chest. Something about that cover over her head I don't like at all really. 

 

Thanks, Eric13! Yeah, when I created the image with the hood over her head it was based on Waite's use of the word "hoodwinked" which I found to be an odd choice of words. In researching the word: "Hoodwink" reflects an obsolete meaning of "wink." Today, "to wink" means to close one eye briefly, but during the 1500s it meant to shut both eyes firmly. So a highwayman who placed a hood over a victim's eyes to effectively close them, was said to "hoodwink" his prey, and soon "hoodwink" came to mean "to dupe." So what exactly did Waite mean when he said this woman holding two swords was hoodwinked? The word carries much more meaning than just saying she was blindfolded. I wanted to convey that in the image, and a hood seemed like the best choice. But, yeah, it looks odd, especially since we are so used to Smith's original image. 😄

[Newpath]

17 minutes ago, DrDunbar said:

Thank you, Newpath, for the feedback. Yeah, I've been enjoying going back and reading Waite's description of each card. It has taught me a lot and changed my thinking on some cards I thought I knew well. Again, no right or wrong way, right? 😄

Of course there’s no right or wrong definition. I’ve had totally different interpretations from the same card in different readings. For me the blindfold usually represents using intuition to decide on what to do as the woman pictured can’t see. So the whole head being covered works in that sense.

[DrDunbar]

2 minutes ago, Newpath said:

Of course there’s no right or wrong definition. I’ve had totally different interpretations from the same card in different readings. For me the blindfold usually represents using intuition to decide on what to do as the woman pictured can’t see. So the whole head being covered works in that sense.

 

Yes, I agree completely. The use of the word "hoodwinked" however has got me thinking deeper on this card: is it that the woman simply cannot see, or is it that she is duped into thinking that she can actually balance the two swords, or balance anything for that matter? Interesting.

[DarkElectric]

I think the balance issue is important to the meaning of the card, but I also dislike the hood. As a woman, I find the imagery distinctly creepy.  There was a gut reaction to that, which was, "Yuck".

I don't think this was your intention,  and it's possible that you may not have realised that there would be people who would have such an adverse reaction to that imagery. Waite was coming from a distinctly different era. Updating the symbolism to be more current, but still relevant, can be somewhat challenging, but this is what a request for feedback is all about, right?  Also, I think the crossed swords in the Waite card represent the  self protection aspect, which is something  which a blindfolded person really needs to do, when unable to see the situation clearly.  When one cannot see the issue clearly, defence and the use of intuition to gain insight into the situation  are usually the first things which come to mind.

 

All the best,

DE

 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by DarkElectric
Typo correction

[DrDunbar]

5 minutes ago, DarkElectric said:

I think the balance issue is important to the meaning of the card, but I also dislike the hood. As a woman, I find the imagery distinctly creepy.  There was a gut reaction to that, which was, "Yuck".

I don't think this was your intention,  and it's possible that you may not have realised that there would be people who would have such an adverse reaction to that imagery. Waite was coming from a distinctly different era. Updating the symbolism to be more current, but still relevant, can be somewhat challenging, but this is what a request for feedback is all about, right?  Also, I think the crossed swords in the Waite card represent the  self protection aspect, which is something  which a blindfolded person really needs to do, when unable to see the situation clearly.  When one cannot see the issue clearly, defence and the use of intuition to gain insight into the situation  are usually the first thing which comes to mind.

 

All the best,

DE

 

 

 

 

Excellent feedback, DE, thank you! Actually, even though I am a man, my first thought when I created the image and left it and then came back to it was very similar to your reaction: I had a negative gut reaction to the hood. The more I have considered it, the more I keep thinking about Waite's original description of a "hoodwinked female figure." I still think there is something more in that word that he meant other than simply blindfolded. And is she blindfolded of her own will, or is someone trying to "dupe" her somehow? Also, there is a strong juxtaposition between the image of the hood over her head, and her carefree outstretched arms. As if this is more of a contest rather than any dangerous situation. So many thoughts I'm having now! 😄

[DarkElectric]

You're welcome!

It's quite an undertaking to create a deck, I salute you in your efforts.  Language changes over time, but I agree that Waite was more than likely making a play on words with the term "Hoodwinked".   And now the term has changed from a more violent association,  as describing a victim of  a physical robbery, to a much less violent one, whereas the victim is being conned rather than assaulted. But the result is the same. In  Ye Olden Dayes, the blindfold served  conceal the identity of the robber, as well as to confuse and disorient the victim.  The blindfold is still used today  by the nefarious, for that very purpose, but the term for such has changed.

 

When the Two of Swords comes up in one of my readings, depending on the context of surrounding cards, it can be either a warning, a confirmation of a decision being  firmly made based on intuition,   someone being blind  to opportunity, (maybe even refusing to see them right in front of their face, by choice, for whatever reason, and refusing to open their mind and being inflexible) or the possibility that the person being read for is being gaslit or  otherwise deceived.  It can also  represent a near miss in the treachery department when read reversed, or that the person is still waffling over making a  decision, and  is waiting for more information before doing so.
Just my experience, YMMV.

All the best, DE

 

[DrDunbar]

23 minutes ago, DarkElectric said:

You're welcome!

It's quite an undertaking to create a deck, I salute you in your efforts.  Language changes over time, but I agree that Waite was more than likely making a play on words with the term "Hoodwinked".   And now the term has changed from a more violent association,  as describing a victim of  a physical robbery, to a much less violent one, whereas the victim is being conned rather than assaulted. But the result is the same. In  Ye Olden Dayes, the blindfold served  conceal the identity of the robber, as well as to confuse and disorient the victim.  The blindfold is still used today  by the nefarious, for that very purpose, but the term for such has changed.

 

When the Two of Swords comes up in one of my readings, depending on the context of surrounding cards, it can be either a warning, a confirmation of a decision being  firmly made based on intuition,   someone being blind  to opportunity, (maybe even refusing to see them right in front of their face, by choice, for whatever reason, and refusing to open their mind and being inflexible) or the possibility that the person being read for is being gaslit or  otherwise deceived.  It can also  represent a near miss in the treachery department when read reversed, or that the person is still waffling over making a  decision, and  is waiting for more information before doing so.
Just my experience, YMMV.

All the best, DE

 

 

Thank you again. I'm actually working on a blindfolded version right now. Will post shortly! 😄

[katrinka]

1 hour ago, DrDunbar said:

So what exactly did Waite mean when he said this woman holding two swords was hoodwinked? The word carries much more meaning than just saying she was blindfolded.

 

What he says is "A hoodwinked female figure balances two swords upon her shoulders" and the image shows her blindfolded. I really don't see any reason not to leave it at that.

 

27 minutes ago, DrDunbar said:

Thank you again. I'm actually working on a blindfolded version right now. Will post shortly!

 

Good. The hood reminded me of the term "butterfaces." 🤣

 

 

[gregory]

This is true - but hoodwinked does NOT mean wearing a hood; it means deceived. Using it suggests he saw deceit in the card - I never actually did...

[DrDunbar]

12 minutes ago, katrinka said:

 

What he says is "A hoodwinked female figure balances two swords upon her shoulders" and the image shows her blindfolded. I really don't see any reason not to leave it at that.

 

 

Good. The hood reminded me of the term "butterfaces." 🤣

 

 

 

Haha! Here's my updated version. Not so butterfacey now. 😄

[DrDunbar]

5 minutes ago, gregory said:

This is true - but hoodwinked does NOT mean wearing a hood; it means deceived. Using it suggests he saw deceit in the card - I never actually did...

 

"Hoodwinked" does in fact originally comes from the act of covering someone's head with a hood. It has taken on the term in modern times to mean deceived. However, how does one convey that in an image, that's the challenge! 😄 A blindfold does not convey deceived necessarily. That is why I included the hood in the image. Again, just based on Waite's description. Definitely makes you think though! Ultimately, I will probably just go with my updated blindfold image (above). Love the feedback.

[RunningWild]

I usually hesitate to comment on an artist's rendition of a subject because of artistic license.  However, some of the things that the Two of Swords in the RWS evokes for me personally is tension.  More specifically, the tension of forcing one's self  to not make a decision.  In the RWS, the seated woman might accidentally slice her neck if she leaned one way or the other.  She might be of two minds about something and it's rendered her frozen to spot.  She appears to be gripping the sword hilts tightly.  In a sense she doesn't want to upset the apple cart.  There is the aspect of balance.  She wields control over that balance.

 

While in your depiction, she's balancing the swords upon her biceps.  There is tension there because she has to keep her arms outstretched and never move a muscle but she doesn't appear to be in as much control over her situation.  If the swords fall, they just scatter (hopefully!).

 

[Newpath]

3 hours ago, DrDunbar said:

 

Yes, I agree completely. The use of the word "hoodwinked" however has got me thinking deeper on this card: is it that the woman simply cannot see, or is it that she is duped into thinking that she can actually balance the two swords, or balance anything for that matter? Interesting.

I personally see it as the woman can’t see physically but will be able to see by looking within herself.

[DanielJUK]

I've moved this thread over to the deck creation section as we are giving our feedback on @DrDunbar's deck.

 

On a personal note, I love this deck art. I hope you will share more with us DrD. It takes the concepts of RWS but with a new modern interpretation. I hope we can carry on sharing your creation journey with you.

The two of swords definitely looks better with the blindfold and I love the balance concept of the art 🙂

[DrDunbar]

42 minutes ago, DanielJUK said:

I've moved this thread over to the deck creation section as we are giving our feedback on @DrDunbar's deck.

 

On a personal note, I love this deck art. I hope you will share more with us DrD. It takes the concepts of RWS but with a new modern interpretation. I hope we can carry on sharing your creation journey with you.

The two of swords definitely looks better with the blindfold and I love the balance concept of the art 🙂

 

Thank you! I'm about 3/4 of the way done with the major arcana at this point (literally working on The Devil right now haha). I'll post more for sure! 😄

[DarkElectric]

I like this imagery a lot better. Still waiting for her to flex her biceps, though, and see the swords go shooting up into the air like missiles.

🤪

[Eric13]

Much better with the blindfold. 

[DrDunbar]

1 hour ago, DarkElectric said:

I like this imagery a lot better. Still waiting for her to flex her biceps, though, and see the swords go shooting up into the air like missiles.

🤪

 

Haha! Don't tempt me! 😉

[DarkElectric]

It certainly would be a novel and interesting  take on the Two of Swords.
Card meanings:  Countdown, launch...........

[Page_of_Swords]

I always saw the 2 of swords more like "Not being affected by emotions". I think you bring the balance theme in a more clear way.

[DrDunbar]

3 hours ago, Page_of_Swords said:

I always saw the 2 of swords more like "Not being affected by emotions". I think you bring the balance theme in a more clear way.

 

Thank you, Page of Swords! As part of my deck (when I Kickstart it) I will offer extra "alternative" cards for people who fund the deck. Those folks will get extra cards (such as my new version of The Two of Swords along with the traditional RWS version). 😄