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Above all things, Know thyself!
Thoth- 2 of Swords-Peace
#2. Through me its unfailing wisdom takes form in thought and word.
The celestial attribution of the 2 of Swords, is the Moon in Libra; the Moon is change, but Nature is inherently peaceful which enhances the balancing nature of Libra, implying, the need to bring about change in a harmonious, united, and sociable way.
Overall, one would think of the disruption of Chokma (# 2 Sephira- Wisdom) in the suit of Air (Swords); air being a suit born from the conflict of Water and Fire in marriage. Since we see everything as linear, we think that Fire, then Air, then Water, then Earth, all came in a nice marching line of first and last. Facts are, they are simultaneous creations of Self each a part of the other. However, to explain particulars we line them up in numbered sequence. A tendency we do to each other as well, blinding us to the fact that we are each a part of each other. The 2 of Swords implies that we are all joined in wisdom, the blue lotus of the Goddess of Wisdom, Sophia. We are not separate from Atziluth, because we are on Assiah. Rather, we are "people of Atziluth" on Assiah. The senses see individuality which is a false image but necessary to see the particulars we need to experience knowledge. The falsehood of senses is obvious when we advance our sight to, I AM the Sun of the Divine Creative, for each of us is of One House, One Energy, One Heaven, One people of Atziluth whose name is Legion as I AM...!
Air/Swords is subject to change as no other suit, not only from the fire/water parentage but also when Earth appears the suit becomes crystallized and/or coagulated. Here, the Mind and Ego are at peace. However, this is the death suit of the Tarot, and swords are implements of War. A sword is also an instrument of action, rather than the egoic reaction which tells us it is the "true mind" of you, which is a lie. You are the Solar Psyche, not the false-egoic mind that comes from the subconscious mind virus and sees only separations. There is a greater ego, the intellectual part of the Soul, which is in a constant motion of I AM. The use of the "false mind" that the Eastern Mystics call the "great enemy" and the Qabalist call the "devil", the Gnostics call the Archon, or shadow side of the Demiurge, and the Native Americans call Wetiko. This False Mind/Ego must be overcome if we are to achieve the "Heavenly Human" status of Adam Khadmon and/or the Higher State of Androgynous-Self where consciousness becomes the Supernal Trinity of Atziluth. However, this card represents a sigh of relief from the daily battle as we are at momentary at peace both mentally and spiritually.
In the Archontic, Sethian, and Ophite systems, which have many affinities with the doctrine of Valentinus, the making of the world is ascribed to a company of seven archons, whose names are given, but still more prominent is their chief, "Yaldabaoth" (also known as "Yaltabaoth" or "Ialdabaoth").
In the Apocryphon of John c. AD 120–180, the demiurge declares that he has made the world by himself:
Now the archon ["ruler"] who is weak has three names. The first name is Yaltabaoth, the second is Saklas ["fool"], and the third is Samael ["blind god"]. And he is impious in his arrogance which is in him. For he said, 'I am God and there is no other God beside me,' for he is ignorant of his strength, the place from which he had come.[27]
He is Demiurge and maker of man, but as a ray of light from above enters the body of man and gives him a soul, Yaldabaoth is filled with envy; he tries to limit man's knowledge by forbidding him the fruit of knowledge in paradise. At the consummation of all things, all light will return to the Pleroma. But Yaldabaoth, the Demiurge, with the material world, will be cast into the lower depths.[28]
Yaldabaoth is frequently called "the Lion-faced", leontoeides, and is said to have the body of a serpent. The demiurge is also[29] described as having a fiery nature, applying the words of Moses to him: "the Lord our God is a burning and consuming fire". Hippolytus claims that Simon used a similar description.[30]
In Pistis Sophia, Yaldabaoth has already sunk from his high estate and resides in Chaos, where, with his forty-nine demons, he tortures wicked souls in boiling rivers of pitch, and with other punishments (pp. 257, 382). He is an archon with the face of a lion, half flame, and half darkness.
In the Nag Hammadi text On the Origin of the World, the three sons of Yaldabaoth are listed as Yao, Eloai, and Astaphaios.[31]
Under the name of Nebro (rebel), Yaldabaoth is called an angel in the apocryphal Gospel of Judas. He is first mentioned in "The Cosmos, Chaos, and the Underworld" as one of the twelve angels to come "into being [to] rule over chaos and the [underworld]". He comes from heaven, and it is said his "face flashed with fire and [his] appearance was defiled with blood". Nebro creates six angels in addition to thehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demiurge#:~:text=Whereas%20Plato's%20Demiurge%20is%20good,but%20is%20evil%20as%20well.
Adam Khadmon- "The Heavenly Human"
In the Thoth Tarot, the 2- of Swords, 2- Swords of equal strength, crossed; they are combined by a 5-petal blue rose. The Blue Rose represents the Gnostic Sophia (Binah-The Great She), ---and the Qabalistic Being Chokma (The Great He). Binah is the Great Mother of Wisdom (Female aspect of Chokma, for there are no separate genders at this stage and no senses to falsely see them separate, all is I AM whose harmonizing influence, plus that of Libra, compounds the latent antagonism of the Suit of Swords. The pinwheel shaped white rays are in a geometrical pattern that emphasizes the harmonic equilibrium of the 2. Peace is about the best word to describe this harmonic. Here are two from one, united in the wisdom of Sophia.
The Declarative tarot- No. 2-Balance with Intent
The Declarative Tarot-No. 2-Balance with Intent represents a whole mind at peace with itself. Here the insistence in sensual separation is negated as all folds into itself as a harmony much like the songs of the pond. Pictured here is a moment of peace, brought on by awareness without concern.
There is in all of us a need to reconcile memories of the past and present as the former is drawn into the latter so as not to repeat past mistakes. However, if harmony between past and present is not achieved, we will not only repeat past mistakes, suffer loss, pain, and fall victims to ambitions that are too great. The past and present mated together in line that has created a future, is a false linear concept of time, it is swirling in a harmony that we call "Now". When we believe only in the "past", or hopeful futures, we are in discord with this harmony and peace evades us. Time is merely a fabric that Imagination weaves to appear as individuation. Hence, when looking at the separate manifestation on the woven fabric we see separate creations, but when we look at the whole picture, we see the Whole and how it is a Self of composite ideas.
Illustrated on this colored card, is a Bittern, a small heron, perched between the stalks of the lotus. A natural representation that is easily compared to the Thoth Tarot's two swords with their lotus balance of wisdom.
With nicknames like “water-belcher,” “stake-driver,” and “thunder-pumper,” you might picture something resembling an ancient Norse deity or a beastly monster from a forgotten fairytale. While the Bittern is certainly neither of these things, I would hesitate to say that it would disappoint your expectations. Known for its sounds which are often referred to as “booming, "clucking,” or “bellowing,” the Bittern is an unusual member of the heron family whose appearance often matches the famously perplexing sounds which it creates. Elusive and more often heard than seen, when spotted Bitterns are often found in an unusual rigid pose with neck outstretched and head pointed to the sky. This is done to make use of the Bittern’s impressive camouflage which allows it to disappear into the marshes. Because of the unique way in which the Bittern’s eyes focus, these birds also commonly adopt a silly cross-eyed expression. (1)
Although the Bittern may not be quite the beast one might expect based on its voice, this heron species is much beloved by birders around the world. Furthermore, the Bittern has earned a special place in the folklore of many cultures because its cry has often inspired spine-tingling tales of monsters lurking in swamps and marshes.
Bitterns are best known for their noise. The Bittern symbolizes the importance of raising your voice and speaking your mind even when the result may not be beautiful or polished. The Bittern is a small bird which dares to command huge stretches of marshland by projecting its voice out across the land.In old Celtic symbolism, birds are representative of various concepts including the otherworldly realm of the supernatural. The Celtic Otherworld is a place of transitions and liminal spaces which is often connected with water as well. The Bittern easily embodies these traits and could be understood as a guardian of the transition between worlds. This is amplified by the unusual appearance of the Bittern and the famously eerie sounds that this bird is known to make. In many Celtic stories, water birds are the forms taken by shapeshifting women.
Egyptian mythology attributes special roles to the marsh birds which dwell along the banks of the Nile. In Egyptian myth, the human soul is divided into multiple parts, several of which are represented by marsh birds. The Ibis is especially important and is the emblem of Thoth, the god of knowledge. Bitterns are not specified as particularly important amongst the marsh birds of the Nile, however they do appear in some of the tomb art which has been uncovered in the tombs of pharaohs. Furthermore, as Nile birds these birds can be convincingly connected to the spiritual realm and the kingdom of the dead.
As you can see, the Bittern has made an impression on humankind. Here, the Bittern is balanced between two Goddess images, the Lotus flowers, which implies that wisdom comes from the two who are One of the Higher Self/Mind. The lily pads imply that our foundational concept of Self is rooted in the muddy soil of life experiences. This is also an explicit example of what we share with others is what we allow ourselves to share, as if a mask of muddy creation, is being worn. Unless the subconscious is under the bright-warm light of awake consciousness awareness (our awake consciousness is the one who is reflecting on the Soul-Psyche and/or Solar Self) we often don't know what is rising from the muddy depths of survival thinking and fear-based experience. In this card's case, Wisdom is apparent.
The dragon fly, though diminutive, reminds us that we can change in midflight, our change of direction and/or perspectives. Wisdom comes from correction of mental errors, and mental error, even though a "flight of fantasy", can be seen long before you manifest it as a "life motion".
Balance with intent asks you to know your mind and to apply your conscious will to understand your thought process and thereby, create balance with intent from within creating a harmonious balance of inner and outer wisdom in your life.
When the Two of Swords or the No. 2-Balance with Intent is thrown:
- The querent will be or has been, experiencing peace after a quarrel that began two weeks, or two months ago.
- Peace is restored but some tension remains.
- There are two actions here, sometimes selfish, and sometimes unselfish actions because of the contradictory characteristics in the same nature (Moon in Libra, Fire and Water).
- There is Strength gained after suffering; sacrifice and trouble, yet strength arising from the effort.
- The querent may often show sorrow and sympathy for those in trouble and champion the weak and oppressed while also giving aid to them.
- Overall, the Two of Swords is a balance of two strong individual minds, who have found greater profit in agreement rather than in conflict.
- There is an arrangement of differences that brings about justice and truth from untruth.
- Reconciliation of differences.
- The perfect harmony of inner and outer self-cooperation.
According to dignity of the accompanying cards, the ill dignity of the 2/Two of Swords could also mean:
- One is lacking tact, often doing injury when meaning well.
- There is also an inclination to repeat pardoned affronts.
- Unresolved conditions of tension.
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