Welcome to Tarot for Scholars, a resource that helps you weave the deep wisdom of tarot into your daily life and work. In each post, we offer reflections and prompts for exploring your own inner world and unlocking the unique creative power of your scholarship.
Two of Swords
About this card
Pausing to look inward and weigh a heavy decision. Giving space and attention to a decision, guarding your attention and waiting for clarity. Withdrawal from the outer world and from emotional entanglements in order to make a rational, perhaps difficult judgment call, using only the information you deem relevant. A logical duality between two beings in relationship or between two facets of the self.
Other interpretations
Margy’s cards, clockwise from top left: Radiant Tarot; New Chapter Tarot; Cosmic Slumber Tarot; Shining Tribe Tarot; Elemental Tarot; Navigators Tarot of the Mystic Sea; Spolia Tarot; Tarot of the Spirit.
Helen’s cards, clockwise from top left: Moon & Stars Tarot; Light Seer’s Tarot; Japaridze Tarot; Canes Arcanae; Star Spinner Tarot; Muse Tarot; Tarot of Mystical Moments; Forest of Enchantment Tarot.
Questions and prompts
Imagine you are the figure depicted on the card. What two swords are you holding today?
Reflect on what boundaries enable you to withdraw when needed to make weighty decisions in your scholarly work. Consider physical boundaries (e.g., walls and door locks), psychological boundaries (e.g., strategies for distinguishing between your own thoughts and those of others), and any other kind of boundaries you find useful in your scholarly process.
How do you discern what information is relevant and necessary to weigh in your scholarly process? Consider how your decisions are guided by academic structures outside yourself, such as methodologies and genres.
Thanks for joining us for Tarot for Scholars! Your hearts, restacks, and comments brighten our day. 💫
Yours in scholarship,
HELEN SWORD is a scholar, poet, award-winning teacher, and founder of the WriteSPACE, an international writing community with members in 30+ countries. Her research-based books, articles, and online tools empower scholarly writers to write more clearly, confidently, prolifically, and with greater pleasure.
Visit Helen’s website here.
MARGY THOMAS is the creator of ScholarShape, a body of work dedicated to elucidating the patterns of Story-Argument across genres, disciplines, and life itself. Through services and DIY resources, Margy helps scholars use Story-Argument patterns to design their work — and to find its deeper meaning and higher purpose.
Visit Margy’s website here.
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