Minor Arcana, Swords
Two of Swords
balance, truce, stalemate, guardedness
Upright
Blindfolded, a figure sits by the sea with two swords crossed over the chest. Waite gives conformity, courage and friendship held in a state of arms. The peace here is real, and it takes effort to hold, because both blades stay raised.
Two friends who have stopped discussing a sore subject might recognize this card. The truce can buy time and keep things kind. Use that time to decide what you would say if you lowered your guard, and when you would say it.
Reversed
The calm turns out to be a cover in this position. Waite lists falsehood, duplicity and disloyalty, which can mean someone else's deceit or your own quiet pretending.
Look at any agreement that feels too smooth, such as a partner who says everything is fine or a contract with vague terms. Ask one direct question and read the answer carefully. Check the facts before you accuse anyone.
A card is a prompt for reflection. It cannot promise a result, and it is no substitute for medical, legal or financial advice.
In Waite's words
Upright: Conformity and the equipoise which it suggests, courage, friendship, concord in a state of arms; another reading gives tenderness, affection, intimacy. The suggestion of harmony and other favourable readings must be considered in a qualified manner, as Swords generally are not symbolical of beneficent forces in human affairs.
Reversed: Imposture, falsehood, duplicity, disloyalty.
From A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910), Part 3, on Wikisource. The meanings above are by Cast & Chart.
Card art by Pamela Colman Smith, 1909, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.