Defining Connections (Number 2)
Minor Arcana number 2 in Pentacles, Wands, Cups, Swords are some of the most important cards in Tarot when it comes to love/relationship readings.
Insofar as ‘connection’, these number 2 cards can help define the centric energy that is being actively exchanged between two people. It can reveal the current dynamic that is at play, and we can watch this energy shift as the relationship commences. We can ascertain some things about the trajectory of the two people, or if there is compatibility, by observing which number 2 card appears as representing the bond itself.
For example, a 2 Wands can allude to high-intensity chemistry between two—special physical/mental/spiritual attraction, or lust—and as the relationship continues, we might see this energy shift to 2 Cups, suggesting an emotional bond is becoming dominant. The 2 Swords is always more intellectually-based at its core, so can signify a conversational friendship or a relationship that gives less priority to physical attraction and more to a mentally stimulating exchange. The 2 Pentacles can represent a relationship that is purely physical-based (transactional hook-up), or on the other end of the spectrum it can represent two people who share a common interest in a romance that will lead to committed life/family growth or marriage.
The ‘dance’ of these cards in and out of a reading can give us important clues about what is (or is not) happening between the two people within a relationship or connection. The 2 can always show us the direct manner in which one person is relating to the other, and when we see obvious differences/clashes, it can help us identify why a relationship is going wrong, or give remedies to help correct things.
We can see conflicts creep in when the individual persons within the relationship draw mismatched number 2 cards (or other cards of communication/connection in the deck). For example, one partner drawing a 2 Swords versus a partner demonstrating a high degree of expressive Cup cards within the relationship could denote that one person’s heart is more invested overall…and the other person is emotionally detached, needs to talk about something (but might not be), or wishes for more mental stimulation with the other, etc. The appearance of number 2 cards in a negative polarity, related to love, can indicate one person desires a certain type of connection from the other which is not forthcoming/being demonstrated—it can help give us clues about unspoken feelings/thoughts, motivations/actions not being taken, etc.
An interesting shift in Tarot since computers became part of our daily life relate to how online/texting/email relationships are represented in Tarot. I have found the 2 Swords to be the card most likely to be drawn for romances conducted digitally, from afar. The suit of Swords is associated with the ‘air element’, alluding to this way of communicating/romancing being about mental transference for the most part, or communication via ‘air’. Many conflicts that arise in online relationships are given remedial advice to shift this energy from Swords to Pentacles—in other words, meet in person to allow the relationship to become ‘real’ and promote a physical connection, too.
While Tarot practice gives us freedom for individual interpretations of the cards, it does have a foundation which sticks consistently to core ‘given’ truths. Even observing love/relationship readings across a multi-variety of readers, we will discover that the numbers behave according to understood concepts of esoteric numerology. This is especially evident with the number 2, which I consider to be one of the most accurate ways to define the authentic energy being exchanged between two people.
✦ MRS. PLUM ✦
