The Devil blocked by 2 of swords

greeneyed9

I did a CC reading and those 2 cards have puzzled me.

The Devil is for the situation and "block" is 2 of swords. This is in a relationship reading.

I know that the devil stands for bondage, obsessions, dark thoughts - but am not sure what "2 of swords" block means.

Thoughts would be appreciated.
 

suedally

My take on the 2 of Swords as a block - could it be that there is a feeling of denial or a stalemate in the relationship? There could be some sort of hold over the person and they are not sure what to about it. Or it could mean that they don't want to "see" that there is a problem and would prefer to ignore it and hope it goes away.
 

Amanda

I'm with suedally on the notion that the person doesn't want to see a self-destructive issue.
 

DesertRebel

I'm with suedally on the notion that the person doesn't want to see a self-destructive issue.

Ditto

I would only add that maybe the blockage is that the person is denying to see the Devil side of himself,or the devilish feelings ,jealousy etc. ,or denying that the other person is bringing out ,quite literally the devil in them and that they have no control over their darker feelings and that their bestial side is taking over,but u want to keep a blind eye to it and deny it ( self defence,lol?)
 

caridwen

The Two of Swords is purposeful avoidance or some kind of temporary peace. If you look at the Swords in order, they can be looked at like this:

Ace - Truth
Two - Block to Truth
Three - Acknowledgement or shattering of Truth
Four - Rest from pain caused by Truth...

It's just one way of looking at it but we all have very good ways of dealing with the Truth especially when it's hurtful or contrary to what we would like to believe. Like someone who knows they need to lose some weight so avoids mirrors so they don't have to face it. So in a sense the Two is avoidance of the truth until that avoidance is no longer possible and then we have the Three or possibly the Tower, depending on the situation.

The Druidcraft shows a woman with a blindfold and two swords and in front of her are two paths. One is obviously less well trodden. Frosts road less travelled:

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.
http://www.masquedman.com/readings/cards/druid_craft/dcs2.jpg

She wears a red scarf or shawl and is naked so therefore vulnerable but red is associated with courage. To take the road less travelled takes courage. We all know where the middle road goes but we rarely know where the one least travelled by will take us. Sometimes it's a bad decision and we end up like Pamela Coleman Smith buried in an unmarked paupers' grave but sometimes we become rock stars.

If you believe in fate then the decision is not really yours to take but if you believe: "It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves” then maybe you will be telling people with a sigh that you took the road least travelled and this is where you ended up.

The Devil is fear. The Devil is our worst and darkest aspects and desires. The Devil combined with the Two shows that the querent knows what they are doing but refuses to face the Truth. For the time being ignorance is bliss. A decision will have to be made or will be made for you, who knows but that is the consequence of the actions preceding the current situation. We always have options but sometimes they take an awful amount of courage and strength to face and follow. The Devil shows that we are currently on the wrong path or lost somewhere in a forest of weakness but have come to a clearing and have an opportunity to take the better path or get ourselves out of this mess. It could either be the step up and out or the step down and deeper in. Some might say that freedom of will is our bane and it would be easier if we were on predestined courses.

The Two also shows a need for mental clarity. I see this card sometimes related to the Moon and the High Priestess. The Moon is sometimes seen as the other side of the veil. The Two may show us lost and unable to find clarity due to the maelstrom. Our emotions sometimes get in the way of clear cut decisions so the Swords cut through the emotions in order to find us a path or find the available truth.

I would see this combination as a Pause on current events while a decision is made on where to go from here.
 

tommyross

Temptation being crossed by a restoration of peace. Whatever the situation is, the quarent is not in a state of peace, and actually peace is waiting to be restored once the temptation issue, whatever that is, is cleared up or a more suitable word would be overcome.
 

Anastacia

Devil - a situation where the querant feels trapped, not free, obligated, compelled and has no choice.
Blocked by the 2 of swords - intensifies the inability to make the decision to move in any way or form. There may be people around them who think they know what's best for the person, but the querant for some reason has turned inward and is relying only on themselves.

Sometimes in life we just shut down and do what we think we need to do just so we can survive.
Life then runs primarily on the animal instinct survival programmes in our brains, the need to eat, drink and have sex. There are probably a lot of numbed emotions for this person and an inability to listen to reason because whatever it is - for good or bad, in the Devil situation it helps the person to actually feel as though they are still alive.

This is a relationship that has at it's core the need to survive rather than be fully alive. It may feel like an addiction and even if/when it ends the person will struggle to feel free.
 

Sulis

You're stuck in a bad place, maybe obsessing about a relationship or refusing to let go of a relationship that's over but you're just not seeing it. You're trying to rationalise your behaviour.
I say 'you' but I mean whoever this reading is for or about.
 

Aset

I'd agree completely with what Sulis said. I think what's not being seen by the two of swords is the obsession/addiction of the Devil. Additionally, refusing to make decisions regarding this situation... allowing one to stay stuck/bound to a bad situation, whatever it is.
 

starrystarrynight

I haven't read the other responses, but for the way I read (and was taught to read the CC), the Crossing card (here, the Two of Swords, element Air) is always read "upright," but in this case, the Devil (element Earth), as the Current Situation is weakened by the Air of the two of Swords. Therefore, if this is a relationship issue, the blocked or weakened Devil is being obstructed by the stronger Two of Swords for one or both of the people in the relationship.

I would suspect that means that the situation is that thoughts of sex and temptation (in the mind of whomever you are doing the reading about) are currently being blocked [Devil, ill-dignified] by the inability to do anything about those things [Two of Swords]...and further, that the blockage (whether it is by his choice or circumstances) is currently bothering the person. This won't last for long, though, as either the circumstances that are contributing to this situation or the person's thought processes will soon change.


Edited to add:

But the rest of the spread should tell you how these energies will be changing.