Rather than the angsty indecision often portrayed in the RWS version, Thoth-based decks assign the Two of Swords the keyword 'peace.' In Meleen's painting, one sword's tip is sharp while the other rounded, a fitting way to describe the differences between heart and mind. Yet both pierce the rose, having achieved a compromise; perspective has helped to remember what is important rather than get distracted by differences. The Storm Petrel is a seabird that was often seen as a bad omen to mariners because they appeared before storms hit (leading some to conclude the birds caused terrible weather). Other legends say they are captains who mistreated their crew and doomed to fly for eternity over the ocean. Of course, the more boring (and likely) interpretations are the birds use the lee of the ship for protection during storms and follow them for the fish scraps tossed overboard. Compromise won't be found in extremes, and the truth usually won't be either.
The middle way is a view of life that avoids the extreme of misguided grasping born of believing there is something we can find, or buy, or cling to that will not change. And it avoids the despair and nihilism born from the mistaken belief that nothing matters, that all is meaningless.
~Sharon Salzberg
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