Eight of Swords
Eight of Swords - Tarot Card Description
The Eight of Swords shows a woman exiled from her home, tied up, blindfolded, and surrounded by swords which act as a kind of prison or enclosure. She stands in the midst of a barren, watery wasteland far from the town or castle in the distance. The sky is gray and cloudy above her and there seems to be no possibility of escape. The woman's feet do not touch the water (emotions), indicating that the feeling of being restricted in the Eight of Swords is based on an intellectual motive and not emotional. There is a path cleared before her, so there is a way out of the situation, but at this time being blind folded and everything, she just can't see the way out! The sky is dark with lots of clouds (again, an indication of the state of mind), yet, the blue sky can be seen in the distance, and the rays of sunlight are peering through a gap in the clouds. So there is hope, and the clouded mind is only a temporary state, a momentary situation.
Eight is about power. In this case she feels powerless. She's wearing white which symbolises purity of intention, yet the robes are torn. Perhaps her intentions need re-examining. The cord which binds her is red, which symbolises power - who's power is being misused to put her in that situation? Her own?
Eight of Swords - Tarot Card Meanings
Emotional upheaval. Feeling trapped, bound. Don't make a decision right now. Go within (blindfold).The castle is in the background - safety is within reach. At the pinnacle of a scary situation. Choices are available.Her own thoughts and ideas are restrictive. She has too many ideas running through her head. The best is for her to wait for the sun to come from behind the cloud.... there is not much she can do right now except wait... and intellectually rescue herself. She mustn't get into the mind game of wanting to be rescued. She must take back her power and responsibility and open her eyes, then she will realize that the path forward is clear.
The Eight of Swords predicts problems in the situation. Your interests will be opposed by other people. You may be restricted as a result of the obstacles which are placed in the path toward your goals. Want to get out of an oppressive situation or change your present line of work. The problem is not with you but with others. They are the ones who are not coming through, living up to their end, or causing misfortune. But even though the problems are great, they can still be overcome.
The Eight of Swords portrays a dilemma much like that experienced in the Two of Swords. We are again faced with the difficulty of a painful decision and we are at an impasse, uncertain which way to go. However, unlike the Two in which the choice is forced upon us, the decision in the Eight is the result of our own actions. This card follows naturally upon the Seven of Swords which is a card of duplicity. If we use deception for our gain, ultimately we will be faced with the difficulty of dealing with that deception; for all that is hidden must finally come to light. However, despite the fact that we have "boxed ourselves into a corner," there is way out. The solution is simply to deal with the situation in the most direct yet tactful manner possible, and face our choice with inner strength. We must be aware of the consequences of our actions in all aspects of life and if we are able to deal honestly with ourselves and others, we won't find ourselves in this kind of situation. However, if we are here already, there is still the possibility of freedom from the bondage of our own fears and uncertainties. If you encounter the Eight of Swords in a reading, it is time to be honest with yourself and others in order to be free of the burden of fear or guilt.
On the face of it, this is a card about hopelessness, restriction and lack of options. but it isn't. Not really. If you look at the Ryder Waite deck, you see a woman, tied from the waist up in such a way that she cannot move her arms, and blindfolded. She stands between eight swords--and there is a featureless background. It would seem that she can't go anywhere--that she is imprisoned. However, keep in mind that this deck, as did many of the older decks, portrayed the negative meaning and implied the positive. So, let's consider our tied up lady. First of all--there is nothing in front of her. She could just walk straight ahead, if she so chose--blindfold or not. But she does not choose to do so. She seems to be waiting for rescue.
Let's consider the nature of the Swords. They represent the mental world - our conscious minds and what they do and how they work. In terms of our thought process, this is typical of the times when we think we're safe, but in fact we're trapped, without any options, and must depend on the kindness of others. But is that ever the case? We always have options, but those options may or may not be acceptable to us. This is fine - so long as we acknowledge that we have them. If we don't, it doesn't take us long to drift into victim mode. And that is where our lady is at the moment.
Feeling fenced in, restricted, vulnerable. Too many ideas/no direction. Handle difficult situations immediately, Gossip, advice, over analytical (back and forth), Pay attention. Problems are behind woman. Legs are not tied; blind fold can be removed. Find out who put you in this situation, realize that you are not trapped, that you are free to move. Restriction. Run of bad luck, feelings of being trapped and powerless. Patient effort needed to get out of situation. Help is available if you ask. Restrictions will gradually fade.
In a career reading, the Eight of Swords indicates that you are restricted in some way about how you see your career - you may not be looking outside of the box you live in and may only be considering specific options rather than opening your mind to new options. You feel 'stuck' and that this feeling of stuck-ness is preventing you from seeing this situation for what it is. You need to free your mind of any preconceived ideas and any other factors that may be holding you back from exploring new territories. Once you feel a greater sense of freedom in your thoughts, then spend some time and energy meditating on what it is you really want from your career.
Eight of Swords - Reversed Tarot Card Meanings
The Eight of Swords reversed indicates that you have come through a difficult time and you are becoming more open to change and self-acceptance. In this card, the woman stands bound and blindfolded, and surrounded by swords. It seems like she is stuck and it is hard for her to see what to do. Yet, if she could just reach out her hand, she would find that the swords are nearby and could be used to cut herself free. The swords symbolise our way of thinking about things - they are both a cage and the way to let yourselves free of the cage.
The Eight of Swords reversed indicates that you need to free yourself from some of the limiting factors of your past. You have some skeletons in the closet that need clearing out - allow yourself to let go of old patterns of behaviour and belief systems that have previously held you back, and forget about being 'the victim'.
The Eight of Swords reversed also suggests that you have been able to reflect on what didn't work last time and have changed your perspective and approach.
