In this chapter of the tarot course we will see, The 8 of swords and its meanings. What does the 8 of Swords mean in the Tarot? What does the 8 of Swords card mean in love, work, money or health? What is its spiritual meaning and what does it reveal to us? What does the 8 of Swords card mean upside down or reversed?
The 8 of Swords in the Tarot
The 8 of Swords is an easy card to intuit, as its chart already gives us a clear indication of its meaning.
Graphic description of the card
- The Eight of Swords shows a woman bound, blindfolded, and surrounded by swords that act as a kind of prison or enclosure. There appears to be no possibility of escape. She appears isolated and alone, in the middle of a barren, watery wasteland, far from the city seen in the distance.
- The letter notes that the sky is gray and cloudy, indicating despair and hopelessness. The woman’s feet do not touch the water, indicating that the feeling of being trapped is based on an intellectual assessment of the situation rather than an emotional one.
- There is a path open before her, but one that is not actually a way out of this situation, as the blindfolds seem to prevent her from not seeing that way out.
- In another interpretation, the paths are there before her, and she simply could not or refuses to see them.
What does the 8 of Swords mean in the Tarot cards?
The eight of swords in right hand position. General meaning: You are looking for an emotional way out of your situation, and it is not the right one as the situation must be resolved through intellect and reason.
The blindfold that covers your eyes seems to be there so that you do not see an emotional way out, but look to your intellect for the answer or solution you need.
You are imprisoned in your views and thoughts, convinced that you have no possible way out, when if you could remove the blindfold you would see that there are ways out, especially if you change your approach and your somewhat closed way of thinking until now.
You must now look at the issue that worries you so much from other places, look for new angles and perspectives to be able to get out of this prison that in a way is self-imposed.
You must appeal to your logic and reason, use your emotions, yes, but control them with intelligence, without letting them overwhelm you. The solution you need is of an intellectual nature and you must avoid the first natural reaction to the situation, which is to victimize or pity yourself.
In this confusion, perhaps it is not a bad idea not to make any decision for the moment, until you have a clearer picture, let your emotions manipulate you and analyze from your intellect the right way out. You know the saying “If you don’t know where to go, maybe the best thing to do is to stay where you are”. And this can be a clear orientation given to you by the eight of swords.
You are surely making efforts to see the situation clearly, as it is, but you may have been led, by your own limits or by others, to see and believe certain things that may not be true or right.
There are always options, always, but you must come to an accurate focus in order to see them. When you can with your intellect reason and use logic, the blindfold will fall and you will see one or more exits before you, just as in the figure a path is offered before the woman, who cannot see because of her blindfold.
The path is always there, you will never be trapped without a way out no matter how serious or dark a situation may seem to you now.
It is also possible that you have an enormous amount of ideas shaking your head at this moment, without being able to separate the chaff from the grain; therefore, relax, and little by little discard with your rationality the ideas that do not serve.
There is a lot of helplessness associated with this card. You have the feeling that you are unjustly a victim and that your imprisonment is due to external things or third parties, and you have the closed belief that you can do nothing about your situation.
You have given yourself over to self-pity for what is happening to you and you hope that something or someone will miraculously come to your rescue, when it is very likely that this will not happen.
You have to stop victimizing yourself, fight with your bandages and apply all your intellect to solve things, because even if you do not see them, the solutions are there and you will always have options, even if you do not like or are not convinced by them. You should never close yourself in the position that there are no options for you, because it is a serious mistake.
Keep in mind that many times the simplest way out is to face things directly, as they are and as they are given. You may be facing a complicated dilemma or a painful decision, but imprisoning yourself in a corner will not solve it.
he best way is to face it plainly and directly, holding on to your inner strength and mainly being honest with yourself, not giving in to guilt or fear (emotions after all) that cloud your rational mind. Let go of fear and guilt seems to be the cross-cutting message that the eight of swords gives you.
You can’t conform to everyone all the time, you can’t live by their rules or under their ideas or decisions. You are you and as such you have every right to be what you are. You must not let guilt separate you from it, and even if your decision is contrary to the majority, or opposes their interests, you must not limit yourself.
You must be you no matter who you are, because even if you make any decision, you will never be able to please or satisfy everyone. Do not be afraid or guilty of being YOU.
What does the Card of the 8 of Swords mean in love?
In the context of love, the 8 of Swords points to a need to seriously re-evaluate a relationship.
Fear may make you want to stay with someone who is actually bad for you, but your fear makes you think it’s “better than nothing” or “better the bad you know than the good you don’t know.” If that’s the case, rethink again. Being in an unhealthy relationship is much worse than being lonely.
If you were looking for love, first look at the way you love you. Another person can’t come along and fix the things that are wrong with you.
What does the Eight of Swords card mean at work?
The Eight of Swords signals that if you don’t like your job, you must believe that you have the power to change your situation.
There may not be much you can do to change your specific work environment, but that should not stop you from seeking a different and better situation, if that is what your heart and spirit is crying out for.
You can’t have it both ways; either you put up with the way things are or you decide to make a change and use the options that are available, even if they frighten you.
What does the Card of the 8 of Swords mean in money and finances?
The Eight of Swords tells you to beware of self-fulfilling prophecy. If you believe that your bad financial luck will never change, that may be the reality that is created in your life.
This card is about self-limitation, so many of your problems are self-inflicted and you believe you have no way out. This creates a circle, which becomes your reality over and over again. As if you decreed it and signed it to be so.
Look at other options, explore new sources of income. Hope for the best, even as you are preparing for the worst.
What does the Card of the 8 of Swords mean in health?
The Eight of Swords points more than anything else, in the context of health, to the mind/body connection and the urgency with which we all have to look at our thoughts and expectations and behaviors when it comes to troublesome symptoms or health conditions.
We create every symptom or disease (genetics and environment can certainly play a role), but health is almost always made worse when our thinking is primarily negative or filled with anxiety.
Such things can be buried very deep. Seek help if necessary in order to uncover these negative patterns that harm you.
What does The 8 of Swords mean spiritually?
The Eight of Swords wants to let you know that you have the answers you need within you right now. Time spent in silence and meditation will be helpful. If you still need direction, ask spirit and the universe to give you signs and signals.
These can be as subtle as repeatedly seeing a phrase or hearing a song. You can stay at the bottom if you allow yourself to stay down, so much depends on you and your attitude.
What does the card of the 8 of Swords upside down or reversed mean?
The eight of swords in reverse position. General meaning: When reversed, the eight of swords presents its best side, like some other cards in the deck that are more positive in this position than upside down.
Here, you are coming to a self-acceptance after a time or a difficult path and have opened yourself up to finding options and ways out. You do not want to resign yourself to a victim role in the situation, but are willing to make the decisions or changes that are needed no matter how difficult they may be.
You understand that you have a part in this, that things depend in part on you and you are not only subject to the decisions of others, their opinions or the designs of the universe or fate that impose things on you.
No. You are willing to take action on the matter, because you have managed to clear the emotional tide and you have focused only on the rational and logical part of the matter, and you know that with your intellect you have to solve this situation.
You have understood that you must free yourself from the limitations you have imposed on yourself in the past, you are willing to take the old skeletons out of the closet, knowing that you can no longer continue with the old patterns of behavior.
You have understood that you must change and that now there are always options available to find a way out or a solution, you are no longer imprisoned either by your own limitations or by those that others may have imposed on you.
The fence of swords that imprisoned you falls and you have a free path forward, whatever it may be. An enormous weight is lifted from your shoulders and fundamentally from your spirit.
You have gained confidence in yourself and you may be about to make decisions or initiate important changes in your life, you have shed the fear that held you back and you know that there are no limits except those you can impose on yourself.
The inverted eight of swords leaves an important lesson, which is the understanding that even with careful analysis and detailed planning, we cannot know what tomorrow brings, life is that uncertainty and even with a lot of data and knowledge, we cannot be sure of what is going to happen.
This situation used to paralyze you and fill you with fear. Now, you have accepted it as an inherent part of life itself and after some careful planning, you assume that there will always be risks and variables that you will not control, but you are still willing to move forward.
What does the reversed 8 of Swords card mean in love?
In terms of love. The reversed 8 of Swords indicates that there may now be some arguments and differences of opinion. The positive thing about this is that you are now also voicing your opinion and defending your point of view, rather than following those old behaviors where you kept quiet and simply accepted what others, or your partner in particular, had to say.
This new attitude may generate tensions and deepen disagreements, but that will not worry you because now you know you have your own voice and you are willing to make it heard. These situations can be resolved, there are always options, but with your intellect you must see and analyze what is being discussed, as many times there is more beneath the surface.
If you are lonely, this card signals that you have work to do on yourself first before you start or take a relationship forward. If you feel empty, no one will probably be able to fill you up.
What does the reversed 8 of Swords card mean at work?
On the work level, The reversed 8 of Swords signals that you are eager to make changes in your work or even take new directions. The card encourages you to do so by expressing that the change is good, but nevertheless you must plan well, from the intellectual and not from the emotional and that you will have to have some patience.
It is possible that your change will not please everyone, or that you will have opposing or unfavorable opinions, or lack of support for your ideas. However, this should not be important and you should do what you think is best for you.
If you are looking for a job, there may be several options available and you should analyze with cold reason which one is best for you. This is not the time to act hastily, but to be patient and think it through, because the option you finally choose will be the best one.
What does the card of the 8 of Swords reversed mean in money and finances?
In finances and money, The reversed eight of swords signals that there may be increased profits or unexpected inflows of money, as a product of chance possibly. This good news however carries a warning, as this new disposition of money can bring you some problems, due to unnecessary and crazy expenses.
You must use your rationality to know how to dispose of these earnings and create a sort of financial safety net so that the money does not slip through your fingers like sand through your fingers.
You have opportunities to expand and grow either in your business, job or profession, to invest and create more money, however the analysis of the options must be cautious and patient, because any false step can leave you out of the game.
What does the card of the 8 of Swords reversed mean in health?
In health matters, The reversed eight of swords signals that you are not paying too much attention to your health, neglecting old ailments because you think you have no options or ways to treat them.
Self-treatment and medicating yourself on your own is not yielding the expected results and you should have proper medical advice.
There is nothing to fear however, but it is always better to be safe than sorry and take any physical ailment or deficiency in time for proper diagnosis, treatment and cure.
What does the card of the 8 of Swords reversed mean spiritually?
In terms of spirituality, The reversed eight of swords marks that you are now in a phase of expansion, growth and advancement. But possibly there is still something from your past, a major trauma, that you have resisted analyzing in detail until now.
As this is a liberating card, where you shed your fear, it is an excellent time to finally face that which has been hidden in a dark region of your soul and bring it to the light.
This will free you from an immeasurable weight and you will feel that you are born into a new life and a new you. Work on it, the time is now.
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