Tarot Eight of Swords

The Eight of Swords
The Lord of Shortened Force
Numerical Value: 8

Key Words for Tarot card - Eight of Swords

Danger
Interference
Imprisonment
Stuck
Immobilized by fear of consequences
Stifled
No Choice
Restriction
Isolation

The woman on the Tarot Eight of Swords is lost and is all alone. She cannot see because she is totally blindfolded. She cannot reach out because she is bound. She cannot move freely because she is entangled and caught in a prison of swords. It seems that she has wandered far from home - her place of security far away on the hill. How can she ever get back? She does not even know which way she ought to go. The Eight of Swords stands for those times when we feel lost, dejected, confused and powerless. Help and relief seem to be very far away.

Sometimes we feel totally restricted by circumstances. We wake up one day in an impossible situation. It may be a dead end job, a troubled relationship or could be Mountains of debt. How did this happen? We have no clue. Even these little problems can make us feel trapped. There doesn't seem to be a way out of it. Sometimes life seems fine - on the surface. "I have everything I want. I should be happy, so what's the problem?" We just don't know. We're unsure and confused of ourselves.

In Tarot readings, the Eight of Swords is more often than not a sign that you are heading toward (or already in) a situation in which you may feel a lack of freedom and choice. Such situations are tricky because the more you get into them, the more restricted you feel. At each step you take, your options seem to narrow until you feel completely stuck in it.

When you see this card appearing in a reading, remember that you do have choices to make, and you do have all the power. No matter how trapped you may feel, you can find a way out if you believe that it is possible. The young girl in the picture could free herself. She could wriggle free, tear off the blindfold that traps her, and kick down all those swords. Solutions are not always easy, but they do exist. Find your clarity of purpose and thought (the Swords ideal) and use them to take that first step toward home, toward freedom, solace, peace and happiness.