The woman of the Eight of Swords is lost and alone. She can't see because she's blindfolded. She can't get there because she's tied up. She cannot move freely because she is trapped in a prison of swords. Looks like she's wandered away from her home, her safe place away from the hill. How can you get back? She doesn't even know which way to take. The eight of Swords represents those moments when we feel lost, confused and powerless. Help and relief seem to be far away.
Sometimes we feel constrained by circumstances. We woke up one day in an impossible situation. A dead end job. A problem relationship. Mountains of debt. How did this happen? We have no idea. Even small problems can make us feel trapped. There just doesn't seem to be a way out. Sometimes life seems to be fine, on the surface. I've got everything I want. I should be happy, what is the problem? We just don't know. We're confused and insecure.
In the readings, the Eight of Swords is often a sign that you are directing you into (or are already in) a situation where you will feel a lack of freedom and choice. Such situations are difficult because the more you get into them, the more restrained you feel. At each step, your options seem to shrink until you feel completely stuck.
When you see this card, remember that you have options and that you have power. No matter how trapped you feel, you can find a way out if you think it's possible. The young woman in the photo could break free. He could free himself, tear off his blindfold and kick those swords. Solutions are not always easy, but they exist. Find your clarity of thought and purpose (the ideal of swords) and give them to take that first step towards home.
This card embodies the limitations we impose on ourselves either voluntarily or involuntarily. We're blindfolded and we don't see what the real root of the problem is.
Slavery, victim, impatient, stress, disconnection
He can't escape, caught, finds, waits