Breaking Free of the Eight of Swords
Today I’m focused on the eight of swords. As I posted in the past, I do a daily tarot drawing and I journal about that card each day. In the past week I drew the eight of swords twice. To me, that’s like when you get a ‘jumper’, where you’re shuffling along and suddenly one tarot card jumps out from the deck. It often signifies ‘Pay attention; this could be important!’
Like many of the other cards in the suit of swords, the news is not really good in the eight of swords. What is it about swords? My personal theory is that because in most decks the suit of swords corresponds to the element of air and represent thought and communication, they are frequently the harbingers of trouble because, really, what gets us into more trouble than our thoughts? Also, swords are weapons. On the other hand, they do often show us how to ‘cut’ to the heart of the matter and that can be important as advice.
In the a classic RWS depiction of the eight of swords we see a woman who is blindfolded and loosely bound. Surrounding her are eight swords that have been thrust into the ground like a fence, enclosing her. In the distance behind her is a castle. I have displayed three versions of the eight of swords in the illustration for this post and the one from the Robin Wood Tarot illustrates this classic depiction best. The fact that she’s not very well bound implies that only her fear keeps her from moving past the situation in which she finds herself. The swords may signify worrisome thoughts that further restrict her.
I’ve also shown a few more modern interpretations of this card from decks that are my current favorites: The Light Seers Tarot by Chris-Anne and The Tarot of Mystical Wisdom by Catrin Welz-Stein. In the Tarot of Mystical Wisdom, the theme of self-imprisonment depicts an angel huddled inside a cage, his wings unfurled outside of the cage and the top open, but his demeanor of dejection shows us that he is unlikely to fly free of his own accord. The woman in The Light Seers Tarot version of this card is in front of a mirrored image of herself blindfolded and being restrained by tiny ropes born by birds (possibly crows) flying around her.
The theme is one where we may feel powerless because in our minds, we don’t have the ability or power to change the situation. Yet in all of these images, we can easily imagine a moment in the near future for the figure in each card as they take the next step to free themselves. The woman surrounded by swords may slip the blindfold aside and realize she is not truly bound. Likewise, the woman tied down by the small ropes can easily free herself and see herself in the mirror for who she truly is. The angel can pull in her wings and rise through the top of the cage into freedom.
Thus, as is often the case with tarot, the card illustration can represent the challenge but also suggest that there is a solution. In “Tarot for Yourself” Mary K. Greer suggests that some questions that we can ask ourselves when we draw the eight of swords may be: What actions, plans, or ideas are being blocked by circumstances beyond your control? What benefit do you receive by not acting?
For me personally at this time, drawing this card twice in one week speaks directly to some worries and fears I have about a career decision I recently made that focuses on my communication abilities. When I ask myself what actions, plans, or ideas are being blocked by circumstances beyond my control, I am able to dial in on what I can do and what I need to let go of, which improves my peace of mind and thus increases my chance for success. The blindfold drops away and I can see the next steps more clearly. That’s how tarot works!
