The Eight of Swords can be a scary card on first glance, but it's actually an invitation to recgonise what freedoms are available to you.
To give you a bit of context whilst you reflect on your own relationship to the card, here are a few key things to know about the Eight of Swords:
Pamela Coleman Smith designed the Eight of Swords to depict a figure, blindfolded and bound at the arms, seemingly caged in by swords. It's a dire-looking situation, but ultimately not a hopeless one.
Observe two important things: first: the figure's feet are not bound. Second, the swords have not completely blocked them in: presumably the figure can walk forward and out of their cage.
That's not to say escape is easy: the blindfold keeps the figure from seeing their curcumstances plainly, and the binds at their arms make it hard for them to feel their way out of the situation.
In essence, this card's message is this: getting out of whatever mess you're in is going. tobe a messy task in itself, but freedom is available to you. Something better than what you've got now is possible, but you may have to struggle to find your way a little first.
When the Eight of Swords comes up for you, it's both a validation of whatever sticky situation ou've found yourself in, and a prompt to take stock: what freedomes are available to you? Just because you're bound and blindfolded doesn't mean there's no movement possible. So where's the wiggle room, and how can you push yourself forward, even if it's scary?
In your tarot journal, you’re asked to reflect on what this card means to you, now, in this moment, and what actions and thoughts it inspires in you. As you journal, pay attention to what you’re personally picking up in the card, but also consider what the key themes in the card might be telling you. Where are you feeling trapped right now? What small ways can you start to test your boundaries so you can find your way out and through?
This mini tarot lesson was brought to you by me, Chelsey Pippin Mizzi, founder of Pip Cards Tarot.