Eight of Swords Tarot Card Meaning

Eight of Swords Tarot Card Keywords

Frustration, restriction, feeling trapped, vulnerability, self-sabotage, playing the victim.

Eight of Swords Tarot Card Description

The number eight in tarot numerology is all about ambition and drive, particularly the sort of ambition that brings tangible results. Swords are about mental processes and the kind of thinking that helps or hinders reaching these goals.

Upright Meaning

Waiting to be rescued by a knight in shining armour works well in fairy-tales, but in real life you could find you have a very long wait. So, the best course of action is to free yourself from your problems. You may feel the world is against you and you could have even lapsed into a victim mentality. Do you really want to stay in this dependant state, or would you rather be in control of your destiny? The path ahead may still be a bit overgrown, but if you allow yourself to recognise your abilities and stop wallowing in self-pity, you can push through and move on to a clearer, smoother road. Sometimes, however, the restrictions in our life are not of our own making, and you may find yourself constrained by the needs of others, such as caring for an elderly person or rearing a child. Alternatively, you may feel trapped in a dead end job which you can’t leave because you need the cash. Allow yourself time to think clearly, and you may be able to find a solution or at least a compromise, that makes your life much more palatable. It could be that someone has offered you a golden opportunity, but circumstances seem determined to scupper your plans. There really isn’t much you can do to improve the situation at the moment, however, if you are patient, you may still get your chance. The Eight of Swords can be seen as an opportunity to turn over a new page; it invites you to release yourself from the shackles of old ideas and past experiences so you can move on.

Reversed Meaning

You seem to have almost settled into the role of victim out of habit, but wouldn’t it be better to be a victor for once? You can shape your own destiny, but you need to think clearly and be pro-active. This is not the time to be sitting in your room feeding your misery by listening to maudlin tunes. You may be reeling after a quarrel and feel very lonely and miserable as a result. What’s done is done, and you could have been justified in your actions, only you know that. Either way, you need to get back out there and build new relationships with more like minded folks, the worst thing you can do now is mope around pulling the scab off old wounds that will heal in time.