Tarot · Minor Arcana · Swords
Eight of Swords
- feeling trapped
- limiting thoughts
- freedom is possible
- first step
Key facts
- Arcana
- Minor Arcana
- Suit
- Swords
- Number
- 8
- Numerology
- 8 (The Action: movement, outer work, swiftness)
- Keywords
- feeling trapped, limiting thoughts, freedom is possible, first step
Eight of Swords upright
The Eight of Swords shows a woman surrounded by blades, blindfolded, believing herself a prisoner. You may feel cornered, convinced that no way out exists. And yet look closely: the bindings are loose and the passage is open to the side. The walls that fence you in are often thoughts, and thoughts, for their part, can loosen.
Eight of Swords reversed
Reversed, the Eight of Swords speaks of the moment the blindfold begins to slip, when you start to sense you aren’t as trapped as you believed. An old fear may keep telling you that you have no choice, but that’s no longer quite true. The way out is to take one small step, even a tiny one, and feel the ground shift. Once the first chain falls, the others seem far less solid.
A question to sit with
Which way out, already open near you, do you not yet dare to see?
Frequently asked questions about Eight of Swords
- What does Eight of Swords mean upright?
- The Eight of Swords shows a woman surrounded by blades, blindfolded, believing herself a prisoner. You may feel cornered, convinced that no way out exists. And yet look closely: the bindings are loose and the passage is open to the side. The walls that fence you in are often thoughts, and thoughts, for their part, can loosen.
- What does Eight of Swords mean reversed?
- Reversed, the Eight of Swords speaks of the moment the blindfold begins to slip, when you start to sense you aren’t as trapped as you believed. An old fear may keep telling you that you have no choice, but that’s no longer quite true. The way out is to take one small step, even a tiny one, and feel the ground shift. Once the first chain falls, the others seem far less solid.