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Tarot Card Meanings:
Eight of Swords

Eight of Swords: Overview and Symbols

The Eight of Swords symbolizes feelings of restriction, helplessness, and mental entrapment. This card suggests being trapped by one’s own thoughts or circumstances, indicating a need to find a way to break free from perceived limitations.

Some Specific Symbols and Their Meanings in the Rider Waite Smith Tarot:

  • Blindfolded and bound figure: Represents feelings of restriction, helplessness, and being trapped.

  • Eight swords surrounding the figure: Symbolize mental entrapment, obstacles, and perceived limitations.

  • Gray sky: Indicates a sense of gloom and uncertainty.

  • Water at the figure’s feet: Suggests emotional undercurrents and the need for intuition to navigate the situation.

  • Castle in the background: Represents a distant goal or aspiration, suggesting that freedom and resolution are attainable.
eight of swords from the rider waite smith tarot
Eight of Swords as depicted in the Rider-Waite Smith Tarot by A.E. White, illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith

Eight of Swords: Tarot Card Meanings

Keywords/Phrases: Restriction, helplessness, mental entrapment, fear, limitation, lack of clarity, feeling trapped, self-imposed constraints.

The Eight of Swords in the tarot signifies feelings of restriction and helplessness, where one feels mentally entrapped and unable to see a way forward. This card reflects a state of fear and limitation, often self-imposed, that prevents you from taking action or making decisions. It suggests that your current predicament is largely influenced by your own thoughts and perceptions, which may be clouded by doubt and uncertainty. The Eight of Swords encourages you to recognize these self-imposed constraints and seek clarity, urging you to find the inner strength to break free from your mental barriers and regain control of your situation.

Eight of Swords: Reversed Tarot Card Meanings

Keywords/Phrases: Liberation, breaking free, new perspective, overcoming fear, release, empowerment, clarity, finding solutions.

When the Eight of Swords appears reversed in a tarot reading, it signifies liberation and breaking free from mental entrapment and self-imposed limitations. This card suggests that you are gaining a new perspective, overcoming fears, and finding the clarity needed to release yourself from previous constraints. It represents a time of empowerment and the ability to see solutions where there were once obstacles. The reversed Eight of Swords encourages embracing this newfound freedom, taking decisive action, and moving forward with confidence and renewed clarity.

Gallery: Eight of Swords in Various Tarot Decks

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