Eight of swords Tarot Card Meanings

Minor Arcana Tarot

Eight of swords Tarot Card Meanings

Upright Card Meaning

As human beings, we do not like being trapped, it goes against our nature. Unfortunately, this card signifies that you may be going through a period of entrapment.
The Eight of Swords invites you to carefully examine the sources of this metaphorical cage around you. Sometimes our feelings of entrapment come from very real outside crises. However, sometimes the cage is of our own making.
It might be time to reevaluate whether you really have no path out of your situation. Perhaps your subconscious is afraid of the drastic steps you’d need to take to make a change in your life and is closing your eyes to your path to freedom in order to manage that fear. Or, you are accustomed to playing the role of the victim because that is the only way you are accustomed to feeling some semblance of a moral victory. It may be time to play new roles, write new stories, and forge new paths.

Minor Arcana Tarot

Eight of swords Tarot Card Meanings

Reversed Card Meaning

The Eight of Swords reversed may signal a turmoil of a different kind from the trapped stagnation that the card represents when upright. You may be going through a period of difficulty and discord, one where others seem to be standing in your way at every point. This is a difficult period and requires a deep reserve of fighting spirit to weather.
When you feel yourself flagging, think of the alternatives. A period of discomfort will get you closer to where you need to be than a period of stagnation. It is preferable to feel the heat of others opposing you on your skin than to stand down any time there is a disagreement. This difficult period will lead to growth.
The Eight of Swords reversed also has happier meanings. You are coming out of a long period of stagnation and entrapment. Perhaps your circumstances have changed, perhaps nothing has changed other than your own perspective. You can see the path clearly now, and the obstacles between you and your freedom seem minor. You only need to take that fateful first step.