VIII of Swords

Keywords: mental blocks, limiting beliefs, illusionary thinking, a need to get out of your own head and your own way

Reversed: clearing of mental illusions, a pathway opening up and revealing itself to you, a way out of your mental maze

Associated major: The Hanged One

Astrological association: Air, Mercury in Aquarius

The VIII of Swords asks you to stop beating your thoughts against the inside of your head. You are creating your own mental blocks and barriers that are preventing you from moving forward. The thing is, these are just thoughts, they are not real. Most of them are not true (perhaps ALL of them are not true?!), and you are simply getting in your own way. When the VIII of Swords shows up in a reading, it’s time to ask yourself how you are holding yourself back by imagining reasons for failure in your head.

Ask yourself: Are all the walls in my way inside my own head? What negative mental patterns am I perpetuating? How am I creating obstacles for myself due to limiting beliefs about myself? Am I playing the victim here and creating my own sense of powerlessness? Are they really no options or am I just unwilling to do hard things?

Reversed:
The reversed VIII of Swords can indicate that you are either ready to stop creating mental barriers for yourself OR you are so entrenched in your all your mental blocks that you can’t see that you are creating your own maze. Look at the other cards in the reading to see which meaning is indicated. Or read the cards one way and then the other and see which resonates more with you or with your client. Remember, tarot is here to help you sort through an issue or problem so if you’re not sure what your issue is, doing a reading that explores multiple options and listening in can give you an intuitive sense of what is more accurate and meaningful to you.

Or you may be unaware of the options you have. Do you feel like there is no way out? The important thing to remember when you feel this type of despair and hopelessness, is that there is always another option. You may not like it, but it exists, whatever it may be.

On the other hand, you may be ready now to do hard things. Can you see that life sometimes asks a lot of you and you can meet that challenge?