Two cards

The Eight of Swords is commonly known as the card of victimization.

This means that you are currently going through a phase where you are completely bound by your circumstances. You feel as though you are not capable of getting yourself out of the destructive phase that you are in and that in fact if you were to try, devastating repercussions would follow. You fear pain and restriction, yet that which you fear is exactly what is blocking you the most. You are going through a season where you do not trust anyone and you worse you are constantly doubting your own abilities. You are perpetuating this cycle by trying to battle more than one issue at a time and that is part of what is causing you debilitating indecision.

You need to stop thinking that your emotions make up who you are entirely. Drowning in your emotions, which are as fluid as the tides, is not an appropriate way to work on your goals. The 8 of Swords can at points be harsh to take in because there is a level of personal responsibility that you must recognize on the role that you play in your own life’s miseries. The maiden that is depicted in the card is blindfolded as well as tied up. She is surrounded by swords and for all intents and purposes is indeed stuck. However on closer inspection you can see that her binds are only loosely wrapped around her, and there is a clearing in the swords behind her which would make escape possible if only she allowed herself to try. The key to this card is the lack of the desire to try, exemplifying where you are right now. You have complete control over your circumstances at this moment but you have allowed yourself to get addicted to the way things are even though the way things are causes you to be a complete stress case.

You are absolutely consumed by a victim mentality. And up until this point it was working for you. Now you are seeing the issues that can arise from this lack of decision making and a belief in your own ineptitude. It may be a way to survive, but it is most certainly not a way to live. The only opposition that is holding you back is your mental training, the habit from the practice of victimization and a certain level of blind acceptance or even ignorance to this very fact. Perhaps this was how you were raised, or you developed a habit due to a series of negative experiences, however now the 8 of Swords is giving you a warning, letting you know that it is time to improve your circumstances, and if you choose to ignore this warning, life will get worse for you.

The way out of this cycle is to balance your mind and your spirit. Recognize that you are actually an extremely creative individual who is absolutely capable of handling their life and can have anything that they want. The mind is going to open for you to include the extensions of your personal self with a partner and children as well as the necessity to widen your circle of close friends. You must stretch passed your comfort levels. The first response that you have to new situations is to close your eyes and hide because there is so much to do. But you must meet these challenges head on should you hope to escape death by swords.

The Eight of Swords in Love

When the Eight of Swords has appeared in a reading regarding love and relationships, you will find that you feel as though you are completely stuck in your situation. This card often comes up regarding the potential end of a marriage. Usually there is a deep level of unhappiness that has been going on for a long time, but the lack of deciding to leave the marriage is what creates a situation that is not easy to simply resolve. Many in love are afraid to change their circumstances because they have grown so comfortable with the unhappiness and worse, are afraid to be alone. Question yourself at this time; are you perpetuating something that makes you unhappy so that you do not have to be alone? How are you keeping yourself in chains? How are you behaving as if you are a victim? How could you better strengthen yourself and take control of your life?

The Eight of Swords in Health

The Eight of Swords in a reading about health is referencing a hypochondriac nature. That of a person who is constantly saying they are sick enough that they actually become sick. These are the people who are overindulging in medication that is prescribed by a doctor and who have a million ailments. In essence these issues that they have are self-created and self-perpetuated, and if you find yourself stuck in this kind of situation then you are going to need to learn how to live without believing that you are just a sick person.

Consider learning how to break the habit of indulging in these medicines so that you can perpetuate your own health. Some medications are important to survival, this is true, but some take medication just to dull out life. If this is you, seek substance abuse health. The Eight of Swords makes this recommendation so that you can gain control over your life before matters get worse.

The Eight of Swords in Work and Wealth

When the Eight of Swords shows up in a work and wealth reading, there is a feeling of being victimized by coworkers or supervisors. You feel as though you are entitled to have more than what you have received thus far. Sometimes you are being overlooked for promotions because there is nowhere to go in your position or money issues with the company. Other times you are being looked over because you are not working hard enough. When the Eight of Swords is influencing a work reading, the latter is more probable. If you are struggling in your work environment, consider how much time you actually spend working and see if there is a gap or you are taking too many breaks and the like. See how you can become a better employee.

The Eight of Swords in Outcome / Future Position

The eight of swords in an outcome/future position is connected to our own limitations in life. In a positive spread, the outcome can indicate that their have been emotional upheaval and that you will not give up and that you need to face the truth of the matter. There is also a focus on over-analyzing elements and this becomes a cycle of problems. In the future, it is likely that you still will not see things that you don’t wish to see. If she actually could see what has happened in the past there is no reason for her to continue. In terms of an analogy, it is telling you to open your eyes in the future to all the things that tried to hold you back.

Reversed Eight of Swords in a reading

The 8 of Swords reversed is blessing you with the energy of freedom. You have done the work to improve your circumstances and you are now able to take off the blindfold of victimization and you can see clearly what is going on around you. Now you can truly use all of the creative energy that you have inside of you, freely. You are able to focus on wonderful ideas that set you apart from everyone else. You are no longer backed in a corner, so make sure not to fall back in old habits. You also might be so excited by your new found freedom that you may preach too strongly this message to others and this could prove to alienate yourself. Expressing gratitude and thankfulness for your healing is one thing, trying to recruit others against their will is something else. Keep this in mind. 

Upright Eight of Swords Meanings in Keywords

• Limited by obstacles
• Mental barriers
• Feeling trapped
• Wrongly accused
• Seeking for freedom
• Confusion and anger
• Feeling lost

Reversed Eight of Swords Meanings in Keywords

• Inner strength
• Awaiting salvation
• Escaping problems
• Being the victim
• Feeling comfortable
• Carelessness
• Avoiding issues

The Seven of Swords Tarot Card Meaning

The Seven of Swords is a card known to many for its different challenges.

When you have received this card in your reading, there is an emphasis in your life on education, particularly advanced education, or some kind of trade that you are beginning. You are a calculating individual and you are going through a phase of needing to speak out and advance your opinions. Mental projects that you have applying efforts to be carried out into the physical world so that you can materialize your ideas into reality and so that you can see concrete results that you are proud of. This is a card of publishing, news, editing, computers, and storage of information as well as communication.

The importance of communicating yourself at this point, in your most honest way possible is that at this point in time you are traversing a potential trap of getting stuck into a lack mentality. Therefore the more that you communicate your wants and needs, the more likely you will be to get them without having to resort to behavior that can be interpreted as less then forthright. As an example, the image of the Seven of Swords as it appears in the Rider Waite deck depicts a man who is right in the middle of stealing some swords from a nearby military camp. He would like to be able to take with him all that are there, but he can only carry so much. This is directly symbolic to a fear of not having enough and the need to be slightly dishonest to either achieve more or acquire more in your life.

This also means that you have too much going on for yourself, more then you can comfortably keep track of. It is important now for you to consider what you do not need, and how you can acquire honestly that which you do require from life and from the experiences that you have. As we have learned, the Universe provides to us what we think about. If you are consistently thinking about what you do not have, and are coming up with faster ways that aren’t necessarily as honest to get something, then your mind is going to be going over that pretty well constantly. This means that you are showing your lack mentality to the Universe because you are showing that in order to get what you want you have to in a sense steal it. As we know, the Universe abhors a vacuum. So any moment that you are not actively intending your existence all the way down to how you feel then you will find that it is far easier for things to get bad for you. What you should be perpetuating is the image of yourself being an exceptionally abundant human being who needs only ask for more and more then will fall into your lap, as if by magic.

At this time, there are plans that you have put into play that may fall due to the unwise ways you have been trying to make everything work. It is time to try a different technique. Stabilize your mind, as this will assist you in encouraging a system of natural grounding. You have a mental foundation that allows you take great leaps in consciousness. It should not be difficult for you to regroup and try something new. You have the capability to take the potential degree of intensity out of any situation that is frustrating for you. Now is the time to do something that is out of character, something that is daring and proves to yourself that you are brave and have some skill as well as capable of being cunning for yourself in a real way.

One of the positive aspects of this card is that you have finally begun to claim others as extension of yourself. You are allowing the influence of others to be genuinely important to your everyday life, and so you are becoming more of a genuine person. The Seven of Swords tells you to make sure to work at this as much as you can. You can at points be a bit of a perfectionist, but you have begun to develop solid relationships where they understand you and even enjoy this personality trait.

The Seven of Swords in Love

The Seven of Swords presents itself in your love reading when it is time for you to focus on bringing more genuine people into your experience. You must not get stuck in your overly rational ways so much that you do not allow love into your life. It is understandable, given your character, that you at points can feel as though love is unnecessary. But the Seven of Swords is telling you that you must allow some irrational moments into your life because it is good for you to do so. You must let others in, so that they may help you when you need the help. When you are trying to do everything on your own, you become dishonest and fear motivates you. This is not something that you have to be stuck in because you have help.

The Seven of Swords in Health

There is a hoarding quality about your current situation in health. You are afraid of not having and so you surround yourself with items, both physically and mentally that crowd your existence. This could be referring to something as specific as your physical house or where you live. There is too much mess about. Now is the time to clean house spiritually and physically. Cleaning physically will encourage good health because you will be less likely to get infection from surfaces and rooms that are unclean, but it will also perpetuate your spiritual health because you will be taking action.

The Seven of Swords in Work and Wealth

In your work life you have become overburdened by too many projects at once. It is clear that you are trying to just make the money that you need to get by, however you are becoming buried by these extra projects and the amount of energy that you are putting in does  not justify the pay that you are receiving. Reconsider what you are willing to work on at one time. Lighten the load. Work does not have to be your entire life.

Reversed Meaning - Seven of Swords

You must be aware at this time that there may be someone who is trying to offer you the exact advice that you need. You think that your situation is worse than it is. You need to listen to their advice. Do not sabotage yourself. You know what you want, so do not try to convince yourself that you can’t have it. You need to push through this negative thinking. Keep your mind open to the possibilities that surround you.

Upright Seven of Swords Meanings in Keywords

• Untrustworthy individual
• Afraid to face the music
• Someone in disguise
• Escaping responsibility
• Lone wolf
• Fear of facing issues
• Escaping danger

Reversed Seven of Swords Meanings in Keywords

• Self-inspection
• Hidden secrets revealed
• Acting against your will
• Being two-faced
• Stealing and lying
• Dishonest
• Hurting others