The Eight of Wands

8 of Wands Tarot Card
 
 
 

Eight of Wands Tarot Card Description

The wands flash across the sky like arrows, they are a blur of power and radiance. Like the wands, you must move swiftly and decisively. The butterflies that fly about the wands - vivid and free - signify aimless movement, you are an expatriate soul wandering the earth.

This card whispers that travel, fastness, and movement are the order of the day. You have important news on the way and there will be slow but progressive and positive growth in your affairs due to a heightening of your senses connecting both earthly energies and cosmic ones. You are finally about to come to the end of your goals, the end of the journey, and your hard work will be bringing you great rewards.

As we speak, the action is being taken, paperwork is being sorted out, and your affairs are coming to a close in the most efficient and solid way possible. If you have recently had an obstacle come up that makes you feel as though you were stopped in your tracks, it will be transformed for you into something tangible, creative, and productive.

The image of the Eight of Wands is that of 8 staves flying through the air at maximum speed. Having sped through the country, they are going to be able to take their rest soon, having utilized all of their energy. This is symbolic of hope in haste, and sometimes too rapid of an advancement. This can mean that you could be pushing too hard to get something done too fast, and this card is cautioning you to take a little bit more time to make sure that everything is being handled appropriately. Coming news could range from letters of love to news of travel via air.

At this point in time, all that you desire is being presented to you. Draw on the active energy of the staves flying through the air and allow yourself to have enthusiasm about your future and current circumstances. When you are enthusiastic, you get other people excited to help you as well. Your personal freedom of speech and expression are extremely important to you. Consider meditation to calm your larger impulses so that you can wait till you have all of the information before acting. If you take the traits that you are learning about and bring what you already know to the table you will combine your efforts into one harmonious whole. You have a commitment to matters that are spiritual. Pursue this energy and it will take you far.

Through your communication with God or higher source energy, you are able to be moved farther and faster than you ever thought possible. That is why this card is so good for you at this point in time. You have worked hard for a long time, and now you should be able to rest. Resting in prayer and in intentional thought is what the 8 of Wands requests of you. But keep in mind that you do not have to worry about your affairs taking a pause if you do. You have already put plenty into motion and so nothing is going to be able to stop that from happening. In this instance, you just get to rest and you do not have to worry about negative repercussions. The power and connectivity to divine source energy are very common in the suit of the Wands. Here the 8 of Wands acts as a transmitter from above and all you need to do is be receptive. If you have received the Eight of Wands in your reading, you will find that your affairs will be speeding up now.

The Eight of Wands in Love

When the Eight of Wands has joined ranks with other cards in your love reading, you must take into consideration that you have put a lot of really amazing work into improving yourself in order to attract the right partner. Now is the time for you to allow things to happen. The actions you have put into motion will continue to stay in motion and will bare fruit for you. If you are in a relationship, this means that you will have a time of smooth sailing in your future. Where you do not have to work so hard or worry so much. If you are single then this card speaks directly to the work that you have done to improve yourself and it applauds you for the good work.

Do not act hastily, remember, everything is already in motion, and you do not have to do anything. This card is often seen as “falling in love” or completely swept off your feet. It can mean you are being carried away with your feelings. This card indicates rapid communications through e-mail, phone, or text. There are passion and strength in this card, as well as strong attraction. In some ways, the hot flaming wands can indicate passion which is heated. You may be facing an intense love situation going forward where balance is needed. In sex, this card can indicate compatibility, think of the wands moving like Cupid's bow. This crush may suddenly pass fast because of the wands passing by quickly. The question in love is what direction are you moving in? It could be communications electronically, in an outcome position for love the eight of wands can indicate advancement rapidly, wands are not associated with long-term staying power and the card can suggest love being unstable. The universe itself is challenging you and represents moving towards a resolution in love. The eight of wands in love can represent a long-term journey for this relationship. It may not be a fast thing. The reversed meaning or even upright in some cases can mean, he tried to form a relationship, you rejected him, then regretted it and then he disappears. It can mean the end of love - but the movement it represents and the swiftness of the batons can suggest an opportunity in love that is missed. 

The Eight of Wands As Feelings

The feelings are like a river, rushing and gushing pulling emotions by the current for too long. This person is in such a hurry to be in a relationship, they do feel you are a special someone. They want it to mean something but going slowly is not an option in the way they feel. Remember, sometimes the faster it starts the soon it can sometimes end.

It can also imply that you are trying to protect your heart but things are moving so quickly. This is the card of instant emails, messages, texts, and WhatsApp messages. Romantically this is a positive card and indicates a loving relationship but things will move fast. This tarot card can suggest that a person is chasing another and a romance is moving extra fast. 

The Eight of Wands Health

Because this card is such an active card, it is a good idea for you to physically pursue different ways of connecting to the spiritual realm using the physical body. For example, different kinds of yoga would be extremely helpful. Some yoga requires hours of meditation as well as mastering intentional movement. This card is recommending that you give a primary focus to this kind of behavior so that you will have a level of full-body health that you never imagined possible.

The Eight of Wands Work and Wealth

Many of us work really hard in this day and age with the economy the way that it is, just to make sure that we have a roof over our heads, a place to sleep, and food to eat. Well, now the time has come for you to reveal a little in what you have accomplished. The wands are about to fall to the ground and rest for a while, and so should you. This would be an excellent time to try to take a paid vacation if you can manage it. If you are concerned about business matters, just know that the 8 of Wands is going to reward you for all the work you have done so far. 

In work, the eight of wands mean movement and outcome. It can relate to your previous actions are about to pay off. Things at work will seem to fall into place for a period of time. The wands traveling through the air can also represent your passion for work. Pollack said that waite called these wands the arrows of love. In business or work, it can imply that you are feeling that you wish to do what you love. Something is going to happen quickly shortly.

Eight of Wands Advice

This card shines with clear advice; you can forge and capture the opportunities that come your way. Remember, sometimes actions do speak louder than words. Pinecones are like houses to the seeds of love; the seeds are the affection and love of others. There is a very good chance you’re already considering a decision or actively making moves toward a particular path. You may find that this decision will light up the path of love - just like the warming rays of the sun. Open your heart, and open your mind.
 
Fill your days as if they were your last - at points, it may seem that time is running through your fingers, and your life milestones fly before your eyes. It’s true what they say, life is like a rollercoaster; full of ups and downs, slow points and fast points. Even when you feel suffocated, with your breath snatched away, you must push yourself to keep going. Hold on tight and grasp your emotions, keep them close to you.
 
Take a foundation - a friendship, a lover, a career - and decide with speed what to build upon it. You can let your attention wander, free like the butterflies, and know that when it comes to love you should be picky.
 
The overriding message of advice - is not to dawdle but cut to the chase. Things will happen fast. Remember to not sink into the sand but circumvent it. In love questions, the advice is to go for it. Why? Because the archer sees the mark upon the path of love and sends the arrow straight toward the heart of another.
 
If you’re apprehensive, remember there is a good reason this card has appeared, continuing on and acting with assurance will lead you down an important and life-defining road, so go for it!

Eight of Wands Yes Or No

You’re seeking a yes or no answer, and the Eight of Wands certainly has an answer for you. See the confidence with which the wands cut across the sky, see their glimmering trail; your answer is yes!
 
Notice the bright, natural landscape behind the wands, the craggy mountains, expansive serene lake, this is the beauty and power of nature - this card is full of positive energy and affirmation. Flying through the air does not guarantee that you won’t at some point come back down, but to struggle is futile, enjoy the ride, for you are sure to be changed by the experience.

 
Eight of Wands Past

You look to the past, and the Eight of Wands recalls a period of frustration; you were fraught with impatience, as nervous a mouse caught in a trap, you couldn’t wait and longed for action. Sometimes things can’t be rushed, but like the wands, you sped ahead anyway and soon found that the forces in your life moved beyond your control.
 
You may have let your life events spiral into chaos, blurring like the butterflies flying on this card. At times it can be all too easy to get carried away with an event, scenario, or person - impulse can occasionally serve us well, but when it’s left unchecked there are consequences that rise up afterward like smoke from a fire, even the small things can turn into something more, just like clapping your hands and triggering an avalanche.
 
It may be painful to remember this past moment, especially if the consequences are still unfurling, but know that it is our mistakes and experiences that guide us toward our ultimate destiny.

Eight of Wands Present

In your present moment, the Eight of Wands splits its meaning. On one hand, your life may have become a kind of limbo, you feel stifled, like a pinecone in bad weather, you are closed up when all you want is to be open to the sunshine.
 
But this card is restless, and its meaning is not fixed, it may also be the case that your life is rich with opportunity, as fertile as the green leaves entwined around the wands. Opportunities are presenting themselves to you, they blossom along your life path as bright and vibrant as roses. Each flower is so rich and rewarding, you don’t know which to pick, each one beckons you to pluck it from the ground - there are so many opportunities, you don’t know which to go for!
 
While these two meanings may seem contrasting, they carry the same forceful message, “get moving”, the Eight of Wands calls to you, “make a change, and embrace the new experiences that come from it.”
 
Whether it means breaking your state of purgatory with a new, brave adventure or deciding which new, blooming opportunity to pick - this card is all about ambition and experience, let yourself be carried away in the stream of new events.

Eight of Wands Future and Outcome

In the future position, the Eight of Wands flies towards you with positive news in its wake - good things are coming your way! The wands are bundles of energy, full of momentum and speed, make sure you match their vibration with proactivity and enthusiasm.
 
Often this card appears when your dream job or ambition is beckoning, see it glisten on the horizon like the first star at sunset. keep your ear to the ground and be ready to run with the baton when it comes your way, for it surely is coming towards you with the speed of a great sprinter.
 
You and your actions may just be the catalyst needed to turn this incoming power into something amazing - stay positive, and stay alert - the rest will unfold as naturally a seed sprouting a stalk.

Eight of Wands Love Reconciliation

Consulting on questions of love reconciliation, the Eight of Wands presents that a lover gives a thrill, things are moving quickly because you do belong in each other's arms. The way the lover makes you feel is so heady, passionate, and alive it feels as if you have whiplash. Either way, reconciliation is a condition purpose-made for the disheartened and the anxious, there is time for salvation.
 
If you are in the relationship which has turned grey, it is time to think of the best ways to turn things back into vivid technicolor, like Dorothy traveling from Kansas to Oz. Your potential is immense, let the feelings of love carry you into a new dimension in your partnership. If you’re in a relationship going too slow remember that the wands move fast and they are adventurers. Enjoy the ride without rushing towards the final destination; sometimes you must flutter like a butterfly, but still be still and cool like a beautiful.
 
If you are single and see this card in a romance reading it likely points to impulsive behavior when dating, you are being ruled by knee-jerk reactions rather than your heart or mind. This card tells you to consider your feelings before jumping into a new relationship, take stock of the beautiful world around you and see if a new romance is what’s right for you in this present moment. You may just find fulfillment in the stunning natural world, instead. 

Eight of Wands As Friendship

Somebody new has walked onto the stage, perhaps they’re an old character from a previous scene, or maybe they’re a new addition to the cast ready to take the story in your magical life. This is a new friendship, one filled with momentum - you talk like soul mates, trust each other like family.
 
Sometimes we just click with someone else and we wonder how we got by before. The Eight of Cards may be indicating the start of a blossoming long term friendship, though often this card appears when it is the start of a friendship. It’s time to burn brightly, but just for a short while. Comfort yourself in the knowledge that whatever is meant to happen will happen; sometimes new companions and confidants are only around for specific chapters in our lives, and other times they may be by our side always, going forward.
 
The Eight of Wands is full of magic, but sometimes it lacks caution - what does this new cast member say on stage when you’re not there? What are they adding to your story? What role do they play? Trust is golden in friendship, just make sure this new acquaintance has truly earned it.

The 8 wands Reversed

Eight of Wands Reversed Meaning

Sometimes you get a little bit caught up in new ideas or concepts or potential. Fantasizing is an extremely important part of the creative process; however, it is important that you not lose sight of where you have started. Your confidence is being questioned, and this is hard for you to handle. Consider taking any new fantasies that you have about people or situations and take action or communicate immediately so that it doesn’t cause you to procrastinate. Procrastination is your worst enemy. You have done very well up to this point to put action to your desires. Do not stop now.

Eight of Wands Reversed Love and Romance

The reversed Eight of Wands has cropped up to acknowledge the romantic tension you are currently experiencing; in recent days you have found your love life frustrated by unsaid words and bedtimes have been frosty; there is space between you and your partner. But how can you know what is wrong when the words are not being spoken? You must zoom back, and see the relationship in full with the objectivity of distance. Is this a forest fire about to die down, or a situation that’s about to spiral into something much worse? 

If you are currently walking the path of life alone, bear in mind that patience is a virtue. Practice gratitude and appreciate the scenery right where you are - every moment is unique and hindsight is 20-20, so be proud of your independence and all that you are doing with it. It is a part of your development so that when the soul that fits yours crosses your path you are in the perfect state to join roads. 

Eight of Wands Reversed Family and Home

Your family home has become overwhelmed with stress and worry, the reversed Eight of Wands enters your spread to tell you that you’re working too hard, and the competing schedules of every family member is leaving you lost and isolated. 

Upright, the wands fly in unison, going in the same direction with strength and certainty - but reversed their course is altered, like you and your family, confusion has to lead to mismatch and turbulence. When it seems that everything is “go, go, go” there is rarely time to catch your breath, let alone think about what your situation might be doing to the family unit. But the more you drown in the madness of life, the more important it is you take that life-giving breath. Family is a fortress that can protect and support you, allow it to salve your wounds and that daily madness will subside. 

Pause, take stock, and just see if you can’t reshuffle some priorities to make time for the most precious thing in all our lives; the tranquility of family, your conjoined hearts, and connected souls. 

Eight of Wands Reversed Work and Finances

You sit at your desk and wonder - is this all there is? Dissatisfaction clouds your mind and your future seems blank and impossible. The beautiful upright views of the Eight of Wands are flipped on their head with this card’s reversal, instead, all you can see now is monotonous clouds, not a patch of blue sky in sight. 

Things stagnate when they don’t move, and they catch fire when they go too fast. Perhaps you’re unhappy because you acted rashly in a previous period or maybe it is because you have stayed so still you turning to stone, like a hero under medusa’s gaze. But this does not need to be the case, you are the hero after all. If reckless spending and inaction have led you to feel trapped and small, now is the time to resolve these issues.

Boredom in your job is a sign you need to change things up; moving out of your comfort zone can be scary, but it also brings scope for growth and development, like a butterfly set free from a jar! If you are dealing with the fallout from historic bad decisions, do your best to counter these by being patient and thoughtful now - move out of the shadows, and into the sunshine, bathe in the golden life-enriching rays. Do this and you may just find a new season of potential and prosperity is on its way.

Eight of Wands Reversed Health and Wellness

When we are tired and worn down we are like a tree without sun, our branches reach up, desperate for those all-important rays of light, and instead, our leaves shed and turn brown. We may tell ourselves this is part of the changing of the seasons, but this is not true. Instead, we must find a way to move into the light without giving up - this is how we survive and prosper in health and wellness.

Sometimes the problem starts from the inside, like roots that can’t find water, and our exterior begins to wither as well. We can only endure so much neglect before the real, physical symptoms begin to present themselves. 

The reversed Eight of Wands insists that you take care of yourself from the inside out. Allow yourself to rediscover the sunlight and drink up the water from the landscape, you will soon be as pink as blossom with renewed health and vigor.

Eight of Wands Reversed Personal Spirituality

You have trained for the tightrope of spirituality with such dedication, your muscles ache and your body is tired - so why can’t you make it to the other end? Perhaps now is the time to remember that every tightrope walker starts their training on the ground, when you start with your goals too high, you are bound to fall. Spirituality is not about impressing those around you, but building the inner strength to fulfill your destiny. 

In other cases, this reversed card might crop up when your focus has been diverted from your true spiritual calling by the other trinkets of life that sometimes distract us from the real, substantial things that matter.

Now is the time to refocus and get back on that rope, but this time, start your training from the very beginning. Once you can walk along a rope half a foot from the ground, you can do it again from very far up. To get there you must be patient, and steady and keep your face turned towards the light - this is the real path to enlightenment. 

The Eight of Wands Card Keywords Upright

  • Rushing
  • Recklessness
  • Moving forward
  • Forgetting
  • Letting go
  • Career success
  • Attractiveness
  • Stubbornness
  • Lack of trust
  • Vivid imagination

The Eight of Wands Tarot Card Reversed Card Keywords

  • Illusion
  • Living a lie
  • Fake friends
  • Backstabbing
  • Disappointment
  • Old habits
  • Old relationships
  • Recovering
  • Life changes
  • Lack of energy

 

By Florance Saul
Jul 9, 2012