Eight of Swords Tarot Card Symbolism

Eight of Swords Tarot Card Symbolism

What is the meaning of symbols in Eight of Swords Tarot Card?

A blindfolded woman, with her hands tied, steps through the puddles: eight swords are stuck in the ground around her. Behind is a fortress. She got out of the fortress, but cannot take advantage of the newfound freedom. It seems to her that she is still a prisoner, that dangers lie in wait for her at every step.
However, the sky on the card is clear. If you look closely, you can see that the fetters that bind a woman are weak, and she can easily get rid of them with just a strain. Also, and there are no swords in her path, they all stand aside.
The drawing of the card quite accurately conveys its meaning – obstacles, difficulties, restrictions, circumstances that prevent the achievement of the desired.
Eight swords are located in the form of a barrier around her (although the circle they form is not closed), behind her is a castle built on a rock.
She has lost the ability to see her surroundings, but her legs are still free, which allows her to move forward if she wishes.
Also note that it is a woman on the card, and this is not accidental. This image shows us that she needs to be saved. She is waiting for a prince, mighty, strong, who is ready to get her out of any trouble. That is, subconsciously, a person gets into trouble, does nothing to get out, but waits for salvation from the outside.
So this is the inner state of a person. This is waiting for help, unwillingness to decide for yourself. It shows the desire to comprehend the previously unseen, your soul, to change something in your life, but the mind is now a prisoner and you can only hope for an inner awareness of what is happening. A person blindly goes to the goal.

Card Symbolism

Blindfolded
They symbolize humiliation, inner blindness. Even if she has the opportunity to remove the blindfold from her eyes and peer into the swamp spreading under her feet, the reflection in it will also be vague.
In a negative sense, it means that a person does not have the ability to see what is happening. Perhaps only one point of view is available to her. If you think in a positive sense, the bandage can symbolize impartiality, justice, equity.

Stiffness
It symbolizes captivity, limited action, inability to act, cruelty. But they can also symbolize constancy, inaccessibility, steadfastness.

Unbound Legs
Means that only fear keeps her captive.

Clothing
Red symbolizes will and vitality.
Beige is the color of the body and needs.

Surrounding Swords
They are the defense of the mind, they provide protection and confidence. They can also help to get rid of unwanted bonds and knots.

Passage Between Swords
A hint that the situation is not hopeless.

Water on the Path
Indicates the dominance of the subconscious.

Castle on the Background
It symbolizes power, but in fact, no one protects the woman. It also means exile.
It also talks about the past, the success of a person in the past, what she achieved, from where she left and was captured.

Mountain
It symbolizes the space for self-disclosure, makes it known that there is an opportunity to get out of any situation.

Swamp
Inhospitable terrain. It personifies instability, uncertainty, quagmire, unconsciousness of needs. It’s a worn out and washed-out feeling.

Grey Sky
Symbolizes calmness, neutrality, awareness and focus. But the stuffy atmosphere, inexpressiveness, apathy can matter.

The main meaning of the Eight of Swords Tarot card is impending danger, obstacles and limitations, inner blindness and inability to understand oneself. That is why the card in most decks depicts a woman with her hands tied and blindfolded, which walks along a narrow path between eight swords that form a fence.

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