It’s a dreary day here, the exact same weather as yesterday, and I wasn’t sure what to expect when I turned over the cards for our reading. I’ve been using this Albano-Waite-Smith deck lately because of its bright colors. Garish and saturated, they make me happy. I’ve been needing a little extra zest lately because, like many friends and clients I’ve been talking to, 2024 has been unusually chaotic and demanding.
So it’s not exactly a surprise that we begin our reading with the same card as last week: the Eight of Swords. This one has been showing up everywhere! I had it in two client readings last week and a quick boop of a reading I did for myself on the kitchen table. It’s all about feeling overwhelmed and restrained, hemmed in by thoughts and anxieties about potential futures.
Last week, this card was met with the daydreams and imaginative uplift of the Seven of Cups. We needed to dream big to reanimate our minds. Stagnant and stuck in repetitive worry, our brains needed to stretch freely into fantasy for a much-needed restart.
Yet this week the Eight of Swords has returned again. It’s not a sign of failure, but one of an ongoing process of refinement. We need to get to the bottom of this card an we’re not quite there yet. I like this because this eight can hold some particularly stubborn fears around what we can and cannot have or do. It’s worth spending some time here, if only to better understand the strength of our fears.
We had a similar (but much longer) experience with a single card recently in our multi-month exploration of the Five of Pentacles, so we’re now experts at digging deep to get at the root of our issues. Pay attention this week to what “stories of being stuck” are particularly powerful, convincing, and enduring. I’d even guess that some of these are starting to wear thin and, like a horror movie monster that grows less and less fearsome the more you see it, even feel a little overwrought and cheesy.
The beginning days of the week will give us a closer look at the specific swords keeping us stuck. Look for areas of your life where you talk yourself out of growth, risk, and change. The beautiful part of this reading is that we’re not in it alone. You’ll notice that the figure in the Eight of Swords is blindfolded. We’re not exactly the most reliable narrators this week when it comes to our struggles and actual limitations. The Two of Cups, however, shows us that other people are here to help us on our journey. (And that we can fulfill similar roles for the people around us.)
If last week’s dreaming and scheming felt overwhelming, the Two of Cups instructs us to identify and work with people who are meeting us where we are, on the ground, and with compassion and excitement. There’s a possibility that an ask you’ve made for connection is being answered, but by a real person who’s in front of you, now, with both flaws and gifts to share. The key this week is to let people in, let them see you, and see how doing so is helping you move beyond old self-limiting ideas.
What’s on the other side of this? Simply the next thing. I can’t express how into this sequence I am! The eight of Swords breaking through to the nine of Wands through the help of being seen in the Two of Cups. It’s not epic or overwhelming or a perfect answer to all your questions, it’s just real. We’re moving away from analysis (swords) and into action (wands). Prioritizing movement towards the end of the week will help put you back on the path after a period of confusion.
Potential Surprise
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that we have an extremely cute card in the middle of a week that’s also home to Valentine’s Day! Loving relationships have a special role in this reading, offering a mirror to both parties revealing new insights into where we’ve been stuck and what’s no longer working. Will this show up as healing in romantic spaces? Camaraderie around shared struggles? New and exciting paths forward? Time will tell! But lean into genuine and wholehearted connections with others this week. It should be quite delightful.
I also want to mention a potential for feelings of awkwardness and exposure. One of the “benefits” of the Eight of Swords is that it’s all conceptual. Worrying and analyzing keeps us at a safe distance from the chaos of actual events unfolding (and real experience). You’ll notice that both the Two of Cups and Nine of Wands feature double lines towards the bottom of the card. Some tarot scholars theorize that, since the artist who drew these images worked in set design, these cards show characters acting on a stage. This stands in stark contrast with the jagged mountains rising in the background of the Eight of Swords. It might feel performative, even awkward or fake initially, as we step out of our minds and into the real world of relationships and action. This week, however, “faking it until you make it,” is a helpful strategy. As we adjust to moving around the stage of the world, it’s natural to feel a little wooden and scrutinized, but it won’t last long.
This week, embrace:
Observing your reasoning for staying the same, limiting growth and change, and avoiding newness
Insights from others around your issues, growth edges, and struggles
Genuine budding connections
Reflecting loving truths to those you’re close with
Committing to a path of action
Doing the next step
This week, avoid:
Seeing reoccurring anxieties as a sign of failure
Turning down what’s real because you’re holding out for a fantasy
Isolation!
Straying from your larger goals
Thanks for another positive & hopeful spin on all the angsty blech 😜
I have ALSO pulled the eight of swords a bunch this year for my clients and myself!