Eight of Swords Tarot Card Meaning

This card represents restrictions and prohibitions. A woman stands with her arms bound and her eyes blindfolded. Everything makes her look like a helpless victim: swords form a fence around her, water washes over the path, and her long dress tangles around her feet.

A castle in the background seems to represent the past she's fleeing. Yet her fear and helplessness can be overcome. Her bindings are loose enough to shake off with a single movement.

The Eight of Swords can predict illness, dismissal, imprisonment, or plans collapsing: any situation that stops you moving or doing what you want. But the obstacles aren't only external. Inner problems and insecurities can bind you just as tightly, keeping your talents and potential from finding an outlet.

If this card appears, try to face the circumstances with more patience and less drama. Look at your problems from another angle. Could some be imagined or exaggerated? Might you be overlooking an obvious way out? Or perhaps it simply isn't time to act yet. You need to recover, gather strength, or rethink your plans.

Either way, the Eight of Swords promises this difficult period of restriction won't last long. Expect changes for the better, and be ready to act!

Upright Eight of Swords: Key Meanings

• Obstacles, barriers, a difficult road to your goal, and a period of waiting.
• Powerlessness, doubts, helplessness, fear, and loss of freedom.
• Outside influence, pressure, opposition, criticism, and depression.
• Plans or illusions falling apart.
• Serious illness, unfavorable circumstances, and a trap.

The Eight of Swords reversed is a direct call to action! The way is open and your plans are ready to take shape, but you're hesitating, searching for difficulties, obstacles, and reasons not to move.

Perhaps you're listening to too much advice, or don't dare make a life-changing decision because you doubt your abilities. The dead end is an illusion, either of your own making or imposed by someone else.

The reversed card promises that the right attitude, a positive outlook, enthusiasm, and determination will free you from mistaken beliefs and help you throw off your chains. Don't panic. Do what needs doing, and believe in yourself and your success!

It can also mean you're afraid to step beyond accepted boundaries and familiar patterns. By doing everything the old way, you're denying yourself and your work the chance to grow and keep up with the times. Quiet your fears and take a step forward. The Eight of Swords reversed says you'll succeed!

Reversed Eight of Swords: Key Meanings

• Delay, slow progress, feeling oppressed, uncertainty, apprehension, worry, weakness, and routine.
• The end of helplessness, relief, and renewal.
• A call to action, a way out of a dead end, and freedom from illusions.

In a love reading, the Eight of Swords upright means an unhappy relationship, or loneliness caused by insecurities, shyness, and fear of making the first move.

You're trapped by your own view of people and the world, or by someone who makes you a victim of their ambitions and desires. The result is stress, dejection, and the feeling that nothing can change. The card asks you to shake off this paralysis instead of leaving others to solve your problems. You can overcome your inertia and change your love life for the better!

Reversed, the meaning turns around: warmth returning to a relationship and the first steps toward making peace.

How They Love

Upright, this person creates plenty of their own barriers in love. Conventions, fears, illusions, and insecurities leave them feeling bound hand and foot.

Reversed, it says love is full of rules and obstacles for them, some real and some imagined. Those restrictions stop them acting as they'd ideally like to.

In a career reading, the Eight of Swords describes a difficult path to success. You face obstacles, your own or others' lack of competence, vague instructions from management, or the opposite: every step of your work closely controlled.

You feel trapped in a vise of demands and circumstances, unable to show your talents or pursue your real goals. The card can also mean wasting time and energy on ventures doomed from the start. The prospects are bleak. A change of course is needed.

Reversed, the meaning flips: the difficulties aren't what they seem, and you can overcome them successfully.

Upright, this is someone bound by inner or outer restrictions, conventions, or circumstances. They lack confidence right now and can't do what they need to do.

Reversed, it describes someone afraid or unwilling to take an important step. They know it's necessary, but for now they prefer to do nothing and wait.

Upright, the card advises you to accept things and wait. Changing the situation is beyond your power for now.

Reversed, it asks you to gather your courage and act. A lack of self-belief is the only thing that can stop you.

Upright, the outcome is uncertain. Self-doubt, inner or outer restrictions, and limiting circumstances could stand in your way.

Reversed, the outcome is also uncertain. A lack of determination and self-belief could hold you back. Stop doubting your abilities and act!

Saturn in contact with Mars, and Saturn in Capricorn: uncertainty, unexpected changes, and the need to focus.

The Fool — Getting into a difficult bind; the wrong path; complete uncertainty.

The Magician — Limited options, a shortage of money or information, red tape, interference from the authorities.

The High Priestess — Inaction, fear, being unable to move forward.

The Empress — A dangerous game; a run of bad luck; mounting problems.

The Emperor — A lack of clarity, testing new systems, developing an interesting product.

The Hierophant — Not having the facts, the risk of losing authority, a precarious position.

The Lovers — Giving ground, abandoning the fight, the risk of losing everything.

The Chariot — Looking for a way out, courage beginning to stir, trying to clear debts or repay a loan.

Strength — Being hemmed in, limits on your authority or influence, complaints from a spouse.

The Hermit — A midlife crisis; difficult circumstances; falling behind the times or suffering through lack of knowledge.

Wheel of Fortune — Getting out of a difficult situation; deciding on your path in life; a minor accident.

Justice — A dangerous situation; courting those in power; trying to escape without consequences.

The Hanged Man — Denying yourself everything; a lack of money or knowledge; hitting rock bottom.

Death — Waiting for instructions; incapacity; a crisis of belief.

Temperance — Keeping a cool head; a difficult situation; no panic.

The Devil — Being led by others; trusting the wrong person; reaching a dead end.

The Tower — The risk of losing control; carelessness leading to trouble; an unsuccessful attempt to break a vice.

The Star — Many obstacles; poor analysis; a barrage of small problems.

The Moon — Reaching a dead end; needing a fresh view or outside help; feeling utterly drained.

The Sun — Misreading a situation; outside help; an unexpected lucky break in an important matter.

Judgment — Unwelcome attention from the authorities; working amid unclear changes; an unstable business.

The World — Stepping away for a while; serious obstacles appearing; failing to notice infidelity.

Ace of Wands — Unfavorable circumstances; a system you can't beat; forcefulness that won't help.

Two of Wands — A venture beyond your abilities; tunnel vision; confusing rules.

Three of Wands — Getting lost in information; acting on chance or relying on luck; a dangerous position.

Four of Wands — Poor communication or problem-solving skills; an unsettled home life; leaving home.

Five of Wands — Falling victim to fraud; insecurities; dependence on others' opinions.

Six of Wands — Walking into a trap; lack of information; familiar methods failing.

Seven of Wands — Being left with the blame; slander or a false accusation; an unwelcome turn of events.

Eight of Wands — A lonely path; a difficult situation; no support or skepticism from loved ones.

Nine of Wands — Keeping your difficulties quiet; imagined reasons; sinking into loneliness.

Ten of Wands — Fear of responsibility; inaction in a crisis; nothing to be proud of or a blunder.

Page of Wands — Prejudice; a reprimand or public condemnation; reaching a dead end.

Knight of Wands — Caution; care in your affairs; the risk of failure; taking a wrong turn.

Queen of Wands — Fear of the unknown; hiding your concern; familiar behavior that no longer works.

King of Wands — Limited possibilities; a business miscalculation; an unpleasant, tangled situation.

Ace of Swords — Walking into someone's trap; a difficult situation that calls for decisive action; insufficient knowledge.

Two of Swords — A quarrelsome nature; being trapped in contradictions; not knowing where to look for the truth; having no opinion of your own.

Three of Swords — Being left out in the cold; an unfamiliar state and rethinking what happened; feeling depressed.

Four of Swords — Restrictive circumstances; accepting fate and going with the flow; waiting for the inevitable outcome; a discouraging outlook.

Five of Swords — Being trapped by public opinion; giving up under the weight of past failures; no faith in your abilities.

Six of Swords — A decision imposed on you; leaving out of desperation; pressure from every side.

Seven of Swords — Reassuring yourself; looking for excuses; quieting your conscience; trapping yourself; frustration.

Nine of Swords — A dangerous situation; confusion; feelings of guilt and heaviness.

Ten of Swords — Giving up; powerlessness; reaching your limit; a clouded mind.

Page of Swords — Chaotic actions; no clear plan; acting at random or constantly changing sides; a gossip.

Knight of Swords — Competing within clear rules; a situation where it's easy to make a mistake or take a wrong turn; hasty conclusions.

Queen of Swords — Independence; a double-edged sword; distrust and withdrawal; a woman who keeps her own counsel.

King of Swords — Uncertainty in your affairs; an unclear threat or consequences; a chaotic process; disorganization and negligence.

Ace of Cups — Giving in to an unworthy impulse; condemnation over a discreditable affair; being a slave to your emotions.

Two of Cups — An uncomfortable agreement; being bound by your word; overcoming your own resistance for someone else.

Three of Cups — Not knowing whom to trust; too many opinions and suggestions; freezing because you don't understand what's happening.

Four of Cups — Suffering for an idea; being backed into a corner; no way out and a compromise imposed on you.

Five of Cups — Briefly withdrawing from life; a difficult situation; losing your moral bearings.

Six of Cups — A first child; a young mother or new parents; trying to do everything right; getting confused by different methods.

Seven of Cups — Getting tangled in dreams; a harmful dependency; unfamiliar conditions or circumstances.

Eight of Cups — Confusion in unfamiliar circumstances; suffering because you keep to yourself; no support.

Nine of Cups — Awkward questions; the risk of a damaged reputation; keeping cool in danger.

Ten of Cups — Complicated family relationships; feeling unwanted among friends or family; getting caught in illusions.

Page of Cups — Agreeing under pressure or because of circumstances; making concessions; giving up progressive beliefs.

Knight of Cups — Compromising your conscience; making a decision under pressure; a situation with no way out.

Queen of Cups — Backing someone into a corner or upsetting their balance; being trapped in your own distress.

King of Cups — Soothing your conscience with excuses; trying to avoid punishment or loss of standing; misleading others.

Ace of Pentacles — Financial dependence; a lack of independence; hiding behind a more influential partner; shifting responsibility for wrongdoing.

Two of Pentacles — Losing flexibility and the chance to compromise; unjustified spending; using someone else's money; getting hooked.

Three of Pentacles — Narrow thinking; being unable to see a situation from the outside; familiar actions no longer working; suffering through inattention.

Four of Pentacles — Rigid thinking; outdated beliefs; excessive dependence on public opinion.

Five of Pentacles — Losing property over a loan; fraud dressed in legal form; fear of being unequal to important demands.

Six of Pentacles — A higher loan rate; mortgage difficulties; help from parents or government support in financial hardship.

Seven of Pentacles — The last of your savings; awaiting a deal's result; hopes of an advantageous marriage or help from relatives.

Eight of Pentacles — Uninteresting work; financial penalties; routine and exhaustion; work you have no choice about.

Nine of Pentacles — The risk of losing your reputation or way of life; uncertainty about the future; fear of losing a favorable position.

Ten of Pentacles — Depending on a family decision or support; being in a subordinate role; following unnecessary traditions.

Page of Pentacles — Gaps in knowledge or education; an unfamiliar situation; needing more classes or practice; choosing a tutor or consultant.

Knight of Pentacles — Stagnation; unqualified help or advice; reaching your ceiling.

Queen of Pentacles — Acting out of character; missing a profit; insufficient practicality and common sense; fear of the consequences.

King of Pentacles — Dependence on wealth and others' respect; trying to raise your status; giving bad advice; making a fool of yourself.