You feel trapped. One wrong move, you could be badly cut. You can’t see the likely outcome of any choice. All you know is you’re not on stable footing. You’d be glad to listen to your intuition to know how to move forward, if only your sense of what’s the best path didn’t shift every thirty seconds. Knowing you likely created the trap somehow that currently holds you is of precious little consolation. This, my friends, is Eight of Swords energy (and it’s going around).
On the Eight of Swords, we see a woman, loosely bound. She could very easily escape but hasn’t, in part perhaps because of her emotional confusion. She is standing on uneven ground, feet both in water (emotion /secrets /subconscious). Notably, both her eyes and her heart are bound – she isn’t ready to see or feel her way out yet Should she choose to open her eyes to the possibilities, the castle on the nearby mountains promises a place where she can feel loved and at home. I see this card when someone is feeling trapped, but has the ability to choose freedom. This card is associated with Jupiter in Gemini.
If you do self-readings, there are certain cards you’ll tend to see repeatedly. Of course, those relating to current circumstance will repeat during that situation, but taking a larger perspective, those that speak to your overall tendencies will also repeat over longer time periods. The Eight of Swords is one of those cards for me, so you could consider her both an old friend and somewhat of a nemesis. She’s gotten me out of scrapes plenty as well as hacked me off—sometimes simultaneously. This is challenging energy.
I got this card a bunch when I was thinking of selling my community website. I had also gotten the Three of Swords (pain/heartbreak) several times, so I expected hard. Now that it’s been done awhile, I understand the combination even better. It’s very difficult to see an enterprise you’ve invested much love and work into managed by others. Of course, they won’t do things the way you would, nor should they. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to see it when they don’t! I wonder sometimes if I had tried longer or worked harder, would I have done better with it without being left to worry about letting anyone down? It’s painful to think about. I still think I made the right decision for me, but I was not the only person involved. Only time will tell how others fare long-term.
When you see the Eight of Swords, it’s an invitation to question your assumptions about the question. What is it you are not choosing to see? What is your role in creating and maintaining the trap? Understand that breaking free may prove painful, but it’s also relevant to note that NOT breaking free can prove painful as well. As long as you remain confused and passive, the situation will not change. You could starve to death waiting for someone else to show up and pull off those bindings. Better to shrug off them off yourself if you can. At least get your eyes free a bit to let some light in. Even small, tentative steps will help the feeling of stagnation and bring you closer to being truly free.
You been feeling trapped lately? How do you cope?