The Eight of Swords as Advice: Test the Ropes

Written by Chaya the Medium.

The Eight of Swords as advice asks you to find the gap in the swords. Here is how, and what the reversal says.

If you want the short answer, the Eight of Swords as advice says: test the ropes. You are less trapped than you feel; take one small step to prove it.

What the Eight of Swords advises upright

Tina Gong's the Eight of Swords guide at Labyrinthos associates the upright card with restriction, feeling trapped, self-imposed limits and victim thinking. In an advice position I read those meanings as an instruction: the attitude or action the card is asking of you, rather than a description of what will happen. The Minor Arcana overview at Biddy Tarot is a useful second reference.

Upright, the Eight of Swords advises questioning the limit: list what holds you, separate fact from fear, and take one action you thought you could not.

What the Eight of Swords is not asking you to do

The Eight is not asking you to ignore real danger. Real danger needs real help.

The Eight of Swords reversed as advice

Reversed, the Eight of Swords as advice says you are getting free. Keep going. A reversed card in an advice position is usually pointing at the habit that is getting in your way, not at a punishment.

The Eight of Swords as advice in love

In love, the Eight of Swords advises looking at whether fear is holding you in or out.

The Eight of Swords as advice for work and money

For work and money, it advises testing the assumption that you cannot leave or change. Advice from a card is reflection. For decisions with legal, medical or financial weight, take it to someone qualified as well.

One step to take this week

Write every reason you cannot act, mark each as fact or fear, and act on one fear this week.

For comparison, the Two of Swords as advice and the Devil as advice ask different things of you. The the Eight of Swords card meaning page covers the card in full, and the Eight of Swords as a yes or no, the Eight of Swords as feelings and the Eight of Swords as timing cover the other questions people most often ask of it. You can draw a card for yourself with the free daily tarot tool. For a personal interpretation, my guide to an online psychic reading explains how readings work, and the three-card tarot listing and customer reviews are worth reading before deciding whether to order.