EIGHTS

Going with the Rider-Waite deck, we'll relate the Eights to Strength. Eights are about moving, taking action, as Strength is a card of courage and transformation. It's very easy to let things stay as they are inside yourself or without (though, as the Eights warn, it's easy but damaging). It is much harder to gather up the willpower and mental strength to make a real change. A scary change. Like the Strength card, it is scary to approach that lion, but you can alter the relationship you have with it.

Eight of Wands

Eight wands cut across the sky. The power and energy of eight combined with the energy of wands makes this a card of movement and expansion. There is no fear in the Querent at all! This is the card of a person who, on seeing that lion, says, "Allow me!", rolls up their sleeves, shoves everyone out of the way, strides up and raps the beast on the nose. "Don't you try to push me around!" they snap.

A lot of things are going to be happening fast, and the Querent is going to revel in and handle all of them. This will likely include trips - and the Querent will want to drive or fly him/herself, likely. Fast. No need to slow down or be impatient, with this card, you can really move, change, do.

Eight of Cups

A man leaves behind eight cups to follow the moon. The movement, or progress in this card is the shedding of old relationships, old loves, familiar things. The Querent is either disappointed with these familiar things - they are not what was expected, or hoped for, or the Querent has a crazy new dream calling to them. Their instincts are to follow the dream. But good idea or not (an inverted card might suggest that it's a bad idea or an illusion), they'll need courage to do this; to leave all everything known, comfortable and familiar, and go for the unknown. This can be a card of separation or divorce. And yes, like all Eights this can imply a literal move or trip, especially from an established home to a new, unknown one in an unknown land.

Eight of Swords

A woman is tied and blindfolded within a cage of swords. This is the "damned if you do, damned if you don't," card. The Querent is in a situation where they're afraid to move. If they move, they'll get cut. However, the ropes that bind them, the blindfold over their eyes, are their own fears, keeping them still, immobile. And so the longer they stay, the more they constrain and entrap themselves. Ever been in a situation where you're afraid to say anything, so afraid that you second guess yourself, end up saying nothing, tying yourself in knots? But speaking up is going to get you cut to ribbons? That's this card. The Querent must have the strength to endure the cuts, else they'll stay trapped. They must move, for the longer they let the situation continue, the worse it will get.

Eight of Pentacles

An apprentice works on eight pentacles. This is the apprentice card. It is a card of starting over, doing something new or perhaps just expanding. Apprenticeship can be scary or demoralizing, as in all those cliched movies where the Kung Fu youngster has to carry water and sweep floors before he can do the real stuff. Similarly, this card predicts, if not a tough time, a time of learning and mistakes, doubts and just hard work. The Querent needs to be told to keep up their courage, to either make this move into a new job or to stick with it if they've already made the move. Being an apprentice (or an apprentice again) will teach (or re-teach) them how to persevere.

The message of all Eights is that movement, a change of place, home, job or situation can lead to an internal transformation. All that is needed is the strength to go through with it.

Onto the next Tarot card, the Nine...

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