Another Tarot Contrast: 8 of Swords

[qos]

The 8 of Swords card is one which has haunted me for a long time. The traditional image is that of a blindfolded woman with bound hands standing within a thicket of swords. At first glance, it looks like she's a helpless prisoner. . . but in most traditionally drawn decks, the Robin Wood included, it becomes clear that the bonds are not tight. At the very least, she is surrounded by swords which could easily cut through them. There would be some risk, as she is blindfolded, but her remaining a prisoner is largely a consequence of her own choice.

The Ancestral Tarot (which I discovered through queenofhalves) puts an interesting slant on the usual imagery. In that card, a Japanese woman stands in a doorway at one end of a bridge with swords on each side, her face half-hidden by a fan. The way out is clear -- but the swords are a warning of the consequences she will face if she ventures beyond her assigned boundaries.





I've been living with these images -- and those of other 8's of Swords -- for the past week, as I take a closer and closer look at the ways I have been my own greatest opponent, my own persistent oppressor. Whenever I feel myself cringing back from a step I know I should take in order to advance my goals and dreams, I think of this card and try to be very, very clear with myself about what exactly I am afraid will happen if I go forward.

Most of the time the fears are phantoms, and facing them is enough to make them dissolve. Sometimes it takes a bit more work, but I have yet to find a situation in which the "threat" some part of my mind is afraid of has its roots anywhere but in my own issues.

My mind is both what holds me back and my tool for escape. It all depends on whether or not I'm willing to take responsibility for cutting through the bonds of illusion.

Comments

[silverhawkdruid.livejournal.com]

I know I already mentioned this card dropping out of the Rider Waite Tarot pack, as my first card from this deck after all these years, but its symbolism seems to be also strongly connected to my current situation.
I am looking into self employment as my way forward and off benefits when the changes to our benefits system take effect. However, I am quite scared about taking the steps necessary to become self employed because my ex left us in terible debt (yes, the same one who destroyed my original tarot deck) and losing the regular weekly payment into my bank account is a huge leap of faith for me, having spent nine years getting my finances stable again.
Now, I look at the eight of swords. In this deck, the bound and blindfolded lady has apparently already negotiated the gap between the third and forth swords, and though the way forward is muddy and wet, there is only one sword ahead of her that she might still hit if she doesn't tread carefully enough. So, as long as she is careful where she treads, and secures each foot before taking her next step, she stands a good chance of not snaring herself on the last sword. Her being bound and blindfolded is indicative of the fact that the benefit changes are going ahead blindly, effectively tying my hands and leaving me with two choices: minimum wage job (the sword I think) and self employment (the muddy sticky path that is negotiable with care)

How do you think I am doing with my interpretation of this card in this situation? :-)