Eight of Swords: tarot card meaning

Eight of Swords is card 8 in the suit of Swords, associated with the element of Air. Drawn upright it speaks of momentum, thought, clarity; reversed, of mental fog, indecision.

Upright meaning

momentum, thought, clarity

Feeling trapped by thoughts of your own making -- the bindings are real to you, but largely of your own crafting.

Reversed meaning

mental fog, indecision

A loosening of the trap once you see the bindings are yours -- clarity dissolves what felt like a cage.

The suit of Swords belongs to Air and to thought, conflict and clarity.

In a three-card reading

In the past position Eight of Swords describes the current that carried you to where you are; in the present position, what is most alive in the situation now; in the future position, the direction things tend toward if nothing changes. A reading weighs it against the other two cards rather than on its own.