Reclaiming Your Personal Power

©  Chanel Bayless

The Eight of Swords in the King's Journey Tarot depicts a blindfolded man bound and suspended from a cliff by a rope. 

Underneath him is a field of clover, which symbolizes luck should he take the decision to free himself from his situation. 

Red ropes are wrapped around the man, which lead to eight swords encircling the clover. 

The landscape is pleasantly green, with trees, the clover (for a reasonable soft landing) and a flower on top of the cliff suggesting the promise of better fortunes ahead, if the man would make the effort to free himself from his restrictions. 

But the mountains, hills and cliffs indicate boundaries and obstacles that need to be overcome.

Keywords for the Eight of Swords: limitations, restrictions, obstacles, feeling powerless, overwhelmed, lacking direction, waiting for others to help, bound to circumstances, feeling trapped, avoiding responsibility.

In numerology, the number 8 symbolizes evolution, movement, renewal and rebirth, which all seem to be at odds with the image of stagnation. 

But this is where the true message of this card lies: if this is your current situation, you now have the opportunity to rediscover your personal power to help you move forward. 

Questions to ask, when the Eight of Swords comes up in a reading:

Do you feel surrounded by obstacles? 
Constrained by circumstances? 
Limited by lack of clarity and self-belief? 
Blinded by narrow-mindedness? 
Or does everything seems fine on the surface, but deep down you're unsure? 
Do you want to break free, but feel tied-up to obligations? 
Do you actually know what you want?

The flower on top of the cliff symbolizes the goal that is within your reach, but the man has chosen not to see it; he may even be put off by the effort it would take to reach the flower. 

Boundaries and obstacles are often self-inflicted. The man may have chosen the position he is in, but if he stays where he is, he will starve. 

It's time to get his feet back on the ground and get moving.

Ideas to regain your personal power:

• Be gentle with yourself; sometimes changes cannot happen overnight, but if you start to set yourself some meaningful goals, you can take one step at a time.
• If you don't know what you want, explore what you don't want, which may help you gain more clarity about your more compelling needs. 
• Focus on personal aims along the way that empower you, e.g. gaining knowledge, more independence, learning a new skill etc. Even small achievements can boost your confidence and motivation
• Explore the way you think; do you tend to overgeneralize? Jump to conclusions? Compare yourself with others? Sometimes the way we think can be distorted or unrealistic; each situation is different despite similar patterns and outcomes. Make an effort to find out the facts and the truth.
• Start and keep believing in yourself
• Remember that you do have choices, and there will be a solution 
• Have the courage to take action rather than getting depressed about your inertia. Push your fears, self-doubt and feelings of insecurity aside.
• Avoid self-sabotage like saying "I can't...", "It's impossible...", "It won't work.." etc.
• Assess the impact of your actions. Have they taken you into the right direction? Identify your next step. You may now be starting to gain more control over the situation

“You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result” 

- Mahatma Gandhi

Affirmation: 
I am determined to focus my energies on turning my intentions into achievement.

What empowering message does the Eight of Swords hold for you?

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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