The Eight of Swords is a card of restrictions.

These restrictions may have been placed there by yourself or by others, and whatever the case, you are the one who will be required to lift them.

Once you understand this it can be surprisingly simple to begin the process of setting yourself free.

The first step is a change in attitude.

Is there something in your life that you feel is holding you back? Each time you try to set yourself free, you meet a brick wall.

Swords stand for thoughts and mental processes. The Eight of Swords is a card that gives the impression you are hemmed in by your own thoughts, usually negative in nature. Anything you can do to change your thinking will set the wheels in motion to release you from what is holding you back. Counseling, affirmations, positive thinking are all good places to start.

This card can be a warning that if you allow negative thoughts to hold power over you, then you will stay stuck, and things could get a whole lot worse. So you need to take control of the situation as soon as possible to stop this from happening.

Of course it may be that someone else is making you feel trapped, as if you cannot act, or free yourself from a situation. If this is the case, take a step back and logically look at what is being said and/or done to have you feel this way. It may be that you need to take yourself out of this person’s life temporarily, or permanently, to regain your own sense of worth.