Those inner battles have you locked into the same old non-productive thinking.
We’ve looked at 8 of Swords before so you’ve already got some good ideas about how to deal with being stuck. Let’s go deeper . . . .
You may have noticed the plants on the Herbal Tarot cards we’ve met. They indicate prescriptions to make the best use of the conditions indicated by each card. Before you go running off to purchase and use herbs without the advice of an experienced herbalist, let’s consider the energetics behind the 8 of Swords prescription.
Black Cohosh can be used when spasms keep a situation from moving forward. Think of those times when you’ve gone into emotional spasms: they just kept you in the same loop, didn’t they? Or how about those ineffective stop and go attempts to launch a project?
The idea behind the prescription for 8 of Swords is to be able to relax and be calm. Calm perception allows us to reflect, to gain insight, to recognize our aims. We can use our fetters to release the thoughts that bind us, to be open to the new ideas ready to be born.
Little exercises like writing your name vertically with a positive characteristic for each letter are a good use of time when restricted.
So is asking some 8 of Swords questions: who or what are you expecting to rescue you? who or what do you trust in the current situation? how or where will you escape? how do you make things happen when you can’t see clearly or when you can’t manipulate the elements?