It has been quite a few days since I posted on these card explorations. I have recently undergone a big move, hence my lack of writing activity. Here is the next one in the suit of swords.
Looking at the 8 of swords, I see the transition from the challenges of the sevens moving into the realm of order. The number eight is two fours, along with a few other combinations, but in general it is a receptive and stable number. I associate the eight with flow and confluence. Here the swords are merging at both ends and a small flower with four petals beams out at us in the middle. Even numbers are not active numbers, they are not numbers that generate active and moving energy, it is more about organization, order, flow, convergence and understanding. Having overcome the challenges, one begins to grasp understanding.
This card goes perfectly well with The Hermit. There is a nice dialogue between the two.
The blooming flower in the middle of the swords takes on the quality of the Hermit’s Lamp, shining light into the unknown, illuminating the way towards understanding. The direct force and will of the swords becomes the singular impetus of the hermit’s staff. Even though the eight of swords has shown us that understanding and order comes after the hardship and challenges, the future is still unknown. What we can do and what is in our power to do, is find order after the disorder. A stable combination, both these cards.
When the cards are switched around it seems as though the Hermit is walking away from constraints. The eight swords merging at both ends creates a claustrophobic air as the hermit walks away, taking only what is necessary in order to survive the ordeal of walking away. It is as if the flower in the middle is a warning, or a beacon showing the hermit the way out of the constraints. Another way of looking at it is the hermit walking away from order, from the establishment, from authority and predictability and moving towards what is yet undefined. The Hermit as the explorer embracing chaos and mystery. Separation in duality.
Happy reading.
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