All the Eights.

What we hold close in our imaginal world are not just images and ideas but living bits of soul; when they are spoken, a bit of soul is carried with them. When we tell our tales, we give away our souls.
The shame we feel is less about the content of the fantasy than it is that there is fantasy at all, because the revelation of imagination is the revelation of the uncontrollable, spontaneous spirit, an immortal, divine part of the soul, the Memoria Dei. Thus, the shame we feel refers to a sacrilege: the revelation of fantasies expose the divine, which implies that our fantasies are alien because they are not ours.
James Hillman, The Myth of Analysis.

Eights are fascinating. They have structure but yet they are formless.

This is indicative of their dualistic nature, a heavy dynamic but also an ability to move beyond that into something lighter.

We can see in the eights a search for completeness. However we don’t always recognise it so we look to the world we inhabit for signs that we are able to move on into the cumulative power of the nines. Prior to that we were bobbing around in the massive scope of the sevens, that endless sea of possibilities. Eights then are a mechanism that brings form to the flotsam and jetsam of the inventive and imaginative mind, ready to take form.

‘’We shall not cease from our explorationAnd the end of all our exploring,Will be to arrive where we startedAnd know the place for the first time.’’

TS Eliot. Little Gidding.

We can associate eight with the Ouroboros.

The Ouroboros is the snake that grips his own tail making the looping pattern we can see in the number eight. An ancient symbol for eternity, the never ending process of life. Death brings life. Ouroboros is an alchemical symbol for attaining mastery in any given sphere but also implies that we are somehow in a contained world. In a way, in the eights we are asked to break out of our self-imposed limitations. This is because we are natural creative beings but we become trapped by our misapplied willpower and creativity, we become a victim of our own plot and miss the opportunity to attain a connection to a higher sense of knowing and being.

Eight of Swords.

The 8 of Swords indicates a time of crisis and isolation, denial, procrastination and solitude. We are filled with doubt and undermine our talents and become captive in a mental prison where it is impossible to think outside of the box. It is vital then, to pass through a time of crisis, to weather the internal storm so that we gain strength and can ultimately face what is to come with confidence and courage.

Over-analysis is the agent for intellectual confusion and arrests positive decisions. We are capable of liberating ourselves from the mental prison yet release brings us to a new found sense of power. This power can be an ally and if properly channelled will eventually take us to a whole new level of experiencing how we are in the world.

Eight of Pentacles.

The 8 of Pentacles is speaking of a time for honing skills, being the master of one’s talents and abilities. Self-evaluation is required in order to ask the question about one’s worth, can we do better? Can we build on what we can do? What are we trying to achieve? Playing small doesn’t figure with this eight and can be seen as a positive omen towards success and fulfilment.

Hard work brings recognition and influence. Skills can be passed onto others and which provide structures for developmental practice in others. Teaching. Attainment can bring complacency so striving and accomplishment are natural milestones for real triumph and mastery.

Eight of Wands.

This card brings a sense of energy, ideas and creativity. However we are reminded not to be overwhelmed by our depth of passion or inspiration, keep it real. There is a feeling of frustration with this eight. Ideas are not coming into fruition as quickly as they might; stay with it, when the time is right, the flavour of the idea will emerge. It is also entirely possible that we are trying to do too much and have too many irons in the fire, so to speak. If this is the case then the ideas will remain in the formless, happily buzzing about in the ether as they are not a focussed part of the vision.

Technology, including websites, webinars and technological communication are aspected by this card so do look at how you are expressing yourself via the net.

The head and the heart should be in alignment and then everything else will fall into place. The imagination is vital for working with visions but again it has to be in alignment with our reality.

Eight of Cups.

This eight has a sense of grief, this could be because we have to move on but in order to move on we should let go. This is not an easy process especially if we are hanging on to a difficult past.

This card shows us that we must venture into the unknown, into uncertainty. However, what is to come may have joy and fulfillment as part of the deal.

The 8 of Cups is a bit like a shedding of a skin but it does put us on the path of destiny, we are reminded that only we can walk our path, nobody can do it for us. The walk is all part of a journey into maturity. Life is more than experience, it is understanding that experience. No experience is ever wasted, we can channel that experience, creatively, into something wholesome and valuable.


MINI SPREAD FOR THE EIGHTS.

  • How do I limit myself
  • How can I lift those limitations?
  • What idea should I focus on now?
  • What will help a creative approach to developing the idea?
  • Am I ready to tell the world about what I can do?
  • Am I aware of all my skills and do I use them?
  • Outcome.

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