The mind is a double edged sword, which is why swords are used in tarot to represent our thoughts and communication. As this quote I found states: Your mind is your great friend if you control it BUT Your mind is your greatest enemy if it controls you. This is the message that comes through quite strongly with a card like the eight of swords. The swords keep you prisoner but they can also set you free. All you have to do is change the way you think….easier said than done. For me changing the way I think about a situation can be tricky. It’s very easy for me to cage myself in and become narrowminded or to even let myself feel like other people are caging me in as it sometimes feels like they take my choices away from me leaving my hands tied.
I always remember a reading I did where the eight of swords showed up and when I looked at the card I heard the lyrics to an En Vogue song which goes “Free your mind and the rest will follow”. I held the keys to my freedom, I knew those swords were there. So I started to visualise myself blindfolded and bound, finding behind me one of the swords. I then started to cut the rope from my hands until they were free, then took the blindfold off saw the swords in front of me and pulled them out of the ground. Amazingly this visualisation actually made me feel so much better and I could start to see a solution to the problem that had caged me in the first place. Your mind is a very powerful thing when put to good use. So from now on I like to remind myself that no matter what life situation I’m struggling with and feels like a restriction…… my mind is always free.