57-Eight of Athames – Reversed Salem Deck

When reversed, the Eight of Swords has a similar meaning to the upright card but also implies that you are able to clear the obstacles in your path. The potential for liberation lies in confronting your limiting beliefs and replacing restrictive ideas with more realistic attitudes. If you have surrendered your power to others, it’s time to take it back and resume control of your life.

Keywords Reversed: Feeling restricted, trapped, blocked, hemmed in, or confined; self-imposed limitations, imprisonment, problematic thoughts, unexpected interference, unforeseen bad luck, petty gossip, censure, blame, criticism, disquiet, confusion, over-thinking a situation, the paralysis of analysis, being a prisoner of your own mind, allowing others to inhibit your freedom.

Timing: 0 Gemini–10 Gemini. Tropical, 21 May–31 May. Sidereal, 15 June–24 June.
Astrology: Expansive Jupiter (debilitated) in the first decan of airy Gemini, the realm of the Knight of Swords (Fire of Air) and of the Lovers (Gemini). Jupiter is linked to the Wheel of Fortune. Jupiter’s debilitated state in Gemini brings about increase without accompanying good fortune.
Number Symbolism: 8 – movement, action, power, determination.

Etteilla: Censure, blame, criticism, contempt, a delicate situation, a critical moment, an unfortunate circumstance, crisis; (R) delay, misfortune, hindrance, opposition, resistance, quibbling, problems, accidents.

When Eight of Athames is reversed you can pretty much take it that life is going well but that’s when life takes us by surprise.  If Eight of Athames is unclear it may help to choose a card from the Major Arcana to provide more insight into what it is Eight of Athames is trying to tell you.  If you had a particular issue in  mind, or want to seek clarification on something else, you can also choose again to get more guidance.

This chosen card is part of your reversed card reading for Eight of Athames using cards from the Salem Tarot Deck. You will find many more tarot pages that will be of great help if you need tarot card meanings. Use the search at the bottom of the page. We have some amazing tarot books for you to browse. Please see below.

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Here are some snippets from a few of my favorite books

Elements of the Psychic World: Crowley’s other published works include The Diary of a Drug Fiend (1922), The Equinox of the Gods (1937), and the Book of Thoth (1944), which is his interpretation of the Tarot. Two volumes of his autobiography were also published. In 1934 he tried to sue Nina Hammett for her biography of him, Laughing Torso, in which she stated that he practised black magic and human sacrifice, but the jury found in favour of Hammett.

Tarot Books

Reversed Cards: The Eight of Swords is a card that a lot of people have trouble with regardless of its orientation. Is the woman bound and blocked already? Is she being a typical eight and just setting herself an even greater challenge to overcome? I always see this card as a bit of an extreme challenge card, which means here in the blocked aspect you might be wondering if maybe this time you have totally screwed yourself over with this new endeavor. Yet doesn’t there have to be some sort of breakdown, some sense of doubt before we have that point of revelation? Feelings of overwhelm and mental fatigue may be present when this card shows up in the blocked aspect, but trust the process all the same.

Tarot for Beginners: When the card is reversed, it can stand for dishonesty, unfairness and lack of accountability. A decision is made that is not in your favor, or a straightforward situation becomes unnecessarily complicated. Alternatively, in focusing on the unfair actions of some, you may be overlooking those who can support you at this difficult time. Remember to judge yourself kindly and hold fast to your beliefs.

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Reversed Cards: One of the more interesting visual interpretations of this card is a man holding scales and dishing out coins. Yet who decides who gets the coins and how much? The shadow aspect of this card hints that you might be the one in a place of judgment here. Perhaps you think you know who deserves more time, energy, love, and focus and who doesn’t. In many respects, we see a very manipulative energy in the shadow aspect of this card. Keep in mind that we all get judged at some point, and as you sit and decide on what you give and to whom, someone else is doing the exact same thing to you.