A woman stands bound and blindfolded, surrounded by Eight Swords. If she moves, she will surely cut herself. But if she stays put, she will remain trapped. The other Eight cards, connected to the Major Arcana card Strength, mainly show the positive aspects of controlling yourself. But Eight of Swords demonstrates that placing limits on what you think and say - censoring yourself - may have a major drawback.

 

There are many reasons for which we censor ourselves, but they all seem to have to do with fear. We fear saying something stupid. We fear being judged negatively. We fear offending someone and getting into an unpleasant argument. More generally, we fear ideas in the form of criticism, gossip, insults. But the alternative is being caged and silenced. How do we transcend these limitations? By realizing that the pain of the cut is worth the freedom gained. Indeed, it is facing the sharp edge of the sword that will cut the ropes that tie us, releasing us from the internal limitation of fear as well.