I have the type of mind that is always in motion. A simple, innocent situation can lead to a thousand different outcomes in my mind. Some are good and some are not so good. And, it all depends on my perspective at the moment as to which mental pathway I choose to follow.

This type of circular thinking is the message inherent in the Eight of Swords. When you are stuck in a pattern of negative thought, it is really difficult to break free. It seems that you just can't see the forest through the trees. The more you try to mentally change the outcome, the more confined and powerless you feel. This is victim mentality without an actual cause.

The woman in the Eight of Swords can very easily slip the loose bonds that are binding her hands, and then remove the blindfold that is covering her eyes. The swords surrounding her aren't really stopping her progress forward either. All she has to do is push them aside and walk through the opening. She is actually a victim of her own thinking.

Our dancer Isabelle is stuck in the middle of this type of dilemma. She was let go from her dancing troop because she "borrowed" money to buy a new pair of dancing shoes. And, she got caught.

So, now Isabelle is standing at the pier with her small bag of belongings waiting for a ship to arrive. She has just enough money.. generously donated by members of her old dance troop.. to get her back to her hometown.

She shivers and pulls her worn cloak tightly around her on this gloomy rainy day. She closes her eyes and wonders what is going to happen to her now. She has burned her bridges with the dance troop and she is probably isn't going to get a warm welcome from her friends and family. But, what are her options? She can't live on her own without a means of support, and she can't even begin to hope that her once betrothed love has waited for her to come back.

Round and around go her thoughts. She is trapped in the prison of her mind, and there doesn't seem to be a way out.

If the Eight of Swords has found it's way into your reading today it is telling you to walk through the illusion of your self imposed victim mentality. Unbind yourself, remove the blindfold and see the situation for what it really is. There are always options in every situation, even though the options may not be what you want them to be.

Stop the circular thought pattern, push through the obstacles and begin anew. Things are usually a lot better than they seem once you see the whole picture and not just a small part of the picture.