Hail all Tarot Students and Enthusiasts,

The Eights Intro

I am back once again and this time I bring with me the up-dated and re-worked Four Eights of The Minor Arcana; The Eight of Wands, The Eight of Cups, The Eight of Swords and The Eight of Pentacles.

The Story of the Four Individual Suits continues in the Eights as we head quite rapidly now towards the end of their current journey in the Tens.

It is in the Eights that the governing Elements are given free rein and we can really get an idea of their sheer strength and force at work as the Four Suits harness and utilise their qualities.

At last each Suit appear to be realising the potential of their precious Element and are managing to balance their components for maximum results. No longer are they content to be mere passengers on their journeys, for they are now in a position to control instead of being controlled by their respective Elements.

There is one Suit however, that still struggles to get to grips with theirs, and unfortunately have to contend with one of the most difficult, unpredictable and potentially destructive Elements of all.  This Suit is Swords and they have been given very little respite on their journey so far.  Apart from the Element of Fire in Wands, Air in Swords is very difficult to control and much self-discipline is needed in order to keep it heading in any desired direction. We shall see what it is capable of doing in the Eight of Swords.

You will see once more that I have used fictional storylines again and I trust you will find these useful on many levels.  These are just my stories and not required study. The idea is for you to remember the theme of each Card and Suit in a way that links them to each other.  When Reading Tarot, you must be able to rewind and fast forward the story in front of you so that you know where something is coming from, where it is now and where it is likely to go in the future.  Knowing the general storyline of each Suit allows you to do this.

So when you have plenty of time to spare go slowly through the Four Eights and attempt to assimilate their energy and meanings.  Do not put yourself under any pressure to remember all the variations of their interpretations as that would be too much to ask of anyone.  Just pick out the parts that are understandable and relevant to you and start with them.  In time you will add to these bit by bit and your knowledge will deepen and strengthen as a result.

These Cards will also be found in Lesson 8 of Part I of Course. They are also listed in the Section The 78 Cards – Detailed.  Don’t forget to read The Eights Introduction Page first before moving on to the individual Cards.

As with all the other Cards, there is detailed information on the Card Imagery and Description along with the Keywords and Meanings for both the Upright and Reversed versions.  Should you only require the Keywords and Meanings, then they can be found in the Section, The 78 Cards -Brief which is being created as I finish re-working each Card. There is still a great wealth of information available in this section and is probably most suited to those who just want to find out what their Cards mean rather than an in-depth study.

The Eights Intro

I will be posting another Practice Reading next week but in the meantime I will be getting on with updating and re-working the Four Nines of The Minor Arcana.

Enjoy,

Vivien (your tarot teacher)