The VIII of Swords speaks to the barriers in our lives, but being a swords card, the barriers we dealing with here are mental. Of course as a Tarot Reader yourself, dear reader, you will appreciate that mental barriers are among the most difficult to overcome, and they affect all of us.

Coach Barry Melrose, on ESPN's Hockey Guru is fond of pointing out how a coaches first challenge, is to eliminate his players excuses for loosing. That they are tired, or the other teams players are faster or stronger or work harder. Hockey players are uniquely superstitious athletes. Until recently they had the custom of wearing a beard all the way threw the playoffs. Goalies will wear the same pads for years. Trusting in their lucky, wornout, pads over new ones.

Ok, but why is this important to you dear reader. Well if even such competitive and successful people as professional athletes, must deal with the challenge of overcoming their own internal barriers to succeeding, it demonstrates the universality of the challenge. The Eight of Swords, represents an energy that affects almost all of our lives, and for most folks I think affects it more than once. Whether it is the challenge of searching for a new job when we have burned out on an old one. Succeeding at school, or one of life's rougher challenges such as facing addiction. We very often find that our greatest challenge is overcoming ourselves.

The Fences with-in ourselves, can be made up of doubt and fear. They can also be the voices of our parents, remembered long into later life. Because our children will continue to hear us, in their hearts and souls long after they have moved from our homes it is important that we encourage them, and boost their belief in themselves and their abilities. Of course one has to be reasonable, but one should be as positive as possible. Confidence is one of the greatest gifts we can give to our children, but it is a delicate flower. A few thoughtless words can have devastating effect on a young soul. Yet a few good ones from an unexpected source can do wonders.

As adults one should remember the images on our two cards. The sunburst on Robins Card, and the butterfly's on Melanie's remind us that when we are feeling fenced in by the swords in our own minds. We also can find if we look carefully an opportunity to shed those doubts. The subtext of the VIII of swords is transformation, learning to vault those fences, or accepting the boundries of our lives. This is a recurring theme in the Tarot, but it is a lesson most of us could stand to repeat. The ideal of course is to live a life aligned with the intent, but few of us have achieved that ideal and until we do we will wrestle with these doubts. Truth be told, even having found the intent, it does not mean one will remain aligned to ones intent. Pride and Ego will always present to tempt us and lead us away from the life we are intended.

I know that you may be facing your own fences in your own life this harvest season. The economy is not what we would hope it could be, and many peoples sons and daughters are serving our country in far off lands. In Bosnia, and Iraq, and Afghanistan. Still I hope when you look into your garden this harvest season that you will find gods gift. Something that will remind you the life is meant to be a blessing.

Divination:  Censure, Conflict, Crisis, Feeling Restricted.

Reversed:  Release, Freedom, the Ability to forge ahead, Putting a problem behind you.