AT Comparative Study - C - Eight of Swords

[contrascarpe]

Epees- Schwerter - Espadas - Spade - Swords.

The 8th card of the Suit of Swords.

Keywords - Constraint, entrapment, "damned if you do" feeling, difficult situation, find way out or stay trapped, helplessness from fears, cannot cope with change, painful decision, must deal with situation.

Decks covered so far:
Tarot of the Animal Lords
Buckland Romani
Cosmic
Da Vinci Tarot
Egyptian Tarot
Tarot Erotica
Fairy Tarot
Fantasy Showcase
Ferret Tarot
Tarot of the Gnomes
Gothic Tarot
Tarot of the Master
Medieval Scapini
Tarot of Mermaids
Secret
Swietlistej Drogi
Universal RWS
Witchy Tarot

Links to other discussions:
Bruegel Tarot
Crystal Tarot
General
Gothic Tarot
Margarete Petersen
Tarot of Prague
Reversals
Wheel of Change
World Spirit

 

[contrascarpe]

Universal RWS

Symbolism and imagery - A woman finds herself in an extreme situation. Blindfolded, she cannot see what is around her. Hands bound, she cannot remove the blindfold. Surrounded by swords, she faces a danger of trying to leave. There is a castle in the back, high upon mountain. There is no way to reach it - not that it matters because of her situation, but she is also facing the wrong way.

Comparisons/contrasts with other decks - intentionally left blank - will edit later.

Initial reactions to symbolism/meanings - Pretty close to the keywords I included thus far. Entrapment, frustration, a certain kind of sadness. Not being able to advance oneself - the situation is out of your hands.

 

[September Pixie]

Tarot Of Mermaids

I am really liking this deck! I see a LOT of symbolism in it.. I know a lot of people have trouble reading it.. but honestly.. I find it rather easy

Symbolism and imagery:
Mermaid bound by rope & blind folded with what looks like pitch forks in the background.. she is facing the wrong way.. her hair is blowing wildly around.

Compared to other decks:
Besides being renamed, Trident, This image looks much like the common card image from the RW & RWS decks.

Initial reactions:
She is being bound.. a symbol of something extreme weighing the questor down.. hair being wild.. wild ideas? wild fears? There is a lot of blue used in this image so there is probably strong emotional pulls.. being the wrong way & blind folded - unavoidable or refusing to face (and see) the problems.

From the book:
Danger, repressed anger, self-control, and lucidity.

Final thoughts:
Questor probably feels a heavy burden emotionally, doesn't know how to face the problems in their lives.. I think there is a strong emotional tie to this card. For once, I agree with the book definitions on this card.

 

[September Pixie]

Witchy Tarot

I am rather fond of this deck too.. Its rich in symbolism, interesting for teens and younger children, and is brightly colorful.

Symbolism and imagery:
2 girls pushing a large bolder uphill, rocks falling down as they move.. one girls witches hat is blown off, and 2 broomsticks lay crossed behind them. The sky looks dark blue-green. One girl is wearing brown and orange while the other girl is wearing a soft red and purple. Blue boarder around image.

Compared to other decks:
Again, this card has been renamed to 'Broomsticks" and I don't recall ever seeing a card like this. While the image is much different, I think the symbolism is pretty much the same as before.

Initial reactions:
Heavy burden on the questor's shoulders.. needing a friend or support group to help him/her out. The crossed brooms indicating crossed paths? The dark sky indicating there is a lot of emotional turmoil. Blue around edge is a symbol of water - indicating emotional ties/stress.

From the book: Witches at work:
Useless effort, bad news, criticism, negative judgments and grades, adverse fate.

Final thoughts:
I think I would go with my first reactions to this card than the book meanings.. This is one of those decks that you can read from the images rather than the books.. I wouldn't even bother with the books in this deck, they are usually something I wouldn't use. While I agree, this can be a dangerous card, I wouldn't always say "you are in a dangerous situation because of your own actions" <-- that is NOT always the case.

 

[September Pixie]

The Gothic Tarot (by Joseph Vargo)

Ok, I am just gonna go through my decks and post them all.. I have a lot I need to study!

Symbolism and imagery:
Ghostly image of a woman leaning up a beautifully scrolled pillar, 8 swords pierce through the fog. The woman is looking away from the swords.. The color is like most in this deck, black and white, with a slightly bluish tint. Sky is rising up from behind her.

Compared to other decks:
Unlike most decks, she isn't physically tied down or blind folded. She is looking away though..

Initial reactions:
Something sneaking up on the questor.. deep emotional matters.. something haunting? Sky appears to be storming.. strong emotional upset.. Death from someone close perhaps? Fog representing something clouding judgment.. turning away from things.. sorrow.. mourning.

From the book:
A time of powerlessness and restriction, self-imposed censure, entrapment, bad news, also sickness.
Reversed: an accident, treachery, possibly a fatality, opposing forces, difficulties.

Final thoughts:
I think this card, I would have to go with my initial reactions.. I rely on the book for help for most of the cards in this deck, often they do not look like the commonly used images (not complaining) but then again, I have only had this deck 2 days. This deck has a rather dark feeling, which also adds to these kinds of cards (cards of turmoil).. I think all that's been mentioned could be applied to this card.. both from my initial readings & the book.

 

[September Pixie]

Tarot Of The Gnomes

Symbolism and imagery:
Gnome holding a sword hacking on a piece of wood.. carving it into a form.. it wears a hat like his. On the bottom of the card it says 'Training'.

Compared to other decks:
MUCH different from any other deck.. In fact, I am not sure I can even read this deck like the others.

Initial reactions:
Block of wood symbolizing blockage? Cutting the wood - indicating a need to cut away at problems? Gnome creating a clone.. need to escape one's self? Trickery..? A need for training? Practice to get better? Learn to deal with problems.

From the book: Practice:
Knowledge cannot be improvised.

Final thoughts:
I am not really sure how to read this deck yet.. I just got it today and I think I need to spend a little more time with it.. however, I think the symbolism is there... Just not sure what I should rely on at the moment. This is definitely a neat little deck and probably won't read the same as others.

 

[September Pixie]

The Fairy Tarot

Symbolism and imagery:
The card is mono-chrome (black and taupe color).. A woman is lying on her back on the ground, under a tree, with her eyes closed. Above her are many gnarled tree limbs with little babies, children, and animals sitting on them. Imposed over this image are 8 green leaves.

Compared to other decks:
This card has been renamed '8 of Leaves'. While the artwork is really different, there is somewhat the same symbolism of danger here.

Initial reactions:
My first thoughts were, "That tree limb is going to break!!".. so she is closing her eyes to danger. Resting when she should be moving. Basic symbolism that this card has shown before.

From the book:
Whenever a Fairy acts more strangely than usually it is possible to imagine that he feels somehow uneasy, that he is living an inner crisis or that his health is in danger.

Final thoughts:
I think I would look deeper at the card and use the image the card portrays as a way of reading. The booklet gives a basic reading of the 8 of swords card. The image is much more believable though.

 

[September Pixie]

Tarot Erotica (by Lori Walls)

Symbolism and imagery:
Endless amounts of red stairs.. 4 nude women and 4 nude men bound with their hands behind their backs on the stairs.. 5 black dogs watching them. 4 sets of swords crossed in an X position stuck into the stairs. The sky behind the stairs is also red.

Compared to other decks:
The people on the cards have their hands tied behind their backs.. pretty much the same as the usual images.

Initial reactions:
Questor being bound, Needs to act fast, Nakedness meaning vulnerability. Dogs watching.. negativity creeping up on questor?

From the book: Restrictions:
The eight of swords may snap someday and hurt someone. Seethingly unhappy, he sometimes plants slander against those who trust him.
Upright: A bad situation is getting worse for the seeker. Possible solutions are booby trapped.
Reversed: Bad premonitions that the seeker has likely experienced are about to probe well founded, as she enters a difficult trial.
Preemptory: Do not allow patience to become your enemy.

Final thoughts:
No final thoughts.. I think the card speaks for itself.

 

[Moonbow]

Swietlistej Drogi

I love this deck!

Symbolism and Imagery

There are eight brown sacks, six of which are tied tightly and the goods are inside. The other two are open, one holds treasure like gold coins goblets a crown and golden chains. Spewing out from the other is eight swords of different shape and size. This is someone's booty and they just couldn't resist looking inside two of the sacks to see what goods were inside.

Compared to other decks

Again with this deck I see a small similarity to RWS - only because of the keywords that the RWS deck uses. The picture is completely different but the meaning is similar.

Initial Reaction

Words that come to mind when I see this picture are: trapped, imprisoned, restriction, powerlessness, but I also see with this particular card: lack of confidence, indecision, anxiety, fear, greed, confusion, regret. Once again the depiction on the card is excellent for understanding the meaning and also making more meanings of your own.

One of the things I like most about this deck is that more meanings than just the RWS come to mind because of the imaginative artwork and colours. The deck is mainly black with gold, bronze white hightlights.

Moonbow*

 

[Imagemaker]

I love laying out all the differently imaged cards of one number/suit and seeing what pops out. This time it's whether the woman is bound or not, and how the rope is tied. There was a huge range of artists' choices here.

Rope around arms and no lower than hips, blindfold, too:
Acquarian
Robin Wood

Rope all the way to ankles, arms tied but not to body, blindfold:
Spiral

Tied arms and legs, no blindfold, kneeling figure:
Fey

No ropes, blindfold only:
Victoria Regina (can't clearly see any other binding)

No blindfold or ropes at all (this really changes the meaning for me!):
Tarot of the Old Path
Londa
Motherpeace (woman is stabbing brick wall with a sword--that seems pointless LOL)
Animal Lords--mouse is backing away (?) from tarantula
Osho Zen--woman is screaming as ghoul(?) hands pick at her hair, keyword is "guilt"

Haindl--no figure or ropes, only swords

There's a distinct difference in these cards as to whether the entrapment is self-perpetuated or not. Being entrapped by your guilt is totally different from being tied so you can't walk away (Spiral).

And the Motherpeace image of the woman stabbing the brick wall has no guilt or trapped feeling to me, she's just really stupid!