Eight of Wands At A Glance
Keywords: Quick action, change inbound, swift reaction, happening soon, inevitable, will force, no time to prepare, caught off-guard, deliberated too long and missed the opportunity
Season: Summer
Element: Fire (creativity, passion and will power)
Eight of Wands Tarot Card Description
The Eight of Wands is the eighth card in the suit of Wands in the Rider Waite Smith system of tarot. In the original artwork we see eight wands arching through the blue sky as if they were thrown like spears.
In the background we see cliffs and green fields but it is one of few cards in tarot where there are no people or animals present.
We cannot see who threw the spear or where they are going to land. This suggests that it is not in fact about people at all, their thoughts and behaviors but instead about the surroundings people often find themselves in.
The wands hurtle past the landscape at a great speed and so this card suggests that ‘something’ (perhaps the subject of the reader’s question) is inbound soon. This card denotes actual physical things and situations arriving quickly into the reader’s life and is more about the timing than the actions of the reader.
Eight of Wands Upright Meaning
When upright the Eight of Wands is a positive confirmation that whatever the reader is querying during their reading is soon to arrive. There is a strong theme of speed and urgency. The ‘thing’ is indeed happening and very soon. The reader therefore should waste no time preparing for it as much as they possibly can.
It can suggest that our actions at this time should be swift, or that we may need to react instinctively rather than by over thinking. It can also suggest time itself. This card can mean just a few days, a few moments or even right now.
If this is a positive thing we are seeking an answer for then the Eight of Wands is saying yes that promotion or pay rise is happening very soon. But it could also be confirming that something we don’t want could be coming quickly too.
“I've learned in a hundred ways that I rarely regretted acting but often regretted NOT acting fast enough.” - Jack Welch
Eight of Wands Reversed Meaning
When we receive the Eight of Wands reversed it suggests the feeling of time slowing down. We may feel frustrated as if there is no visible progress and we feel stuck. It can also mean we need to slow down and think something through.
We may have been tempted to act rashly but this should be avoided as it is an almost definite way to make our situation worse. Of course it can also be referring to procrastination and us wanting to delay the inevitable for as long a we can.
However the advice in this instance is to get it over and done with once and for all. The 8 of Wands card is two sides of the same coin: upright is coming in quickly and reversed is coming in slowly, if ever.
“Sincere feelings never change quickly...” - Nitya Prakash
Eight of Wands: Yes or No
The Eight of Wands doesn’t fit into a binary yes or no because it doesn’t discuss life and the human condition in the same way that the other tarot cards in the Rider Waite Smith system do.
The Eight of Wands merely speaks of time itself. It says “this will happen quickly” if upright. Or if reversed it says “this will happen so slowly it will feel like it is unmoving and unending.”
Therefore it is up to the reader to interpret whether this is a yes or no answer based on the specifics of their question on a case-by-case basis.
Let’s Break Down the Eight of Wands In Our Lives
How the Eight of Wands changes and guides us in different areas of our lives.
Eight of Wands In Love
When we receive the Eight of Wands in a love reading it can mean that there is a new love, or budding relationship coming into our lives soon. Within us there is a feeling of a quickening, fiery passionate need that is yet to be fully realized until we meet the inbound person.
Reversed the Eight of Wands says we feel a slowing down of our lives as we settle into the comfort and security of a relationship. There may initially be fear here that the love is lessening but it is not. It is merely adapting and growing in a new way that brings with it comfort as well as lust and love.
Eight of Wands With Money
When we are met with the Eight of Wands for financial questions there is a tremendous need for us to work quickly and efficiently as soon as we can. We must focus on adapting our methods to help us become as efficient as reasonably possible.
There is a cumulation of resources like savings and other financial assets that will soon be able to help us go further.
Reversed it can mean we may be wasting our time and resources due to inaction or procrastination. This leads to a spiral of more loss and even more inaction and we need to quickly course-correct with decisive action and a strong plan.
Eight of Wands At Work
There could be news of a promotion, pay rise or other positive outcomes surrounding our work/career coming soon. When we see the Eight of Wands in career questions it is a sign to keep up the good work and not let up.
Reversed the Eight of Wands marks an uncharacteristic slow period at work. We must not panic, instead we can take this time to prepare for the future and work on any little tasks we may have been putting off.
Eight of Wands With Others
The 8 of Wands regarding questions about other people can suggest a change in our social landscape. This may be caused by moving home or a sudden change of location or other events that transpired very quickly.
We feel ourselves accelerating through friendships and quickly connecting with others in an organic and authentic way. Despite how quickly we initially got to know them the relationship becomes deep and meaningful to us very quickly.
Reversed the Eight of Wands says we may be experiencing emotional whiplash from a recent period of our lives that was very intense. There is a need to slow down and mentally catch up with all the changes that we experienced.
There could be temporary feelings of anxiety due to these changes but they will lessen as we take time to process and rest both mentally and physically.
Eight of Wands With Self
The Eight of Wands in internal questions is often an indication that we may experience a spiritual awakening or a sudden and deep epiphany that creates a lasting change within us. We very quickly feel a desire to make changes to our lifestyle based on the epiphany we experienced.
Reversed the Eight of Wands can mean that we are feeling a desire to stall in order to avoid the internal work we must to do.
It may look like actively distracting ourselves away from a painful memory or trauma we encountered in the past. Though all we do is prolong our state of suffering.
Eight of Wands As Feelings
The Eight of Wands feels like life becoming very quick and busy around us. If this is filled with positive things then of course it feels very good.
However it can also feel like life is unraveling if many negative things happen to us seemingly all at once.
