Today, I started a new medication for ADHD. I'm over 40 years old and have never taken ADHD medication before, as I wasn't formally diagnosed until earlier last year.

I'm both afraid and interested to see what this medication might do. I have often wondered how "normal" people can just do things - follow routines, organize their house, answer the doorbell, or even just read the mail without getting sidetracked or having a panic attack about every such thing. I'm interested to see if this medication might help me do some of those things. I wonder if, at my age, it's possible to BE normal. 

This kind of test, where I attempt a new mental health medication intent on freeing myself from the burden of a condition that limits my ability to function, is one of the perfect examples of the reversed eight of swords. It is freeing. It is finding a cure. It is trying something new.

Although I've had a wonderful life and have accomplished many things with this condition, it's still interesting to anticipate that I might now be able to do even more.  Time will tell. It will take at least four to six weeks to reach full efficacy, so we'll see how I'm doing in mid February. 

On to more reversed eight of swords wisdom!

Upright, the Eight of Swords is about breaking free of self-victimization and finding your way out of a bad situation.   

Reversed, this could be an incredibly positive card, where one has found their freedom and made an escape from whatever was holding them back. Alternatively, it could be a terribly negative interpretation of the upright card, where one has sunk deeper into despair or found that there is no way out of their situation.  
 
Questions answered by the reversed Eight of Swords:
Who? Someone standing up to abuse 
What? Facing your fears
Where? On the other side of the fence
When? The middle of May; When you are free
Why? “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” ~Japanese proverb
Yes or No? Possibly

The reversed Eight of Swords as:
…an action?

• Find a solution
• Fix the gate
• Believe in yourself

…a place in your house?

• On the other side of the wall
• The playroom

 
…a place in your city?

• A park
• A car dealership
  
• A zoo
• A wide-open space

…a place in the world?

• Hadrian’s Wall, UK
• Yosemite, CA
• Hveradalir, Iceland

…something to eat?

• Cheesecake
• Oatmeal
• Melting chocolate ball

 
…something to clean?

• Fingerprints off the walls
• The backs of chairs and doors

 
…where to find the missing item?

• Scattered across the room
• Standing upright in plain view

 
…a color? green, orange
 
…a movie theme? freedom, facing fears

• The Shawshank Redemption
• Django Unchained
• Wreck-It Ralph

 
…a new career?

• Construction
• Pilot
• Elevator technician

 
Eight of Swords reversed
Before any card: Facing one’s fear of (card)
After any card: Escape, freedom

​For more on the Reversed Eight of Swords, read Applied Tarot Reversed! Free on Kindle Unlimited, and currently on sale on Kindle for $4.99!

The person usually depicted in the Eight of Swords looks trapped, bound, and jailed. However, upon closer look the bindings are usually loose, and there is space between the swords to escape. The person may be suffering self-victimization and refusing to see the way out.

This is a great card for me today, because I was just complaining about the tons of clutter in my home office. It's my home office, so the clutter is mine, so I'm not sure to whom I'm complaining, exactly. 

After I hit "publish" on this, I'll try to make a dent in my office clutter. Hopefully I can make some headway before the middle of may. You win, eight of swords.

Update 05/11/2022: I came back to update this post with some metadata, and I wanted to report that I never did completely clear the office clutter. I'm on new ADHD meds now, so maybe this time I'll get to it? Maybe. Maybe not. ​

Commonly depicted on the Eight is a person tied and blindfolded, surrounded by eight swords stuck in the ground. The person feels helpless and is afraid to move.
However, the blindfold and ropes are a metaphor for the person's own fears. If they would just take a moment to gain perspective, they would see that they are not bound tightly at all, and that there is a way out of the cage.
​
The Eight of Swords is about breaking free of self-victimization and finding your way out of a bad situation.   

Questions answered by Eight of Swords:
Who? Someone who feels or is trapped 
What? An excuse
Where? Your thoughts
When? The middle of May; Eight units of time; When your inner critic stops
Why? Often our limitations are self-imposed
Yes or No? no
 
Eight of Swords
Before any card: Being unable to break free of (card)
After any card: Imprisonment, self-victimization
 
The Eight of Swords as:
...an action?

• Break free
• Trim a hedge

• Clear a path through clutter

...a place in your house?

• Under stair storage
• The basement
• The attic

 
...a place in your city?

• A jail cell
• A train station

• Traffic
• A busy mall

...a place in the world?

• Cuba
• China

• Alcatraz
• Hanoi

...something to eat?

• Pigs in a blanket
• Corn dog
• Bacon wrapped filet mignon
• Egg in a hole

 
...something to clean?

• An otherwise abandoned storage area
• A path through somewhere messy

 
...where to find the missing item?

• Trapped near water
• In a pile of clutter on the floor

 
...a color? grey, blue
 
...a movie theme? prison, helplessness

• 12 Monkeys
• Jojo Rabbit
• Logan’s Run

 
...a new career?

• Special needs therapist or teacher
• Prison guard or Security officer
• Magician or escape artist
• Tailor

Eight of Swords combinations
With Justice: Cause and effect causes feelings of entrapment, but it is likely self-victimization. Look for the truth.
With Ace of Wands: Someone stubbornly defends their position, and it could limit their ability to succeed. Move forward.
With Queen of Cups: A wise and caring helper can guide you out of trouble.
With Five of Swords: A desire to win at all costs leads to fear or loss.
With King of Pentacles: Until you break free of the chains that bind you, you may not find abundance; Also, find a new job.