Eight of Wands tarot card meaning: upright, reversed and symbols

The Eight of Wands is the only card in the suit with no people in it. Eight wands fly through a clear sky, all pointing the same way, about to land.

It is a card of speed, news and things finally moving. This page explains what the Eight of Wands means upright and reversed, what Pamela Colman Smith drew and how to read it in love and work.

Here is the Eight of Wands at a glance.

Book T calls the Eight of Wands the Lord of Swiftness and gives it Mercury in Sagittarius, the first decan of the sign, on Hod, the eighth sephira. Mercury is the planet of messages and Sagittarius the archer, so the card is quite literally arrows of news in flight.

Later tradition The Golden Dawn also gave each decan two of the 72 Goetic spirits, one for the day and one for the night. For the first decan of Sagittarius, and so for the Eight of Wands, they are Glasya-Labolas (spirit 25, day) and Zagan (spirit 61, night). Their pages read the old entries as history; see the spirit directory for all 72.

The card: what Pamela Colman Smith drew

Waite called it “motion through the immovable”, a flight of wands through open country, and added that “they draw to the term of their course. That which they signify is at hand; it may be even on the threshold.” The landscape below is calm. Only the wands move.

No people. With no figures to read, the card is pure movement. Whatever has been waiting is now traveling, whether or not you feel ready for it.

Eight parallel wands. All the wands fly in the same direction at the same angle. Energy is aligned. Many readers see messages, emails and calls arriving one after another.

The wands coming down. The wands slope downward, as if about to land. Waite said what they signify is “at hand”. This is not the start of a journey. It is the arrival.

Upright meaning

Upright, the Eight of Wands is speed. Eight wands fly through a clear sky toward the ground, and there is nobody in the picture to slow them down. Things that were stuck begin to move. News arrives, plans accelerate, travel happens quickly, and decisions that took months now take days.

This is the card of messages, especially sudden ones: a call back, an offer, a reply you were waiting for. It also suggests alignment. All the wands point the same way, so energy that was scattered has a single direction now.

Because events move quickly, the Eight of Wands asks you to be ready. Pack the bag, answer the email, say yes or no clearly. There is no time for long deliberation, but there is time for a clear head.

Reversed meaning

Reversed, the Eight of Wands shows the arrows stalled in mid-air: delays, slow replies, travel plans that keep changing. It may feel as though the world has stopped answering. Another reading is the opposite problem: too much moving too fast, with no time to think.

If things are slow, check whether something on your side is holding them up, such as an unsent message or a missing form. If things are too fast, slow down deliberately and choose one thing to finish before reacting to the next.

In love, work and spirituality

In love. Upright: Fast-moving romance, sudden messages, or an exciting phase of quick progress. Reversed: Mixed signals, waiting for a reply, or a relationship moving too fast to be comfortable.

At work. Upright: Quick progress, travel for work, rapid communication, a deadline you can meet. Reversed: Delays, missed emails, or a frantic pace that causes mistakes.

With money. Upright: Money arriving quickly, or a fast decision that pays off. Reversed: Delayed payments, or rushed financial choices.

In spiritual practice. Upright: Sudden insight, or messages from dreams and signs that arrive one after another. Reversed: Too many ideas at once with no grounding.

As feelings. Excited and impatient. They want things to move forward quickly.

As a person. Someone fast and communicative who replies at once and loves momentum.

As advice. Act quickly while the path is clear, but aim before you release.

Reading the Eight of Wands: positions and yes or no

In the past position: Things moved quickly, and the speed still affects you. In the present position: News and movement are here. Act while the path is clear.

In the future position: Fast progress, messages or travel are on the way. As advice: Send it now, then follow up once.

In modern yes or no readings, the Eight of Wands leans yes. Things are moving, and quickly.

What the Eight means, and the history behind the card

Eight in Wands is energy in motion without obstacles. The Golden Dawn called it the Lord of Swiftness, and Smith made it the only card in the suit with no human figure, as if the energy had outrun everyone.

Here is how the Eight looks across the four suits:

• Eight of Wands (this card): swift action, movement, progress
• Eight of Cups: walking away, letting go, seeking meaning
• Eight of Swords: restriction, imprisonment, fear
• Eight of Pentacles: diligence, craftsmanship, skill development

When A. E. Waite published The Pictorial Key to the Tarot in 1910, he listed these divinatory meanings for the Eight of Wands: “Activity in undertakings, the path of such activity, swiftness, as that of an express messenger; great haste, great hope, speed towards an end which promises assured felicity; generally, that which is on the move; also the arrows of love.”

Reversed, he gave: “Arrows of jealousy, internal dispute, stingings of conscience, quarrels; and domestic disputes for persons who are married.”

Common questions

Is the Eight of Wands a yes or no card? Yes, and soon. It is one of the fastest cards in the deck.

Does the Eight of Wands mean travel? Often. Flight and movement are central to the card, so it can point to trips, especially quick ones.

What does the Eight of Wands mean in love? Fast progress, lots of messages and strong attraction. Reversed, delays and mixed signals.

Try this

Try this small spread for the Eight of Wands. Use it when life suddenly speeds up.

Affirmation: I aim swift momentum at clear priorities.

Reversed affirmation: I untangle delays and stop scattering my energy.

If you keep a tarot journal, take one of these questions to it: What is ready to move if I only send it? Where am I rushing, and where am I stalling? What do I want to be ready for when the news lands?

What next

Cards that sit close to this one are Three of Wands (waiting for the ships, before this card brings the news), Knight of Wands (fast, bold movement in human form) and The Chariot (the Major Arcana card of forward motion).

The Eight of Wands is part of the lesson Wands in my free Tarot for Beginners course. To see the whole suit on one page, go to the suit of Wands. To keep walking the suit, read the card before it, Seven of Wands or the card after it, Nine of Wands, or go back to all the card meanings.

For the suits and numbers in one place, see The Minor Arcana: suits and numbers made simple. For every card with keywords, affirmations and examples, see my book The Novice’s Guide to Tarot. If you would like a printable cheat sheet for all 78 cards, my 45-page Tarot Workbook is on Etsy.

Sources

• A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (London: Rider, 1910), Part III, sections 1 and 2.
• Pamela Colman Smith and A. E. Waite, the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot (London: Rider, 1909).
• Nicolas Conver, Tarot de Marseille (Marseille, 1760).
• Lauri Mukkala, The Novice’s Guide to Tarot, entry for the Eight of Wands.
• Aleister Crowley, 777 (London: Walter Scott, 1909), columns of the decans, the Minor Arcana and the court cards.
• Israel Regardie, ed., The Golden Dawn (Chicago: Aries Press, 1937 to 1940), “Book T”, titles and attributions of the small cards and the court.