8 of Wands – Travelling – Swiftness – Fire
‘Let this life be a joyous journey to nowhere—from nowhere to nowhere. You come from nowhere, you go to nowhere. In the middle you exist. You come out of nothing, you disappear into nothing. In the middle is the flash of being.
Enjoy it while it is there. Celebrate it. Don’t destroy it in reaching somewhere; there is nowhere to reach. The traveler exists not, the traveler is a myth. The pilgrimage is true but the pilgrim is false.’
The Eight of Wands is the card of Swiftness, or agility, speed, momentum and its trajectory as a direction. This is a sign of hitting your stride, of that moment in the heart of action where the rest of the world slows down, and you are at your optimal pursuit levels. That is the skill in its swiftness, balanced progress in quantum leaps.
The traditional meanings of this tarot associate it wholly to Mercury’s quintessential energy, fiery and tenuous.
Naturally to its essence, this is a card of swift movement and decisive action. Often this is an indicator of travels and long journeys.
In some cases, it is about nearing the conclusions of long and difficult times, and making rapid strides instead in progress. Enjoy the exhilarating momentum in reflection.
Osho calls this card Travelling, testament to the greater journeys always being inward, and progress to wisdom, assured in going the distance.