Tarot Tuesday: The Blindfold in the Rider-Waite-Smith, Part 1

What do you think of when you see someone that’s blindfolded? That’s the question I put to you today.

On the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, there are two cards where people are blindfolded, and both are in the Swords suit. The Two of Swords and the 8 of Swords. On the Two, the person is facing away from a body of water holding the two swords across the body. 

On the 8 of Swords, the eyes are covered, but the whole body is bound in a field of swords. 

To me, on both cards the blindfold represents limitations or boundaries. That seems like a fair point, given the image. But what I find much more interesting is the idea that a human had to put them on. 

Let me explain a little more fully. A blindfold doesn’t just appear on a person. 

You can do it yourself, or someone can put one on you...sometimes by your consent and sometimes not, depending on the situation.

When these two cards appear separately, I often will ask the client if they are seeing a situation clearly. I will encourage them to remove the blindfold, but it’s not always easy. 

There may be some denial (2 of Swords) involved, or the client may feel like they have painted themselves into a corner and no choice seems to be good (8 of Swords). The cards around it will paint a clearer picture, of course.

It may also be that in a figurative sense another person has blindfolded the client, or forced the client into a situation where they feel they have no good choices.

When you see either of these cards come up in a reading, remember this: A human put it there, and a human has to take it off. That may help you focus the meaning of the reading, especially if you are reading for yourself.