Episode 57: Eight of Swords

Fortune’s Wheelhouse

With this episode we arrive at the three cards of Gemini: the 8, 9, and 10 of Swords: dreaded by many and relished by few! Yet the cards of the twins are full of uniquely human dilemmas and insights. The questions they ask, and the challenges they pose, offer answers to the riddle of the human condition. The 8 of Swords, the Lord of Interference or Shortened Force, poses perhaps the biggest one of all. Its associated major arcana are the Wheel of Fortune and the Lovers - in other words, the potent confrontation of fate and free will.

We discuss the story of the fall from Eden, as well as famous twins like Castor and Pollux, Cain and Abel. The 8 of Swords corresponds to Jupiter ruling the first decan of Gemini, one of Mercury's signs, and we investigate the relationship of Zeus and Hermes, the father with his trickster son, the lords of Gemini and its opposite, Sagittarius. We share our nicknames for the card - "the snagged bobbin," "the monkey wrench," "the push and pull". Here, too, are decision paralysis, OCD, the proliferation of systems, a collection of multicultural daggers, and the "knowledge of numbers and arts in which there is no profit."

To learn more about the suit of Swords, the world of Yetzirah,the intelligences and systems of the number Eight, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.