eight of wands: fire and the number 8

hello, friends. earlier this month i shared an essay on the eight of wands —and today we're going to look at this card in a more correspondences-minded way, analyzing how both the element of fire and the number eight make this card what it is.

the element of fire is a hungry one. driven by passion, enthusiasm, desire, courage, and need, fire represents our soul's drive, our most deep-seated cravings. whether we're considering this as an external expression of our deep passions, or an internal inferno that propels us towards our most personal ambitions, fire reveals what we burn for.

in the eight of wands specifically, fire is tied to a desire to consume, to courage in movement, to an eagerness and passion to get to the finish line. this is a fire that is focused, dedicated, eager to reach its goal and burn true for as long as necessary. and if we think about the seven of wands as a fire that has been banked so that it can build, or as a torch that is being carefully wielded for exploration, the eight of wands comes roaring back in full force — eager to move forward, ready to make tangible progress again.

all fire requires containers or protections of some sort: otherwise they'll just burn wild and consume everything in their path. with the eight of wands, we use that particular quality to our advantage, intentionally building a clearly defined, well resourced route to where we want to be. by the time we introduce the fire itself to the path we have prepared, we can simply let it burn hot and fast, trusting that the work we have done to get to this point will hold.

with 2024 as an eight year (2+0+2+4 = 8) we've been talking about the number eight all year long, both in these newsletter pieces that go out to everyone but particularly on the silver tier where we've been examining the numerology of the year, month by month.

but to refresh your memory: eight is a number of power, devotion, abundance, and intentionality. with eight, we are not hemming and hawing over our choices, examining our options, challenging our beliefs, assessing risk, making changes, or any of the other actions that we may have taken to get to this point. instead, eight is about doing the damn thing.

eight doesn't want to ask questions, or to seek answers. eight instead wants to have a clear view of the goal, and wants to invest all of the resources and strength that have been gathered into the achievement of that goal. and with the eight of wands, we see that in the rapid movement, the joyful rushing, the powerful drive towards an established finish line.

together, this combination leads to that lit fuse metaphor i love so much: a fire racing forward with purpose, discipline, and a clear vision of what's to come. the eight of wands can really speak to fire burning fast and hot, to eight's disciplined movement and empowered embodiment.

when you work with this card, consider what intense devotion and impassioned action look like for you. is this energy comfortable for you, and how often does it show up? are you someone that prefers to continue making adjustments along the way, or do you like being able to lock into a path and lose yourself in a sense of purpose?

how and when is this energy useful for you? when is this an advantage, a strategy, and when might it feel too intense or too rigid to be useful?

don't forget that i've got two exciting new offerings on the docket: a live experiential workshop with my partner astrologer jeanna kadlec on saturday, and a weekly journaling series running through september. would love to work with you!