Tarot of the Animal Lords - Eight of Wands - Swallow
Artwork: Angelo Giannini
Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
ISBN: 0738704474

LWB:
Upright – Sudden changes, travel, merger
Reversed – Reconsideration, need for analysis

Description: A grey bird-headed man flies down and toward the right, while two normal swallows circle back toward the left higher up. Two huge trees stand guard on either side of the card, their branches forming an arch overhead. Greenery at the bottom suggests bushes or a lower set of treetops, and mountains stand low in the distance. The man-swallow has both wings and arms, and wears a dark red sweater and brownish-grey pants. His legs echo the smaller birds’ split tails.

The Wands’ suit symbol, the Salamander, appears in a small circle at the upper left.

My take on it: Not sure why, but I’ve realized while I was typing this that I had been calling these birds “sparrows” instead of “swallows”. Perhaps he reminds me of Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Carribean movie, always on the go from one adventure to the next.

Swallows’ split tails make them extremely maneuverable birds, able to change directions suddenly in mid-flight. Are you prepared to change directions if the winds shift? Flexibility and quick action are key here. Don’t let opportunity pass you by. Seize the moment and hang on tight!

Tracy Hite