Here are some general thoughts on the Eights.  The tarot is grouped numerologically into three groups of three, plus the Ten, which is a transitional number.  Each group culminates with a multiple of three - 3, 6, 9.  The Eight is midway through the third group, starting with the Sevens and culminating with the Nines.  Recapping a bit on the Sixes and Sevens - the Sixes are where we find our first real successes in life, and feel in harmony with ourselves, our relationships, and our environment - the pinnacle of the second group of three.  In the Sevens, we set ourselves a higher challenge - we choose to work on some aspect of our self or a major project that will take us to a higher level.  Unlike some of the earlier challenges we face in the numerological journey, the Sevens are consciously chosen.  They represent a graduation or initiation and a step forward in determining our individuality and life purpose, similar to the concepts associated with the Chariot.

The Eights represent the mastery and accomplishments for which we are aiming.  Once we have defended our ideas, made mature choices about our values and relationships, evaluated our ethical boundaries and willingness to take risks, and established a long-term plan (all Sevens), we begin to see these steps create results.  In the Eights, we have reached a position of strength and maturity.  Eights are a doubling of the Fours, almost like building another story on top of a firm foundation - very stable and solid (hopefully not too much like a Tower!).  At this point, we do not only live in the world, we begin to shape our environment and our reality to resemble our personal vision.  The Eights can be associated with the Strength card in the Major Arcana.  After passing the tests, breaking free and moving forward on sheer will alone (Chariot), we come to exist with a deep personal strength that arises from setting and meeting our own challenges, facing our fears and darker side, and becoming a master of ourselves.

In the Eights, we are not resting on our laurels or enjoying the fruits of our accomplishments (that would be the Nines), but we are still actively engaged in the exciting project that we began in the Sevens.  Right now our world revolves around what we are doing and we are reaching new heights and depths.  We may be acknowledged as an expert or master by the outside world, or it may be entirely internal, but in the Eights, we know who we are and what we are doing.

Some examples of the specific cards:

Eight of Wands:  Here we have successfully defended our ideas or concept and it is all coming together for us.  The resources are flying in to do what we need to do, communication is building, activity is bustling to make happen what we believe in and have envisioned.  Any minute now, these ideas will come down to earth and be materialized into something substantial that can be presented to others.  Imagine a business-man putting together a deal that will create a new company or launch a new product, or perhaps an architect who sees her revolutionary design for a bridge or building rise into the skyline.  An artist gathers musicians from all over the world and launches a successful album that crosses over into new markets.  A woman joins the Peace Corps and finds a way to bring together resources that provide water to an impoverished African village.

Eight of Pentacles:  A person reaches a deep level of mastery in a particular talent or area.  In this card, I see the master-craftsman, the woodworker, the musician.  A talent honed by long practice, a deep love of the tools and materials with which he/she works, and a level of earned ability that goes beyond what they have been taught by others.  Whether a brick-layer, a tailor or a senior engineer, this person is rock-solid in their ability and sense of self-worth and their identity strongly resonates with their hands and how they use them.  They may teach, but more often serve as a quiet role model for others who learn by doing and apprenticing.

Eight of Cups:  A person, having decided what they truly value in the Sevens, begins to actually live their values and takes steps to change their life.  Many things may have to be left behind and few taken, even friends and family on occasion, but the journey into self under the Moon of the subconscious is paramount.  This is the person who walks the walk and talks the talk, and leaves behind hypocrisy or half-formed, equivocal values systems.  Perhaps he gives up his automobile and heats his home solely on renewable energy sources.  Perhaps she leaves behind a husband she no longer loves or shares values with and looks for new companions in life.  Perhaps after many long years of soul-searching, a person changes their religion to one they truly believe in.  After the change, the person lives much more comfortably in the world, without the constant pressure of a lifestyle that doesn't match one's beliefs.

Eight of Swords:  This is probably the hardest card to fit into the Eight concept, based on the picture alone.  If the Sevens present an ethical or risk-based challenge to your ideas or attitudes, in the Eights we are struggling to throw off the last bit of doubt, hesitation, or obstacles.  All of these are in our minds, and here at least all Eight Swords are within easy reach - not falling out of our hands as they were in the Sevens.  The mastery in this card is in realizing that we can - it is mastery over our minds and self-doubts.  We do have the mental tools to accomplish our objectives, they are gathered all around and are even relatively well-organized.  We just need to believe in ourselves enough to see it.  The minute we do this, we will be able to use our minds as we wish to, make the connections we have been searching for, solve problems, and generate new ideas.  The Eight of Swords once the obstacles are passed represents the senior scientist who runs his lab with confidence that new discoveries will be made each year, the author who now has several books published and can feel secure that she really has a career in writing, or the free-lance consultant who no longer needs to advertise because his talents are well-known in his field and doesn't lack for business.