The Cross of 8s
The 8 of Wands ~ Swiftness
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The 8 of Cups ~ Indolence
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The 8 of Swords ~ Interference
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The 8 of Disks ~ Prudence
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Numerological Correspondences of Decanate Number 8
Strength/Lust ~ Leo - 8
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The Star ~ Aquarius - 17
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~8~
Hod/Splendor
Your Decanate Number is 8 which corresponds to the Sephirah called Hod or Splendor on the Tree of Life. This is a highly extrovert and energetic sphere, and people born with this number are very equipped to take on and also enjoy challenges. 8s love a good challenge, and since the 8 has such energy and is naturally success oriented, it needs to find a balance. This comes with more feminine or yielding qualities that are found in the 9. To get into nature and to find a love for natural things is great for an 8.
8s are driven to mastery, and they do best when challenged and "put to task". Others greatly admire the works and mastery of the 8 and it's capability to handle 'high pressure'. This is, in a way, the 8s natural environment, that is that the 8 has an ability to balance great forces which will be explained later. This can make them great leaders, examples and strong pillars which others can look up to and rely upon.
Since 8s are so good at mastering the things they start, there may grow within them a penchant for over-achievement, or trying to fix what is not broken. This can be overcome by getting in touch with the 9 and its feminine qualities. Taking pause to consider the ways of the 9 in this way helps the 8 respect the feelings and ways of others who may not be familiar with or really able to work with such an abundant amount of energy and ability to balance certain forces.
The 8th card of the Major Arcana is Strength whose sign is Leo. This card is all about balance, that is balance between work and play, between unpredictable and calm energies, force and yielding, masculine and feminine, etc., etc. One of the things that makes the 8th Sephiroth of Hod/Spledor so energetic is this numerological connection to the 8th card of the Major Arcana, and we can learn a lot about the 8 by looking at this card. In the Strength card we see the figures of Babylon and the Beast. These two archetypes have many meanings, the most important being the idea that Babylon can only ride the Beast when he is unconscious. This means taming or training the beast, bringing wild energy into obedience. It is symbolic of our unconscious learning mechanism which works through conscious repetition and training techniques, treating ones own unconscious as if it were a wild beast of sorts which needs taming. This is how people train themselves to be able to unconsciously play very difficult pieces of music with seeming effortlessness for example. People may say of a musician "but he makes it look so easy". Through repetition the brain unconsciously learns the movements so that eventually one doesn't have to think about it really at all consciously. In this sense they are truly riding the beast having made it unconscious and obedient.
Here is an example of someone unable to render the "wild energies" unconscious so as to ride them without effort. (warning: lots of cursing and swearing.. but still a perfect example worth showing) Little does he know that, just like an animal, he is literally training himself to continually "mess up" through his repetitive angry behavior and lack of patience. The unconscious really is just like an animal. It becomes afraid, in a way, of his constant chastisement and hence begins to freeze up in varying degrees, wondering if it is doing it right or not. It only understands behavior and will mirror back exactly what one feeds into it. If the lion tamer is aggressive and does not understand the kinds of behavior lions even respond to while swinging his whip around, there may be trouble.
One can see the inherent connection to this taming and training dynamic as represented by the Babylon and Beast archetypes in the Strength card. This is why 8s love a good challenge and are driven to mastery in whatever they do, because they understand and have a more or less direct and natural link to this dynamic. Hence the lessons of the 8 are to learn patience and to achieve the perfect Balance between things like work and play, force and yielding, masculine and feminine, etc. etc., and to also take heart of the ways of the humanitarian 9. Here are some of my favorite examples of the fruits of Patience and Balance, though the 8 certainly has the wherewithal to excel in any field, from academia to business or to music and art. It is up to 8 to discover his or her realm of mastery.
Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer -F#m
Andy McKee - Drifting
Pat Metheny - Into the dream / Have you heard
The 8 is also numerologically connected to the 17th card of the Major Arcana, The Star. This is a card of optimism, sociability, the future and how one sees it, community and communion between people, the conscious mind, intellect, science and idealism. These meanings add much to the flavor of the 8. This card also has much to do with attraction, beauty, rebellion against the norm and idiosyncrasies that make one stand out. This may be read about further within the Uranus section of the Planets page.
On the Modality page, we see that 8 is within the 2-5-8 column. As such it shares many of the same qualities as the 2 and the 5. Also take note of the cards within the 2nd column in the Numerology section of the Major Arcana page. The 8 "shines" like the "Star" in The Star card, and is also aligned in the column with the 20th card, Judgement, which is attributed the Hebrew letter Shin. This is actually where we get the english word "shine." The 8th card of the Major Arcana, Strength, is the card representing Leo, which is ruled by the Sun. This makes 8 a number of the Sun, further adding to the "shining" motif. 8s really are here to shine, to achieve and accomplish much in the world through their natural brilliance.
Useful cards for the 8 to contemplate are found within the 2nd column of cards in the Numerology section of the Major Arcana page. This is the column of 2-5-8-11-14-17-20, or, The High Priestess, The Hierophant, Strength, Justice, Temperance, The Star, and Judgement. The cards most harmonically aligned to the 8 within this series are Strength and The Star, though a contemplation of all 7 cards is recommended.
8s are driven to mastery, and they do best when challenged and "put to task". Others greatly admire the works and mastery of the 8 and it's capability to handle 'high pressure'. This is, in a way, the 8s natural environment, that is that the 8 has an ability to balance great forces which will be explained later. This can make them great leaders, examples and strong pillars which others can look up to and rely upon.
Since 8s are so good at mastering the things they start, there may grow within them a penchant for over-achievement, or trying to fix what is not broken. This can be overcome by getting in touch with the 9 and its feminine qualities. Taking pause to consider the ways of the 9 in this way helps the 8 respect the feelings and ways of others who may not be familiar with or really able to work with such an abundant amount of energy and ability to balance certain forces.
The 8th card of the Major Arcana is Strength whose sign is Leo. This card is all about balance, that is balance between work and play, between unpredictable and calm energies, force and yielding, masculine and feminine, etc., etc. One of the things that makes the 8th Sephiroth of Hod/Spledor so energetic is this numerological connection to the 8th card of the Major Arcana, and we can learn a lot about the 8 by looking at this card. In the Strength card we see the figures of Babylon and the Beast. These two archetypes have many meanings, the most important being the idea that Babylon can only ride the Beast when he is unconscious. This means taming or training the beast, bringing wild energy into obedience. It is symbolic of our unconscious learning mechanism which works through conscious repetition and training techniques, treating ones own unconscious as if it were a wild beast of sorts which needs taming. This is how people train themselves to be able to unconsciously play very difficult pieces of music with seeming effortlessness for example. People may say of a musician "but he makes it look so easy". Through repetition the brain unconsciously learns the movements so that eventually one doesn't have to think about it really at all consciously. In this sense they are truly riding the beast having made it unconscious and obedient.
Here is an example of someone unable to render the "wild energies" unconscious so as to ride them without effort. (warning: lots of cursing and swearing.. but still a perfect example worth showing) Little does he know that, just like an animal, he is literally training himself to continually "mess up" through his repetitive angry behavior and lack of patience. The unconscious really is just like an animal. It becomes afraid, in a way, of his constant chastisement and hence begins to freeze up in varying degrees, wondering if it is doing it right or not. It only understands behavior and will mirror back exactly what one feeds into it. If the lion tamer is aggressive and does not understand the kinds of behavior lions even respond to while swinging his whip around, there may be trouble.
One can see the inherent connection to this taming and training dynamic as represented by the Babylon and Beast archetypes in the Strength card. This is why 8s love a good challenge and are driven to mastery in whatever they do, because they understand and have a more or less direct and natural link to this dynamic. Hence the lessons of the 8 are to learn patience and to achieve the perfect Balance between things like work and play, force and yielding, masculine and feminine, etc. etc., and to also take heart of the ways of the humanitarian 9. Here are some of my favorite examples of the fruits of Patience and Balance, though the 8 certainly has the wherewithal to excel in any field, from academia to business or to music and art. It is up to 8 to discover his or her realm of mastery.
Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer -F#m
Andy McKee - Drifting
Pat Metheny - Into the dream / Have you heard
The 8 is also numerologically connected to the 17th card of the Major Arcana, The Star. This is a card of optimism, sociability, the future and how one sees it, community and communion between people, the conscious mind, intellect, science and idealism. These meanings add much to the flavor of the 8. This card also has much to do with attraction, beauty, rebellion against the norm and idiosyncrasies that make one stand out. This may be read about further within the Uranus section of the Planets page.
On the Modality page, we see that 8 is within the 2-5-8 column. As such it shares many of the same qualities as the 2 and the 5. Also take note of the cards within the 2nd column in the Numerology section of the Major Arcana page. The 8 "shines" like the "Star" in The Star card, and is also aligned in the column with the 20th card, Judgement, which is attributed the Hebrew letter Shin. This is actually where we get the english word "shine." The 8th card of the Major Arcana, Strength, is the card representing Leo, which is ruled by the Sun. This makes 8 a number of the Sun, further adding to the "shining" motif. 8s really are here to shine, to achieve and accomplish much in the world through their natural brilliance.
Useful cards for the 8 to contemplate are found within the 2nd column of cards in the Numerology section of the Major Arcana page. This is the column of 2-5-8-11-14-17-20, or, The High Priestess, The Hierophant, Strength, Justice, Temperance, The Star, and Judgement. The cards most harmonically aligned to the 8 within this series are Strength and The Star, though a contemplation of all 7 cards is recommended.