8 of Swords-why we met?

Hello fellow readers. Can anyone see positives to this card in this position? I'm only seeing negatives and could do with some objectivity. Please let me know what you think. Did we meet so I could experience feeling trapped, confused and frustrated? This is what this card suggests to me. (I use the Motherpeace deck) Did we meet so I could give up on him and then move on? Is there something beneficial to this that I am not seeing? Is this card simply trying to tell me that this is a relationship that won't go anywhere and I shouldn't bother with this question even? What do you think? I've little positive experience of most of the swords suit. To give you some context the other cards in the reading were positive and this is about someone I'm interested in who I think likes me too.

8s - you met because you can't find a way out and perhaps this person will help you with that.

Finding your courage and your voice

You're looking at the 8/Swords very literally. Swords are communications, and the 8/Swords suggests that the person has been shut-up, or feels too intimidated to speak. So, why did you two meet? So that you or the other person or both of you could find your courage and your words and speak up. Sometimes, when you listen to those around you, you come to believe that you, alone, think differently. And you fear saying anything. Fear being attacked as weird or wrong or strange (social media is a great example of this, with lone voices being ganged up on and silenced).

But then you meet someone who thinks like you do. And that helps you realize that you're not the only one out there. You're not so strange, and maybe not "wrong" either. And now you're willing to speak up because someone has your back. Someone will support your view.

8 of swords is Jupiter in gemini. Gemini ties it back to the lovers card. So that his person in the card needs one of her soul mates to help her out of her position. She may not be able to do it alone. At least that's the way I see it.

So this person will help you organize your thoughts, they will help you weed out anything that is overwhelming you. Perhaps you do talk a lot and without focus. Maybe you find yourself trapped by too many opportunities or even gossip. This card could indicate that focus is on the way.

Jupiter is the planet tied to the wheel, which represents growth, renewal, and opportunities. This person might help you focus your ideas and stabilize all the crazy fast paced growth of ideas to bring you luck and good fortune.

The 8 is also represented by strength and I see this as a lower echo of strength. You and he will find a way to tame something inside of each of you, so that both of you can have a more single-minded focus.

And if none of that applies to you, then maybe the message is for you to focus on the card and see what comes up for you. Sometimes tarot works in mysterious ways.

As always, I take my cue from the little stream running away from the feet of the bound woman (at least in the RWS version): that's the "way out." Everything about the card is stern and harsh except that trickle of water. It suggests that one or both of you will learn to "loosesn up," let go of rigid mental constraints and "go with the flow" emotionally. This is why I always see growth potential in this card (although perhaps slow and halting), even though it suggests grim denial of any kind of comfort.

ETA: On second thought, neither of you has an S&M fixation, do you?

Thank you all for your feedback and for your insight. This has been very helpful. The 8 of Swords in Motherpeace doesn't have this little stream showing a way so this is great that you brought this up for me as a reminder of another possible meaning for this card.

Laurelle and Violetdaisy, I like this idea of his helping me find a way out but it doesn't really click with me now. I don't have a situation that I want to find a way out of, or an emotional state so this doesn't apply to my present. A way out of being single perhaps but this feels like a stretch of the possible meaning. I don't see being single as a trap and don't feel about it as something I need to escape from. Maybe in the future he will help me out of situation if I do feel trapped by something. Or perhaps I could help him out of feeling trapped.

Thirteen you are spot on with our connecting through conversation and over unusual topics. Although I do know a few people who are interested in dance he also shares a love of many other topics that interest me and we talk freely and for hours together. And yes on many topics that would bore others so I can see this as being why we met.

Laurelly thank you for the many possible suggestions that you gave. Right now he does not help me organize my thoughts or ideas but may well do in the future sometime. I've not looked to him for help with anything yet. I don't really do that either for him. The link with the strength card though definitely rings true to me right now as I feel a strength in him combined with gentleness that attracts me to him and makes me feel relaxed with him. He has a soothing presence and seems very capable and calm. I don't feel like we need something from each other and that we are both in a position of Strength from that point of view too. And we connect primarily through conversation so the 8 and the swords both make perfect sense when considered separately, just not with image on the 8 of swords.