A blindfolded and bound woman stands amid Swords, some distance from a castle. The ground around her seems to be largely mud. She is alone, and she appears to be helpless; it seems that she cannot move in any direction because of the Swords.
A closer look challenges whether she’s as helpless as it seemed upon first glance. The bonds look loose enough that she might be able to get free of them. Then she could remove the blindfold and safely pick her way through the Swords. In fact, she’d see that there are no Swords obstructing her path forward.
In a reading, Eight of Swords might indicate that the Querent is allowing his thoughts to obstruct him. Possibly he holds limiting beliefs that prevent him from trying things. He may be living in his head, trying to use reason where reason doesn’t work.