Eight has been considered an auspicious number from antiquity. It was thought that beyond the seven planets, there was an eighth sphere – that of the stars. As early as Babylonian times, the number was seen as connected to the gods (the god was said to reside on the 8th floor of the ziggurats). In addition the eight-pointed star represented the goddess Ishtar (the Great Goddess) – this figure and the octagon were appropriated by the Jews and later the Christians. The Jews still consider the eighth day one of purification and circumcision; thereafter the Christians took the idea of purification into regeneration, Christ resurrecting on the eight day of the Passion. This is the reason many baptistries are octagonal.
Mithraic rites talk of a mysterious eighth gate beyond the 7 main gates; which appears to promise a fast-track to paradise. The Muslims believe there are 7 hells and 8 paradises, with 8 angels who carry God’s throne, while both Chinese and Buddhists see the number as highly fortuitous: the eight symbols of Buddhism, and Confucious’ eight precious items.
The sign for infinity, 
, is an eight rotated 90 degrees. Its name – the lemniscate – comes from the Latin lemniscus, meaning “ribbon”. This can be seen as an indicator of spiritual power in, for example, the Rider Waite cards The Magician and Strength.
Doubling numbers is seen as doubling their power, thus doubling 4 (the number of the well-ordered material world) we find eight winds, eight pillars of heaven, and – i China – the eight ages of man. This may explain the 8 x 8 = 64 structure of the I Ching. In Norse mythology we find Odin’s horse Sleipnir with eight legs – perhaps doubling its speed.
In tarot terms, the number eight is usually auspicious. In the Rider Waite deck, Strength is numbered 8, which might explain why the woman depicting Strength has the lemniscate above her head. Waite said that there were good magical reasons why he reversed the numbers between Justice (RWS 11, usually 
and Strength (RWS 8, usually 11) – although he didn’t explain them. We will take the traditional numbering and look at Justice – which, as an integral sense of balance, clarity of vision, and the ability to act with integrity and a sense of rightness, is a good fit with the poised balance of the numeral 8. Given that Justice is about divine justice as well as human justice, the Hermetic principle of ‘as above, so below’ is also relevant.
In the Minors, eight is mostly auspicious: for example the suit of Discs is about carving out a career in something you love dearly. Here the sculptor lovingly carves his eighth wheel which will adorn the ziggurat behind him. It’s about dedication and focus, manifested in the world. The Eight of Rods is seen as optimistic striving – lots of ideas, speed, moving towards a goal, the start of a journey, the end of delays. The Eight of Swords suggests letting go of the old tapes we play continually in our heads – we limit ourselves and you would think that if we could see the detrimental effect it has on our lives, we would drop the rope that binds us immediately! Finally, in the Eight of Cups, we see a figure moving slowly away from the eight cups that have supported him emotionally – a relationship or career which has outgrown its usefulness perhaps, or just the inner knowledge that it’s time to move on. Whatever the tree represents, it’s now pretty much dead – and the moon and star beckon you on into a more connected life. The idea of change and even resurgence is an underlying message here.
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