Stuck here. Stuck on this very small tussock, alone, damp and cold. There is no way out. There is no way back. I am lost and without hope and so, so afraid. Will I die here?

Do you choose to die here?

Sometimes the situation seems hopeless. So many things demand our time and our attention. So many things remain undone. And anxiety grips us. It tenses our muscles and wrenches our guts. It feels like there is nothing we can do to abate it. Until we learn the truth: it is all in our mind. And our mind can be stilled, can be given rest. Just breathe. Just be. Affirm that you are in your true home: the here and now. And then the clouds break and your path is revealed.

How do you still your mind?

Our mind needs rest and repose. We can give it peace by being strong and full of power, and by guarding our boundaries. We need to be gentle to ourselves. We need to be faithful to the practice of looking deeply into our feelings, cutting out what is illusion, and letting go of things that make us feel burdened. Then life will be light and full of joy.

Are you faithful to the practices that give you peace?

It isn't real. The things that make you anxious and keep you bound are in your mind. Throw off the blindfold and she that you are free.

Sword Eight, like all eights, belongs to the Harvest Moon.