All In

(Handy Reference Post)

"I'm all in, palms out, I'm at your mercy now and I'm ready to begin.
I am strong, I am strong, I am strong enough to let you in.

I'll shake the ground with all my might
I will pull my whole heart up to the surface.
For the innocent, for the vulnerable,
I'll show up on the front lines with a purpose

And I'll give all I have, I'll give my blood, I'll give my sweat,
An ocean of tears will spill for what is broken.
I'm shattered porcelain, glued back together again,Invincible like I've never been."
~"Eight" by Sleeping At Last

Eights are intense. The songwriter of Sleeping At Last, Ryan O'Neal, says that "when Eights use the word 'all,' they really mean it."

When I finally decided that Gabe was safe—that he loved me and was trustworthy and would not exploit my vulnerability—I was all in. ALL in. Palms out, at his mercy, and ready to begin. Let's do this. Let's—honestly, let's both of us—get to know me. I'm open. I'm out there.

I became strong enough to let him in, which is the craziest thing I've ever done. And so far, I haven't regretted it.

I interpret the last two sections of the song as what an Eight—what I—can do: inflict (weird word choice, I know) incredible positive change on the world. When Eights are healthy, they shake the ground for all the right reasons: for the innocent, for the vulnerable. My own fierce protectiveness has the potential to shield people who need that. The sword I laid down to let Gabe through can be wielded on behalf of other people. 

Eights are theoretically awesome humanitarians, whether through an organization or just in their circle of friends. Healthy Eights show up on the frontlines with a purpose. They give all (ALL) they have: blood, sweat, an ocean of tears. They want to right the wrongs, protect the vulnerable. You want a healthy Eight on your side.

A completely healthy Eight, one who has pulled her whole heart up to the surface (which I think probably means being vulnerable with more than just one or two people), is invincible like she never could have been with her heart buried. Strong enough to be vulnerable. Strong enough to let people in. Strong enough to acknowledge how much about the world is painful to her.

The song builds to apex of intensity—a musical scream of power and love—before everything drops into silence, leaving the listener wondering, "Then what? THEN WHAT?" And the Eights of the world smile slowly and ask themselves,

"Yeah. Now what?"

And then they go and do it.

~Stephanie