“The 8s are under the auspices of Mercury and share some of its quicksilvery mental acuity. The cards offer sudden insights, but also share a sense of nervousness and of mental hyper-sensitivity.
On the material plane a jolt of Mercury energy proves to be very beneficial. We are able to establish harmony with our surroundings through insight and conscious effort. Well thought out and tactical planning helps us achieve our goals. We are prepared to do our homework and it pays off. The card also indicates a readiness to wait for developments to run their natural course, to work with our opportunities rather than against them.
The put-outer seems to be an object that symbolizes this approach well throughout the books. It first appears when Dumbledore extinguishes the street-lights on Privet Drive so they can leave Harry undisturbed with his aunt and uncle, and later it becomes a bequest to Ron and proves instrumental in reuniting him with his friends in Deathly Hallows when he regrets his rash decision of turning his back on them. Overall it proves Dumbledore’s almost preternatural aptitude for planning and foreseeing developments and for providing the appropriate solutions.
For this card the magical instrument is absorbing eight disks of light in a darkened muggle street to allow its bearer to go about his business undisturbed.”
Commentary
Image title supplied by the artist.
The artist says that this card represents allowing events to unfold in their natural way. Dumbledore has the foresight to know that Ron Weasley will use the deluminator when it needs to be used in Deathly Hallows, which is why he bequeaths it to him.