Follow the Rules
Ben-Dov has the Eight of Wands as follows.
Regulation. It is possible to advance only by following the rules. Occupation with short-term goals while losing the long-term perspective. A roadblock.
I tend to think of this Eight as representing a foregone conclusion unfolding, with the outcome out of our hands.
Perhaps the message is that if we focus on the long-term view, and stick to the fundamentals, the little obstacles and things that we cannot control will take care of themselves.