In any horoscope, the 8th house is always considered bad. As per astrological rules, this house brings uncertainties, sudden falls, unexpected bad events and the like. If a strong benefic planet like Jupiter is in the 8th house, some astrologers condemn the poor native to a life of ill-judgement and dull intellect. Life, as we know it, can rarely be painted with such broad brushes.
The 8th house is bad to an extent, yes, but only materialistically. Then too, it can give rise to extraordinary future growth, if the native decides to look at his predicament as stepping stones – as learnings for the future.
What is often ignored though, is that the periods in life where the 8th house comes into focus tend to be the ones where the most spiritual advancement happens. So materialism and spirituality are naturally conflicting. As an example, if one loses money for whatever reasons (family feud, loss of inheritance, friend borrowed and fled, bonus cancelled), it might seem like the end of the world. But spiritual progress is achieved only when attachments and desires are consciously removed. Money tends to be highest on the long list of attachments we have. If a greedy relative, despite committing a variety of sins, seems to be rewarded with a lot of luxuries, we must not worry. The more one drowns in the quicksand of maya (read more here), the harder it is for them to get out.
If we can look at the loss of money as a good thing (bad is good), and embrace the fact that it doesn’t change our core being, we will inevitably mature spiritually. And where are we going to take all this money anyway? We do not need money – at the grave, only grace.