Form VIII verbs usually give the sense of doing an action to oneself, exerting internal effort, or participating in deliberate conscious action. 

In Arabic, words have a root form, usually a triliteral (aka three-letter) root. These roots are then plugged into certain forms, creating different senses of the same word. 

For instance, consider the root و-ق-ي. This root conveys the idea of protection or guarding oneself. 

و-ق-ي

Form VIII has the following form or “pattern” that you use to create a Form VIII meaning from the root. اِفْتَعَلَ

اِفْتَعَلَ = ift’ala

When you put و-ق-ي into this pattern, you get the following: اتَّقَى

اتَّقَى

This means “to be mindful” or “to guard oneself.” It’s developed the core of protecting oneself into an active process that takes deliberate, conscious, sincere effort.