The Eight of Pentacles Tarot Card

Are you wondering whether a project will be worth the effort? Has a chance at counseling with your partner made you wonder whether you should bother? Is it time to consider getting a college degree and you want to know what is down that path ahead? There are many times in life where we are given more than we should get and other times where we do not receive what is rightfully ours. When the Eight of Pentacles appears in your Tarot reading, you have some hard work ahead, but the results will be even better than you could imagine. Many people don’t like the thought of giving something too much effort and look to pass the buck. The Eight of Pentacles is a card that says all of the blessings you desire are within you and can be released with diligence. If you want a helping hand, there are two for you at this point in your life – one at the end of each arm.

A man is sitting on a bench. He is carving a Pentacle, a hammer in one hand and a grooving bit in the other. On a nearby post are mounted five pentacles. At the foot of the bench, leaning upright is a sixth, and after the one he is working on, there rests an eighth pentacle to be perfected at his feet. His clothes are in tatters. The cloudless sky is a light blue-gray but is without a cloud in sight. Off in the distance, the spires of the town can be seen.

The toiling man is not concerned with how he looks, and some Tarot illustrations exaggerate his appearance until he appears to be a homeless vagrant. The core point of illustrating him with threads stretched and snapped in his work vest is to emphasize that this is not a card about appearances or romance, but of focusing one’s effort on the task at hand. The Pentacles that are mounted indicate that he is making progress while the one at the side of the bench and at his feet indicate there is still work to be done. The even weather lets us know that the outside world is not a factor in how he works – he is in his own world, diligently tackling the problem with a solution he will master.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions

When you receive a Tarot reading, the cards are placed in patterned positions that have specific meanings. Each card drawn refers either to your past, your present or your future. The meaning of a card changes depending on the position in which it is placed in your reading.

In the past position, the Eight of Pentacles acknowledges that where you are now is no fluke. You worked hard to get here and your past is a place of sacrifice and focus. There is an intense discipline at work in your psyche. Your present may be veering from this or comforted by it, but make no mistake that your rigorous pursuit of perfection in the past led to many if not all of the comforts that you currently enjoy.

When the Eight of Pentacles lands in the present position, you are working hard toward a goal. The pursuit of something perfect is paying off, but there is still much work to be done. This is a card that indicates dreams are deferred while you work to make them as great as they can be.

The card is quite strong when it is in the future position. The Eight of Pentacles in this position is a case of, “be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.” This is the hard work that you know is ahead on your way to your dream. This is meeting the agent who says he would love to read your screenplay, setting you on a month-long writing frenzy. This card in this position is the old boyfriend on the Internet who asks to see a current picture of you on your social networking profile. There is work ahead that needs to be diligently approached now and in the future. The goal is known and is attainable. Now you simply must stop everything, change most of it, reinvent the wheel to support the way you roll and work toward achieving everything you want.

Card Combinations

Every card has certain meanings, but when placed next to another card, the meaning is altered a little to acknowledge the presence of that card; and just as it is influenced, so too does it send influence over to that other card. Since your Tarot reading consists of more than one card, the cards combine to tailor the message that appears in the reading specifically for you.

When the Eight of Pentacles is in a reading with Strength or The Sun the reading gains in importance. The Sun is card #18 and Strength is card # 8, so the Eight of Pentacles echoes their influence. The man precisely engineering the pentacles has the attributes of the Strength card in his commitment to creating excellence and the focus on his own dreams that is the hallmark of The Sun card.

When The Hermit is in a reading with the Eight of Pentacles, your isolation in working through to your goal could create its own problems despite the success of your project. If the Three of Swords is in the reading, you may be inadvertently hurting someone by depriving this person of your company as you work diligently toward accomplishment. Make sure that you maintain the ties of love in order to have people with whom to share it all.

The Lovers is a great card to have in a reading with the Eight of Pentacles. This indicates that you are willing to work hard at saving your relationship, partnership or marriage. Many people just walk away when things get difficult; this card combination blesses your life’s love commitment with effort that goes above and beyond talk. Focused action, the core value of the Eight of Pentacles, guides love toward reconciliation.