MINOR ARCANA
Eight of Pentacles Tarot Meanings
With the Eight of Pentacles, we have or are working to create a sense of long-term stability. All the routines and work we are putting in are to sustain us and provide longevity. The Eight of Pentacles shows a level of mastery within the realm of earth and the material world, that will support us as we move forward along our journey. Some examples of this at work may be mastering a skill that helps you to level up in your job, or maybe you have been working on your fitness and now you are able to do certain tasks more easily than when you started.
This card is a bit like the payment, the outcome of really sticking with something, weathering the storms that were thrown your way, and overcoming the obstacles that popped up to derail you. You’ve shown that you are committed to achieving what you originally set out to achieve and you’re starting to notice the shifts that it has caused.
Eight of Pentacles Upright Meanings
In the upright position, the Eight of Pentacles shows great diligence and hard work and how that has paid off for you. Some of the key meanings of the Eight of Pentacles are:
Planning
Implementing
Diligence
Determination
Mastery
Sometimes I like to think of this card as a sort of apprentice of the King of Pentacles, to me, they have a similar organised and knowledgeable energy about them. The Eight isn’t quite the King yet, but he has the potential to be as he’s really shown his commitment to achieving the highest quality possible.
Eight of Pentacles Reversed Meanings
In the reversed position, the Eight of Pentacles can often represent what happens when we don’t find the right balance and end up overworking or trying to be a jack of all trades and master of none. Some of the main reversed meanings of the Eight of Pentacles are:
Lack of concentration
Poor quality
Mediocrity
Workaholic
Working crazy hard for long periods of time may appear to get you where you want to go quicker than taking your time, but the quality of what you achieve will always be lower. Even the masters of their craft would never rush through something, disregarding the quality of the end result. If you are willing to do something poorly for the sake of getting it done, then is it even worth doing?
Reading Eight of Pentacles in a Tarot Spread
The Eight of Pentacles offers a different kind of patience than the other pentacle cards we’ve come across. With this card, we need to commit to doing something well instead of just doing it for the sake of doing it. Although this may sound like it’s catered more towards career and work readings, we can apply this to the other areas of the pentacles suit, including home life, family and friend relationships, our health.
For example, say we were doing a love reading and we pulled the Eight of Pentacles, we would look at our relationship, the relationships we’ve had in the past, or the type of relationship we’re trying to manifest and we would see where we need to slow down and focus our energy. This could be putting more time into your relationship by cutting down on work overtime or finding ways to spend more time together.
Eight of Pentacles as An Invitation
If the Eight of Pentacles shows up as an invitation then it may be time to take a look at what skills you’ve mastered over the last year and how those skills are supporting your growth and forward journey.
For Eight of Pentacles, this invitation could be the following:
An invitation to implement any plans you’ve had brewing and really put all that planning time to good use
An invitation to review the quality of your work and value quality over quantity
An invitation to maintain your current diligence in order to reach your full potential
An invitation to review your journey so far and notice the difference between the person you used to be and the person you are now
Eight of Pentacles as Sage Advice
More than anything the Eight of Pentacles gives advice around diligence and hard work. A lot of us give up before we get to the point where we really get into the swing of things, usually because things are taking too long. However, embodying this type of focus and patience is something that can really support you long term.
Some advice Eight of Pentacles may offer is:
Keep going, you are very close to reaching your goal but you have to keep your head down and maintain your momentum
Work harder not smarter, just because you’re always busy doesn’t mean you are any more advanced than someone that manages their time and work-life balance effectively
Commit to reaching the finish line, no matter how hard the road has been so far
Eight of Pentacles as a Lesson
Similarly to the advice that the Eight of Pentacles offers, the lessons we can learn from it can help us to form a really good and strong foundation for all other matters in life moving forward.
Some lessons that Eight of Pentacles may offer you are:
A lesson in diligence and what it means to commit for the long haul
A lesson in perfect planning and how much difference it can make to success
A lesson in getting the highest quality out of life
A lesson in what it takes to gather experience and real-world wisdom
Eight of Pentacles as a Redirection
When the Eight of Pentacles shows up as a redirection it may be that you have been pushing too hard for too long and now face burnout or disinterest.
As a redirection, Eight of Pentacles could symbolise a need to:
Take a step back to rest and really see how far you’ve come, instead of trying to push forward and threaten making a silly mistake
Re-adjust your focus and make sure you are concentrating on the right areas of your life
Leave the planning stage and start getting your hands dirty
Acknowledge the skills and strengths you already have and think about how they could support you as you move forward
Pentacles
The Pentacles help us reflect on our material world. They can remind us to pay attention to things like our health, money, family, home life and even to just find new ways to ground in the present moment.
The Pentacles, often known as the coins in certain Tarot decks, are a Tarot suit that helps us to see the reality of a situation. They deal with the facts and what is, cutting through delusion or idealism. They are practical and to the point.
Earth
The Pentacles are the element of earth. Each suit corresponds with one of the four elements and we apply earth to the Pentacles because of their grounded and solid foundations.
Like earth, the possibilities with what Pentacles can be used for and how they can be viewed are endless. One person may see an empty field and be able to visualise crops that could feed a village. Someone else may see a new housing estate. The Pentacles cards are open to the same level of interpretation.
Eights
The number eight within numerology represents long-term stability. It is a number that asks us to build foundations that not only support us in the moment, but are sustainable and will continue to support us time and time again.
In terms of the Eight of Pentacles, we see a focus on building skills and processes that are going to continue to serve us time and time again. Things like good habits or even more practical things like work skills and professions.
