Belonging to the Earth suit, the 8 of Pentacles is a card many Tarot readers mainly associate with work. However, it has many meanings for other topics too as you will see. And like all 78 Keys, it contains the full spectrum of light and dark. Let’s start by looking at some of the common meanings of this card before we dive deeper.
Positive Tarot Card Meanings for the 8 of Pentacles
- Diligence and Hard Work: The card represents a strong work ethic and the rewards that come with putting in effort. It suggests that persistence and dedication will lead to success.
- Skill Development: It symbolises honing your craft and putting time and energy into mastering your skills. This card encourages you to continue learning and improving in your chosen endeavours.
- Ambition and Productivity: The 8 of Pentacles signifies a drive for achievement and a desire to accomplish your goals. It encourages you to stay focused and remain motivated in order to achieve your aspirations.
- Attention to Detail: This Sun in Virgo card suggests precision and paying attention to the small details. It advises you to be meticulous in your work and to take pride in your accomplishments.
Negative Tarot Card Meanings for the 8 of Pentacles
- Monotony and Repetition: The 8 of Pentacles can indicate routine or repetitive tasks that leave you feeling bored or uninspired. It warns against getting caught in a cycle of monotony.
- Overworking and Burnout: This card can signify being overly focused on work to the point of neglecting other areas of life. It serves as a reminder to find a balance between work and personal well-being.
- Unrealised Potential: The 8 of Pentacles in a negative context suggests that despite your efforts, you may feel unfulfilled or dissatisfied with the results. It reminds you to reassess your goals and make necessary adjustments.
- Perfectionism: This Virgo energy card can be a sign of perfectionism leading to inaction or a lack of creative output.
Remember, these interpretations are general and can vary depending on the surrounding cards and the specific situation. Personally, whether I read a card as positive or negative has nothing to do with its orientation (I don’t use reversals) and everything to do with context.
Feeling into the Energy of the 8 of Pentacles
The 8 of Pentacles is the card of an artisan baker, master clock-maker, author, bricklayer, musician or athlete who is completely dedicated to perfecting their skill and work. Typically, what they do puts them in a state of flow because perfecting this skill is part of their life purpose. And when we do what we are here to do, we step into that space outside of time. But even when flow evades the 8 of Pentacles type person, they buckle down and get busy. They know that the grind is the glory.
“Don’t wish it were easier. Wish you were better.”
~ Jim Rohn
So when the going gets tough and minutes feel like hours, these people persist because they know that nothing worth having comes easily. And as they hone their skills, they ‘level up’ as individuals because the act of dedicated work itself betters them as human beings.
Living with purpose
Think about it: we are here on Earth for a very short time. What do you wish to accomplish in that time? What legacy will you leave behind and what will your dying thoughts be? Would you not that they rather be: ‘I did what I came here to do, to the best of my ability.’
“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.
Health
The 8 of Pentacles (Sun in Virgo) can also indicate a greater need for self-care and a healthier lifestyle. Because of the Virgo connection with the gut, digestive issues and food sensitivities/allergies are highlighted in a health Tarot reading. Virgo Season is a great time for a gut reset by fasting and/or colonic irrigation.
Affirmation: “I do my best.”
8 of Pentacles Prayer
Dear Mother-Father God, thank you for the inspiration to truly master a skill. Help me take pride in the work I do. Guide me on the path of self-mastery as I strive for excellence in every area of my life. Amen and so it is!
Correspondences for the 8 of Pentacles
Zodiac Sign: Virgo
Planet: Sun
Archangel: Uriel, ruler of the Element of Earth
Gemstones: Amber, peridot
Essential oil: Frankincense
Love and Relationships
When this card shows up in a relationship reading, it usually signifies that the energy of one or both people is tied up by work and there might not be a great deal left over for the relationship.
It can also signify a need to focus on the practical details that bring comfort to everyday living. Your partner may not be very receptive to your words right now but they will appreciate material help and gifts as well as your caring touch.
Ill-dignified or reversed, the 8 of Pentacles can signify nagging and dissatisfaction in the relationship even though all the material needs are being met. One of you could be pernickety or suffer from OCD (although please never use the Tarot to diagnose a mental health condition). Or together, you could be the immaculate neighbourhood couple who likes to complain about others not being as tidy.
Single and looking
In a single person’s reading, the 8 of Pentacles can signify a work connection with a new potential partner or simply being too focused on work to care much about dating.
Intimacy
Physical intimacy is definitely a possibility if this card is upright and or well-dignified. The advice then would be to pay attention to detail, especially if you are seeking to seduce a Virgoan.
Virgo energy is inherently sensual and can be downright kinky. Neatness and hygiene in the bedroom are also associated with this card in a love and relationship Tarot reading.
Take me to the Angelic Tarot Card Meanings Index