8 of Pentacles

Little Baron

A few ideas about the 8 of Pentacles

In the 8 of Pentacles a little boy sits at a table. He is deep in concentration as he works on a piece of craft. His tools are near to him and on the wall are previous finished wooden pentacles that he has made. Outside of his workshop, it is a beautiful day. There is a lake, fresh green hills and a castle. There is a blue sky. But nothing distracts this young man from his work.

This card reminds me of starting at my last job. It is the card of the apprentice and that was, pretty much, what I was when I joined. I had little experience of high street fashion design and did not understand how the industry worked from within. My duties grew as I spent time with the team, and learnt as much as I could - went on a course for Adobe Illustrator, watched how other more experienced designers worked and built up a portfolio of my own designs. With the early mornings and late evenings that became part of my daily routine, I proved my dedication. I became a valid member of the team and in particular, developed my computer skills. Soon, others could see what I could do graphically, which became another string to my bow, since there was no other graphic designer in the design team.

Thinking about computers, I can see myself in the illustration. Rather than working on a pentacle, as the young boy is, my tool is my laptop. This card could illustrate the work I am presently doing on my portfolio to try and get interviews for a future job. It also might describe how I need to knuckle down and show resistance (Strength - 8) when it comes to distractions (the internet, social invitations).

When reversed, the card shows a job half-done - or at least, one that is not done properly and has not had any time or commitment invested in it. This may be not using all of your potential. It might be cheating. You may feel disenchanted by your job. As well as trying hard in the job mentioned, towards the end, I was also lacking enthusiasm. The five hours of travelling a day was leaving me feeling very tired and I was also being treated as the office dogsbody more often than not. This lead to my not working to my full capabilities - when I had the chance, I would work on my portfolio rather than the work that needed to be done for the company and often, I would skive off - make a cup of tea and surf the internet for my own personal interest.
A reversed card could show laziness, dishonest workers or even the unemployed.

Any other views on this one?

LB
 

Julien

I love your ruminations on this card. I love this card.

I've often thought of situations where a person is so lost in work that all else ceases to exist. When the card is upright, I see this as a good thing -- where the person needs to be. Focusing, or needing to focus, fully on the task at hand... If the card comes up in a relationship reading and has positive cards around it, I think the querent should go ahead and allow themselves to be lost in the relationship. And if it's in the future, it may well describe some sort of commitment to seeing something through, whether that's a job, a relationship, or something else that requires concentration...

When it's reversed, I've often seen it as you describe, LB. But sometimes, I also think it describes a situation where someone has gotten so lost in the task at hand that they have forgotten to take a badly needed break -- to look out the window and enjoy the pretty day. They may complete the task and it may be done very well indeed, but in the meantime they've missed out on the rest of life. It can mean, to me, "stop and smell the roses." This isn't the sort of material obsession that The Devil sometimes expresses -- it may have nothing to do with a desire for anything material. But it is a sort of "lost to the world" sense that sometimes happens with people who spend much too much time alone and much too much time polishing their craft.

Just my two cents. ;)
Julien
 

starrystarrynight

I love the dedication on this little boy's face. He is so engrossed in his work that the big world right outside his window remains there, untouched (by his eyes,anyway).

I see the plane and the shavings created, but what is that block near his arm...a sanding block, maybe?

And what is in that cabinet behind him? Secrets and experiences he has yet to open up and explore? Maybe.

But again, he is so dedicated to doing his work, he is willing to let the world and its messages (the birds outside the window) go on without him. How many little boys would give up playing or having fun to create something tangible like a pentacle for his world? Yep, that is dedication. And it will get him somewhere in life, too.

What he is doing is very worthwhile to him...
 

annik

Yeah, first impression is about aprenticeship. He is in a learning period. But on another hand, he is quite young. Is he a genius? He is enjoying himself or he do it to bring food and money to his family?
 

spinningspider

Eight of Pentacles

Robin's "Eight of Pentacles" gives me great joy when I view it. All sorts of memories well inside me, remembering how it felt when I was a child, engrossed in something I tried hard to do my best at. During moments like the one pictured in the card, time flies rather than drags. Work IS fun. If haste makes waste, as the saying goes, then diligence and stick-to-it-tive-ness pays off big-time on a job well done.

After reading about the Eight of Pentacles in Robin's book, I became more aware of why she put certain objects in the picture, even if they weren't presented in their entirety, with just a glimpse of them shown. Most notable was the vise, "...just visible in the extreme lower left corner...to show that he works at holding things together." Also, "...two additional carving tools next to the pentacle show that he isn't afraid to change tools if the job requires a different one." And finally, "The plane, in the middle of the table, but almost off the card to the right, shows that he works hard to smooth things out." I have to admit, I'm not sure I would have even noticed these "symbols," so I'm grateful Robin pointed them out. As always, she mentions that in some readings a symbol may jump out at you so that you'll take notice. In other readings, the symbol, though present, will not be obvious and therefore possibly not relevant at all to that particular reading. The bottom line is that the reader (sometimes in conjunction with the querent) should go with what feels right to him/her/them and therefore there's simply no one correct way to interpret a card.

As an artist myself, the window often gets noticed by me since proper light is so very important when working...natural light being the best of all. Sometimes I see the window as *shedding light on the subject* in a reading (ie. making things more clear.) Interestingly, Robin added a partially closed wooden shutter, complete with visible nails. When seeing this shutter, I'm reminded how one can sometimes become too absorbed in one's work and balance is needed by stepping away, getting fresh air, keeping the window open when working, looking at things from a new perspective, etc.