Dark Grimoire Tarot - Eight of Chalices

ceildric

"Eight - the ability to decide and fortitude come from reason and generate a desire for balance, stagnation" - Dark Grimoire Tarot LWB

This card was a tricky one for me to decipher, and probably the one I am least confident about which I have looked at in depth and on its own (without other cards as context), thus far. It features a woman in the foreground, facing away from a smug, gremlin-faced man in the middle ground. The latter is holding the grimoire associated with the suit of Chalices (as pictured on the Ace of Chalices). He is dressed in hooded robes, and seems to be standing between the woman and a waterfall / pond surrounded by rocky outcroppings. The woman's hands are up, more or less in the direction of the man, and her eyes seem to be squeezed shut.

The question is, is she letting go of the teachings of the grimoire and moving away from the man, or is she reluctantly reaching out towards him (and the grimoire) while not wanting to look at what horror she is becoming involved with?

After much reflection I am leaning towards the former interpretation. My first gut reaction to this card was of seeing a person turn away from dogma of some kind (perhaps religious). The robed figure seems like he is in possession of the grimoire in some sense, like he was entrusted with it or is the guru who teaches from it. He also seems to be controlling access to the waterfall / pond beyond. This kind of reading would also align with the traditional RWS image / interpretation involving a man turning away from eight cups (literally or metaphorically representing alcoholic or worldly indulgence) to go on a spiritual journey.

In the Dark Grimoire Tarot we have the added nuance that what the woman is turning her back on is one of the grimoires. This is one of those difficult and subtle spiritual truths even masters have struggled with: at some point one renounces the world, and at another point one renounces one's renouncement of the world, and perhaps at another one renounces renouncement. Yet knowing when, how, and accepting all phases as valuable, that is tricky.

Possibly significant, the woman's face looks darker and a bit more stretched here to me than in other cards (especially the two of chalices). It is entirely possible it was just due to how the artist conceived the lighting / shadow. However, it makes me wonder if perhaps it is meant to indicate a transition towards having a bit of the demon (associated with intellect / reason in this deck) in her, and thus no longer needing the guidance of the robed "priest".

Like other eights it seems to evoke a step back which likely is a step forward, which aligns with the LWB's blurb.