I like the number eight. A most fleshy and yet otherworldly number. Turned on its side, it’s the lemniscate, the infinity symbol. Straight up, it’s an hourglass.

You can make love to an eight and… I don’t think you can say the same necessarily about a seven or a four, for example. Even though the eight is closed, it invites us in to its no-beginning-no-end-forever-and-ever medicine. Drink. Meditate on the eight if you want to know where you are. You are somewhere along the curve.

Now, I pulled this card from my WildWood Tarot deck, which I love, but then I didn’t want to talk about the man in the cave and his stone carvings. Something sad about him and something detached about the Rider Waite image. Or maybe I’m just more used to it: the worker bee working away. I always think he’s a shoemaker for some reason. My eye singles out his red stocking and funny brown bootie. Hammer about to strike nail, plink plink plink. Row of Pentacles complete. One more to go. He is the master of detail. He is Truly Virgo. But what exactly is he making? Money? Occult symbols for the masses? What do these Pentacles mean?

In Tarot, the Pents are the Earth suit. Reality. Here and now. Work, money, health. Building. Results. Pentacles are not feelings and not thoughts and not passions. They are steady and sturdy and solid and in the doing. Process. Progress. Caution, possibly slow-moving. The Eight of Pentacles is infinitely working which is a scary thought when you think about it.  One number later and we reach the luxurious nine: woman, vineyard, bird of prey as pet.

The Eight of Pentacles is your card of deeeep focus. We see city in the background but he does not. One. More. Pentacle. Then quitting time. There is nothing sensual about this scene, nothing sensual about the daily grind. It’s not supple or supreme. We must graduate to stately Nine to get at pleasure and grapes, to get the gift, but, please, do not think he is unhappy for he is not unhappy even in his infinite work. It is us who want to flee the workbench scene, want it done, the job complete — but without the Eight we cannot reach Nine or Ten, which then integrates Ace One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine into a perfect……

I decide to pull one more card. What happens, Tarot, after the Eight? Tarot has a sense of humor today. The Hanged Man. A card I pulled for a young Scorpio earlier today. After the Eight? We wait.

Wishing you good cards 
xx