Eight of Pentacles tarot card meaning: upright, reversed and symbols

The Eight of Pentacles shows a young craftsman at his bench, carving a pentacle with a hammer and chisel. Six finished pentacles hang on a post beside him, and another waits on the ground. A town stands far away in the background.

It is a card of practice, craftsmanship and learning a skill one piece at a time. This page covers what the Eight of Pentacles means upright and reversed, the symbols in the 1909 card and a spread for building a skill.

Here is the Eight of Pentacles at a glance.

The Golden Dawn named the Eight of Pentacles the Lord of Prudence and gave it the Sun in Virgo, the first decan of the sign, on Hod. The Sun in the sign of careful craft is a natural fit for an apprentice at work on his pentacles one by one.

Later tradition The Golden Dawn also gave each decan two of the 72 Goetic spirits, one for the day and one for the night. For the first decan of Virgo, and so for the Eight of Pentacles, they are Zepar (spirit 16, day) and Alloces (spirit 52, night). Their pages read the old entries as history; see the spirit directory for all 72.

The card: what Pamela Colman Smith drew

Waite described “an artist in stone at his work, which he exhibits in the form of trophies.” In the Three of Pentacles he compared the two cards and called this one the “apprentice or amateur” who later receives his reward. The Eight comes first in the story, even though its number is higher.

The bench and the tools. He works with simple tools at a simple bench. Skill is built with ordinary, repeated actions.

The row of pentacles. His finished work hangs beside him, each piece much like the last. Repetition is the point. Every copy teaches the hand something.

The distant town. The town is far behind him. He has stepped away from distractions to focus. Practice often needs a little solitude.

Upright meaning

Upright, the Eight of Pentacles is skill being built. A young craftsman sits at his bench, carving a pentacle with a hammer and chisel. Six finished pentacles hang on a post beside him, and another waits on the ground. The town is far away. He is focused completely on his work.

The card speaks of apprenticeship, practice and the satisfaction of doing something well. It appears when you are learning a craft, developing a skill, or working steadily toward mastery. It asks for patience and attention to detail.

Mastery comes from repetition. The craftsman has carved six pentacles already and is starting the seventh. Every one makes the next one better.

Reversed meaning

Reversed, the Eight of Pentacles can show perfectionism, boredom or a lack of focus. It can also show work done carelessly, or a skill that is not being developed.

Ask whether you are practicing or just repeating. A reversed Eight often needs a fresh challenge or a new teacher.

The reversed Eight sometimes describes a skill that has outgrown its workshop. If the work feels dull, you may be ready for harder commissions, a new medium or teaching someone else. Boredom in a craft is often a sign of mastery, not of failure.

In love, work and spirituality

In love. Upright: Working on a relationship, or putting in steady effort. Reversed: Neglect, or treating a relationship like a task.

At work. Upright: Apprenticeship, skill development and dedication. Reversed: Perfectionism, or boredom with work.

With money. Upright: Steady income through skilled work. Reversed: Poor financial habits.

In spiritual practice. Upright: Daily practice, and mastering a craft such as herbalism or divination. Reversed: Practice without heart.

As feelings. Dedicated and committed, willing to put in effort.

As a person. A dedicated, skilled and hardworking person.

As advice. Practice, and pay attention to detail.

Reading the Eight of Pentacles: positions and yes or no

In the past position: Patient practice gave you a skill you still use. In the present position: Keep practicing. Each repetition counts.

In the future position: A time of study or focused work is ahead. As advice: Pick one skill and practice it daily.

In modern yes or no readings, the Eight of Pentacles leans yes. Steady effort points to yes.

What the Eight means, and the history behind the card

Eight is steady work after testing. In Pentacles that work is the patient building of skill. The Golden Dawn named it the Lord of Prudence.

Here is how the Eight looks across the four suits:

• Eight of Wands: swift action, movement, progress
• Eight of Cups: walking away, letting go, seeking meaning
• Eight of Swords: restriction, imprisonment, fear
• Eight of Pentacles (this card): diligence, craftsmanship, skill development

When A. E. Waite published The Pictorial Key to the Tarot in 1910, he listed these divinatory meanings for the Eight of Pentacles: “Work, employment, commission, craftsmanship, skill in craft and business, perhaps in the preparatory stage.”

Reversed, he gave: “Voided ambition, vanity, cupidity, exaction, usury. It may also signify the possession of skill, in the sense of the ingenious mind turned to cunning and intrigue.”

Common questions

Is the Eight of Pentacles a yes or no card? Yes. It rewards steady effort.

What does the Eight of Pentacles mean for career? Training, skill-building and focused work. It is a good card for study and apprenticeships.

What does the Eight of Pentacles mean in love? Steady effort and commitment. Reversed, trying to perfect a relationship.

Try this

Try this small spread for the Eight of Pentacles. Use it when you are learning something new.

Affirmation: I develop my skills through attentive practice and useful feedback.

Reversed affirmation: I set workable standards and allow myself to finish.

If you keep a tarot journal, take one of these questions to it: What skill am I building right now? Which one small part could I practice this week? Where does perfectionism stop me from finishing?

What next

Cards that sit close to this one are Three of Pentacles (the skilled mason this apprentice becomes), Seven of Pentacles (the farmer who pauses to assess) and The Hermit (the Major Arcana card of focused solitude).

The Eight of Pentacles is part of the lesson Pentacles in my free Tarot for Beginners course. To see the whole suit on one page, go to the suit of Pentacles. To keep walking the suit, read the card before it, Seven of Pentacles or the card after it, Nine of Pentacles, or go back to all the card meanings.

For the suits and numbers in one place, see The Minor Arcana: suits and numbers made simple. For every card with keywords, affirmations and examples, see my book The Novice’s Guide to Tarot. If you would like a printable cheat sheet for all 78 cards, my 45-page Tarot Workbook is on Etsy.

Sources

• A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (London: Rider, 1910), Part III, sections 1 and 2.
• Pamela Colman Smith and A. E. Waite, the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot (London: Rider, 1909).
• Nicolas Conver, Tarot de Marseille (Marseille, 1760).
• Lauri Mukkala, The Novice’s Guide to Tarot, entry for the Eight of Pentacles.
• Aleister Crowley, 777 (London: Walter Scott, 1909), columns of the decans, the Minor Arcana and the court cards.
• Israel Regardie, ed., The Golden Dawn (Chicago: Aries Press, 1937 to 1940), “Book T”, titles and attributions of the small cards and the court.