Welcome to my tiny Tarot practice.

My name's Amelia Hruby and this podcast documents and shares my tiny Tarot practice where I'm exploring each card of the tarot starting with the minor Arcana and going suit by suit until one day we get to the majors,

maybe we're already there you're listening to this in the future welcome.

Today's card is the eight of Pentacles. In the rider Waite Smith edition of the tarot this

card features a craftsperson sitting on a bench hammering at a gold coin there are.

Seven gold coins already mounted on a wall in front of them one on the ground waiting to be finished and the one that they are currently working on their wearing an apron there,

mid Hammer swing and far in the distance behind them we see what looks to be a walled City or castle of some kind.

This card is often taken to be a card about craftsmanship a card about learning a craft a card about being dedicated to a craft a card about.

And that's how it's always felt to me as well it's a card of being hard at work for,

the sake of the work itself not for the reward that one might reap so if you listen to.

Our episode on the seven of Pentacles with the seven we see someone kind of looking at their work and the suspended moment where perhaps they are waiting maybe even impatiently or sadly

to reap what they have sown but in the eight they are hard at work and there seems to be no thought of what will come of this only what is at hand.

This I was reminded when reading tarot for change by desk Jessica door she cites this really amazing Clara penkala Estes quote for this card that says the work is to keep doing the work.

I'll read that again the work is to keep doing the work.

The works out about the result the works out about the reward The Works not even about what you're creating the work is about the work itself and the work is to just keep doing the work.

I also really love what Rachel Pollock rights and 78 degrees of wisdom about this card and really bringing,

reminding us of the lessons of the Pentacles at large and so I'm going to read a sentence from her book here she writes the way to Spirit for Pentacles lies not so much in success or even an awareness of value in ordinary things.

As it does in the work that allows us to appreciate those things.

The work that allows us to appreciate those ordinary things and those successes.

She writes later in that same section we have to care about the work itself,

again that Clarissa pink Alaska's quote the work is to keep doing the work the eight of Pentacles is a card about doing the work

caring about the work caring for the work being careful in the work it's all about the work they've and that can be frustrating disheartening you know we live in a culture that,

you know instant gratification wanting to get straight to the result the success the fame we also live in a culture where I work is so often exploited and so often not

it doesn't Empower us it takes power from us and so in those circumstances like how can we.

Find the care in the work right it can feel so Hollow to be told that the work is about doing the work that can feel so disempowering,

but for any of us who have ever created something or been in a creative practice those moments of doing the work in my experience are so nourishing and nurturing and life fulfilling.

We can.

You know the Pentacles is about materiality and resources but I think we could think about this in terms of the work we do on ourselves the work we do on our relationships when you're doing work that is.

Guided by you and your spirit and spirit at Large.

It can feel so good and that's the work that we're going to keep doing the work is to keep doing the work.

I don't know if you can hear my dog doing her work in the background but she certainly is.

So thank you so much for joining me today for this episode about the eight of Pentacles,

if you'd like to purchase any of the books that I read from read from you can find them in my book shop which is at the link in the show notes that's a curated list of Tarot

book stacks and assorted Goods that if you put make a purchase through that link all receive a small affiliate payment that helps me keep this podcast going.

I hope that if you are hard at work you stay hard at work but maybe it feels a little softer after listening to this episode.