Number 8 in the Tarot – or where to from here?

It is intriguing how often the card I am busy drawing and painting ends up mirroring real life (emotional state or event). Perhaps it is to be expected, considering the amount of time I spend focussed on each card, yet still …. with repeated serendipitous and thought-provoking occurrences, I find myself left with the prospect that I may, indeed, be going around the bend :)

Where to from here?

Number eight in the minor arcana is about direction and taking stock of the way forward. The ten number cards in each suit (excluding the royal cards) can be viewed as an apprentice journey, where each card depicts a particular focus or challenge linked to the suit. Arriving at the eighth card in the minor suits brings us to a point in time prompting realisation that the path forward is connected with past learning and achievements … I know some things about the path I am on … now, which way forward from here?

When illustrating the number eight cards I wanted the artwork to reflect the essence of each suit and clearly show a sense of direction:

• Eight of Cups – a wanderer with a flaming staff walks towards the mountains ahead, with the full moon showing in the sky and a black cat following as a guide. The cups in the foreground symbolise emotional learning. The wanderer walking away symbolises a need to leave and find what’s missing  an emotional/spiritual level (rather than stay put and wait).
• Eight of Pentacles – a draftswoman hones her craft, having put in the time and effort to learn the skills, she is passionate about the fine details of her craft and knows the direction she wants to go.
• Eight of Rods – A hunter sits crouched on the open plains, quiver and bow on her back. She is relaxed, yet ready to move fast. Her path ahead is clear and she knows where she is going.
• Eight of Swords – A woman walks through shallow water stepping on flat stones. A red ribbon is bound around her torso and arms and she wears a blindfold. Her path ahead appears barred by swords, yet her inner focus and understanding of what is real, will guide her to safety.

Thanks for visiting
Annette :)