Eight of Pentacles: Tarot Card Meaning

Meaning of the Eight of Pentacles card upright

A craftsman sits at a bench and carefully carves pentacle after pentacle, with a finished row of them on display. He focuses on his craft and gets better with every piece. The card speaks of learning, practice and the satisfaction of doing something well.

Eight of Pentacles reversed

• perfectionism
• routine
• careless work

Reversed, the Eight shows perfectionism that stops you from finishing, work that has turned into monotony or shortcuts that reduce quality. Ask whether your effort goes toward improving or toward avoiding risk.

Eight of Pentacles in love and relationships

In love it means working patiently on a relationship, learning about each other and building trust through small acts. Reversed, routine that kills interest.

Eight of Pentacles in work and finances

At work it is training, development of a skill, focused work and steady progress. Reversed, boredom, perfectionism or a poor-quality result.

Symbolism of the Eight of Pentacles card

The pentacles in a row show growing mastery. The craftsman's bench and tools are discipline. The town in the distance is the world to which he will later bring his work.

Eight of Pentacles in a yes or no reading

In yes or no spreads, Eight of Pentacles upright reads as “yes” and reversed as “maybe”. The answer comes from the general meaning of the card (mastery, diligence), so always take the wording of the question and the neighbouring cards into account. Try a yes or no reading.