8 is a number of setting priorities and goals, organizing your life, systems, regeneration and structure, practicality, balance and symmetry. On its side 8 resembles the lemniscate - a symbol of infinity. Cups are associated with the element of water, with emotions, love, pleasure in life, matters pertaining to the unconscious, intuition and inner planes. This card is sometimes seen as indicating a period of disillusionment; a time to walk away from it all and reflect upon what matter to you.  Reversed it can indicate looking at psychic or intuitive experiences and re-evaluating them; deciding which psychic tools are most appealing to you.  It may also be warning against over-organizing and warning that you need to trust your instincts and psychic intuition.

This card just feels right after some of my thoughts and considerations over the past few days.  I realized after Elizabeth's workshop on Monday that one of the things that is keeping me from moving forward in my Tarot practice (and thus taking the step shown on the card) is that I over analyze and over plan things.  It's as though I have to have everything in perfect order before taking the chance.  But if I keep waiting for things to be perfect, I'll never take that first step.  I know that it's really my own fear holding me back.  If I'm not sure I can do well at something, then I procrastinate and intellectualize all the reasons why now is not the time and I never actually try.  In some ways I'm a fraidy cat, and I'm tired of feeling that way.

I need to take the chance, to put myself out there and trust my instincts.  I need to accept on an emotional level that I can do this, that I'm a good Tarot reader and that if I'm not 100% on target all the time that's okay too.  And I may not be the best reader for all querents.  I have a particular style and approach to the whole thing.  I take it seriously but I'm not going to sugar coat things either.  As most folks who know me say about me "you always know where you stand with Debbie, she's straight forward".  Of course this may also be a nice way of saying that I'm a hard-ass (which is not totally inaccurate) but I'm sure there are clients out there who can appreciate my style.  But I'll never know that unless I try. 

So I've planned and planned, I've considered and thought.  Now I need to do.  As Yoda would say "Do or do not, there is no try".

However there are some concrete steps that I can take like actually doing the exercises Elizabeth gave us in her teleconferences.  I do need to focus on who my ideal clients are and update my website and create some marketing brochures.  How ironic that as much as I claim to organize and plan I don't seem to focus on those things that will help me create and build my Tarot reading business.  So it's time for me to focus on the important things and let the other stuff just slough away.