8 is a number of setting priorities and goals, systems, regeneration and structure, practicality, balance and symmetry.  On its side 8 resembles the lemniscate - a symbol of infinity.  Pentacles are associated with the material world, acquisitions of wealth and possessions, our connection to Earth and Nature, sensation, matters pertaining to the physical plane and the element of earth.  Pentacles can also be connected with practicality, groundedness and being realistic.  The 8 of Pentacles is the sign of the craftsman, someone whose talents and skills are acknowledged and admired by all. 

"You're evaluating the different things you've tried in your search for stability.  You recognize which processes consistently bring you a deeper level of security.  Now, you can re-evaluate your security-seeking patterns and choose the ones that work the best for you." - Gail Fairfield

The image on the Bohemian Gothic ties in nicely with the message I got yesterday - that acquiring things is all well and good but I have to make sure that the pursuit and process of acquiring my items doesn't overwhelm my ability to enjoy them once I have them.  On the BG card the little girl is cradling her new doll in her arms, but the store owner behind her watches as though he knows something she does not.  What is wrong with this doll?  Is it more than the child bargained for?  Perhaps it is cursed or has some other supernatural connection.  There is a disturbing sense I get from this scene.  Even the other dolls in the store windows are disquieting.  All is not as it seems.

The Halloween deck is a bit more cheerful but still has disturbing elements.  The pumpkin carver (accompanied by the ubiquitous black cat) seems to be happily carving new jack-o-lanterns for the season.  Their expressions are relatively cheerful and attractive.  But when I looked at the wall above him there are 4 completed jack-o-lanterns mounted on spikes.  This would not be so disturbing is the tip of the spikes did not protrude through the top of the jack-o-lantern.  It is as if they are mounted there to represent heads - not an appealing image.  They may be smiling but the spikes show through their gaping mouth and eyes.  They seem like empty shells whose souls have since departed but who physical being is still trapped.

Of course this probably says more about my mindset right now than anything about the intended meaning of either of these cards.  I have been feeling a bit disquieted and frustrated lately.  The patterns that traditionally worked to keep me occupied or at least pre-occupied are no longer working.  Now what I'm feeling is a tad overwhelmed and stressed.  Today I learned that a dear friend of my husband's who was suffering from lung cancer is in worse shape than was originally believed.  The doctors don't expect him to make it to Christmas and have advised his wife to seek a hospice for him.  Sometimes when I consider situations like this I consider myself shallow for being concerned about such mundane things as acquiring more "stuff".  Maybe not so much shallow as distracted or not focusing on more important issues.  I also know that one of the ways I deal with financial stress is to hoard.  It's as if the potential threat of fiscal insolvency triggers a "get it now" reaction in me and causes me to buy things I don't necessarily need right now because when I do need it or want to use it I won't have the resources to purchase it.

Of course, as demonstrated by the BG card, having is not always as great a thing as wanting after all (paraphrased from Mr. Spock in the Amok Time episode of Star Trek).  I get these things - dolls, books, Tarot decks, pots, clothes, whatever, and then I still feel as fearful and empty as I did before.  It's a temporary thrill.  So what I must focus my energies on right now is looking inside myself and figuring out what will fulfill me.  What will give me a more lasting version of that sense of accomplishment and achievement?  What will satiate me?  The reality is that I know I need to find my mission in life.  Whether that means going back to a more traditional job or finding the way to make money at what I love is irrelevant.  I'm reaching the end of my period of enchantment with doing nothing.