eight of cups // creative prompts

hello, friends. we've been looking at the eight of cups, and themes of devotion, all month long. but as we get ready to say goodbye to august and this latest eclipse cycle (are you as tired as i am?), i want to offer one last set of thoughts and ideas on this card — ones that are designed to help you make your own meanings, and find your own stories within this card.

one of my most enduring tarot beliefs is that your stories, your experiences, your unique history, and your deep wisdom are all just as important in your tarot practice and interpretations as any correspondences, standardized meanings, or handy keywords. in practice, this means that taking your time to really study, interact with, explore, and play around with different tarot cards in a creative, curiosity-oriented way can help you find meanings that are specific to you and your life. but sometimes, it's easier to respond to a question than it is to just stare at a card and try to make a personal connection to it — which is why every month, i send creative prompts like this to give you some starting places.

wanna catch up on the whole series? check out the archives here.

you can do whatever you like with these questions, from journaling to reflection to bringing them to your favorite tarot study group as conversation starters. stay curious, don't worry about "finding the right answer," and see what comes up when you open up to the possibilities within the eight of cups.

what does the eight of cups bring up for you initially, when you first think about it? what do you feel, remember, imagine, long for? do you have specific memories associated with this card — readings where it came up in a prominent position, periods of time where it felt like it was haunting you, experiences where it arrived in a moment that you couldn't ignore? are there specific images of this card that are particularly meaningful to you, or that lead you to certain conclusions?

what advice do you think this card has to offer? what medicine does it carry? what are the different ways that the eight of cups could be encouraging you, pushing you, or clarifying something for you, depending on the situation? how many different perspectives on this card can you identify?

what are you devoted to, and how does that devotion show up in your life? what matters to you deeply, and in what ways do you live out those values or ambitions or beliefs? how does the eight of cups represent devotion for you, or the things that you are devoted to?

if the eight of cups was a character or a person, what would they be like? what might they tell you, and how might they speak and move and think? if the eight of cups was a place or a destination, what would it feel like to be there? what might you find there, and why might you choose to go there? if the eight of cups was a sound, or a smell, or a taste, or a texture, what would it be like, and why?

in the journey of water, in the story of the suit of cups, does the eight feel like a victory, like a loss, like a change, or like a choice? what moment does this card represent in the broader cycle? if you were to write a short story or a song or a poem or a character arc that followed the suit of cups, what happens in the time of the eight? what part of the narrative is this, and how does it feel to arrive there?

how is the eight of cups a reaction to or a consequence of the seven of cups, a next step following the events of the seven? how does your interpretation of the seven of cups connect to the eight? in what ways does the eight of cups set up the nine of cups, and what throughlines can you find between these three cards of the suit? what is the story of these three cards?

finally, what might the eight of cups have to offer you in this particular moment, in your own emotional or intuitive or relational life? what medicine does this card have for you right now, and in what ways might the eight of cups hold the wisdom and clarity that you need?

i'll be back in a few days with a new essay on our next card in the suit, the nine of cups (!). but until then, sending you safety, courage, love, and clarity, friends.

and if you're hungry for a deeper, more personal connection with your tarot cards, transform your practice in the hermitage — where i'll be hosting my second lecture in the transitive tarot series TONIGHT.