Kitchen Table Tarot

8 of Pentacles, Page of Pentacles, 6 of Cups

Hello, friend. Welcome back to my kitchen table—I’m delighted to have you. If this reading is for you, I hope you find my assessment and guidance helpful. If not, I hope you may take away something useful anyway—perhaps some insight into how different combinations of the same cards can represent distinct situations. However, since this is not the first time we’ve seen these cards this week—6 of cups and Page of Pentacles have shown up together three times now, and 8 of pentacles in a second context—I do feel that this is repeating energy to a degree. This will date me a little, but in my mind I hear the handshaking noise from back in the day when we used modems to connect to the internet. The crunchy, ping-ponging screech signified the modems talking to one another to find common ground for connection speed. A 28.8K modem can’t connect any faster than that, so it has to tell the other modem so it can be met at its capability. So with that in mind, this combination and order, at first glance, tells me that someone has to slow their roll and accept the limitations influencing their choices and the directions they can go in; that more focused work is required to plant a seed of change; and that frequent contemplation of the past indicates something that must be dealt with instead of ignored and stashed away.

The 8 of pentacles tells me you’ve been working hard at something, planting lots of different seeds in the hope of a good harvest and something to show for all your efforts. This might be because a new venture opening up for you, something you’ve dreamed about, feels like such a big risk. It would be like planting all of those seeds into one pot, where they would compete for nutrients and water and strangle each other’s root systems. Isn’t it better to plant them all far apart so they have a chance to thrive? In reality, you wouldn’t actually lose anything by actively going after the thing you really want, represented by the Page of Pentacles, because when you follow your intuition, oftentimes those other goals—security, prosperity, social standing, career connections, and meaningful personal relationships—will naturally begin to manifest. Listening to your intuition is being true to yourself. If you are living for others—and juggling multiple ventures in your work in order to gain their approval is definitely that—you will struggle to find the joy in life that only you can experience. So much fulfillment will be lost to you when you people-please without end. So keep working hard, but ease back and evaluate your situation(s). Are you being selfless when you should perhaps be a little selfish? Listen to what your heart is telling you. Time won’t wait, and you shouldn’t spend those precious moments anywhere you are minimized, dismissed, or abused. Free will does apply, that of you and others, so use your best judgment regarding your individual circumstances. But please know that you are worth your dreams and worthy of good opportunities to turn them into reality.

The 6 of cups may mean that you are looking back at something fondly and more frequently—is it something you need to resolve, but haven’t yet? Is it something you’ve been trying to ignore or compartmentalize so it doesn’t get into the way of your current material situation and goals? It might be your only respite during the busyness of the present and whatever work you’re throwing yourself into, but if it’s something you might actually be able to achieve—reconnecting with an old friend, calling an estranged family member, or incorporating a long-held dream into present-day goal-setting, for e.g.—then keeping it for a nostalgia session isn’t helping you and could further impede the aforementioned material ambitions. To return to the modem metaphor, you’d be stuck in handshaking mode, unable to find a connection going as slowly as you are. However you proceed or decide to engage with things from the past, remember that reconnecting won’t be a 1:1 recreation, so soften your expectations. It won’t be the same, but it can be something new and even more beautiful built more carefully on a strong foundation.

I know things are scary sometimes. The world is a mess and even the simplest acts of human connection can feel risky. But you are special, loved, and cared for. It is perfectly okay to move towards what makes you happier and/or more fulfilled. You work hard and can support yourself, and you are worthy of pursuing your joy and the work you feel most honestly called to do. Give the past a chance if your heart moves you to do so. Life is not a straight line, linear, with absolutely no turning back. Life is a möbius strip with rock-climbing holds in it. You are here and there are everywhere. What does your intuition tell you? It will speak up if you let it.

Go with peace, friend. Know that you are loved, and remember, you are always welcome at my kitchen table. -KTT 🌻💛