This month I begin participating on the Comparative Tarot e-list's Pairs exercises. In the Pairs exercise you are assigned a card to compare with the card of the month. The card of the month is the 8 of Pentacles, Death is my assigned pair card. What an interesting combination. I laid out this pair from a number of different decks and was struck by the way they relate to each other depending on the way the characters on the cards face.
In the Ator tarot (as in the RWS) Death and the craftsperson on the 8 of Pentacles face the same direction. When the Death card comes before the 8 of Pentacles it suggests that Death/change can come upon us unexpectedly. When the 8 of Pentacles comes before Death it suggests that even in the face of Death and endings, creation carries on.
In the Sheridan Douglas Tarot (sorry I don't have scans of these cards) Death and the 8 of Pentacles face different directions. When they face each other you see the tension between the two. The craftsman looks Death in the face and defiantly carries on. When they are back to back it seems that Death has passed by and the craftsman has been spared. Perhaps he has been too busy a
t his task to take note of Death's passing. 
The Aquarian Tarot shows close ups of the faces of Death and the Craftsman. I am struck by the differences in their expressions. Death is dispassionate, looking straight ahead, while the craftsman on the 8 of pentacles is passionately engaged in the process of creation. So engaged that he does not realize who is creeping up behind him.
3 comments:
I could be completely wrong, but to me these cards together can also mean hard work and dedication leading to change.
^ your humble non-detailed diination is spot on my friend
I did a tarot spread and for the question “what lives forever” I got 8 of pentacles and death which I took as creating something that leads to change that’ll make an impact.
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