In the cards this week: Dedication

And a view through the eyes of the Fool

This week's Minoan Tarot cards:

Eight of Horns: Success via hard work, dedication, and skill. Buckle down and do what you know you need to, and you'll get to where you want to go.

The Fool: Trust in the universe. Let your instincts guide you. Drop any ideas of "should" or "ought to" and allow yourself to be fully in touch with the divine within the cosmos and within you.

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This week’s cards have some level-headed advice for us. I like how the vibe of the readings changes from week to week as life’s energy fluctuates both seasonally and in relation to how we humans are moving and shaking. Sometimes, the cards urge us to lean into the imaginative side of life, and sometimes they suggest that firmly grounding ourselves is the better choice for dealing with whatever the week is likely to throw at us.

This week, we’ve got that second situation.

Our first card this week, drawn from the top of the deck to show us how to hang in there despite everything the world is throwing at us these days, is an Earth suit card.

The Eight of Horns speaks to mastering the skills you need for your chosen life path. You don’t reach mastery by daydreaming, but by doing the work, day in and day out, whether or not you really feel like it. This card talks about the things we can achieve when we stick to it and learn how to do things well. Very practical, very grounded.

There are three major aspects of life that this card points to: realizing that you need to buckle down and work harder if you want to reach your goals (gratifyingly, this card says that you will indeed achieve those goals if you do the work); switching paths to something you haven’t dared to do before and then dedicating yourself to doing it well; and finally reaching the top of the ladder because you’ve been doing the hard work for a long time.

Whichever one speaks to you this week, I hope you can find the motivation and enthusiasm to git ‘er done and enjoy the fruits of your labors.

Our second card this week, the one from the bottom of the deck, offers us a hidden bit of help, a way to find the breathing room we need for both mental and physical health in these interesting times.

It’s been quite a while since the Fool showed up in a weekly reading. In fact, this is only the second time this card has turned up in the year and a half that I’ve been doing these weekly readings. So I’m taking note.

You’ll notice that the Fool doesn’t have a single number: This card is both the beginning and the end of the Major Arcana, a reminder that life’s experiences are not linear but circular, cyclical, spiral.

This is kind of funny in juxtaposition with the Eight of Horns, which is very much focused on the linear process of achieving mastery of skills.

It’s a reminder to keep our sense of humor and recognize that even when we’re doing something that looks linear, there are cyclical motions in process: We become someone new as we rack up the life experiences, touching back to who we were before. Who are you when you are still learning a skill as opposed to when you’ve mastered it? You’re doing the same thing, but you’re different.

But I think the message this card is most strongly sending this week, regarding finding that space and that bit of beauty and joy to help us make it through, has to do with the Fool’s attitude, something that the Buddhists call beginner’s mind.

The young man pictured on the card has caught a large string of fish. It’s easy for him because he hasn’t yet learned to think that it should be difficult.

Even if you’re highly skilled at something, if you can remain open, with childlike curiosity — or if you can find your way back to that state — your ease will increase. This doesn’t mean pretending you don’t have any responsibilities or ignoring the way things are going in the world.

It does mean allowing yourself to tap into something deeper, whether you call it intuition or the divine or your higher self.

It means trusting in something bigger than you and allowing yourself to flow into what you’re doing, setting your ego aside and becoming one with the work. In other words, not trying so hard, but simply being as you’re doing.

I wish you a week in which you find the flow along whatever path you’re following.

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About Laura Perry

I'm the founder and Temple Mom of Ariadne's Tribe, a worldwide inclusive Minoan spiritual tradition. I'm also an author, artist, and creator who works magic with words, paint, ink, music, textiles, and herbs. My spiritual practice includes spirit work and herbalism through the lens of lifelong animism. I write Pagan / polytheist / magical non-fiction and fiction across several different subjects and genres. My Minoan title in the Moon Books Pantheons series is now available for pre-order and will be released on 26 August 2025. While that process percolates along, I’m working on an illustrated book of modern Minoan myths which will be released this summer. I’m also an avid herb and vegetable gardener and living history demonstrator.