The Eight of Cups — 2022 Tarot Card of the Year

Wren Wright
4 min readDec 29, 2021
The Eight of Cups from the Rider Tarot Deck.

Happy 2022!

Riffle shuffle — 6X.

Overhand shuffle — 6X.

Cut the deck into four.

Pick up the cards in a random sequence.

Riffle shuffle — 6X.

(This process takes some time, as I am a lousy shuffler.)

😊

(Still shuffling . . . )

Okay. Now randomly choose one card from the deck.

And that’s how the card for 2022 came to be.

So it is with great fanfare that I announce the card that represents the dominant energy for 2022 is the . . .

. . . drum roll, please . . .

Eight of Cups

(as if you couldn’t tell because of the photo)

This card looks hopeless, dire, doesn’t it? But it is not. It’s a transition card in the best way. At its core, it symbolizes a desire to make sense of the mundane world. It’s a quest for higher knowledge and deeper meaning. Something is missing in your life and you’re off to discover what it is and incorporate it into your life.

The lesson for 2022 is that you *must* be true to what your inner compass tells you…always, always, always. But particularly in 2022.

What does this mean — what is this mysterious thing that’s missing or lacking? Here are some ideas to help you apply it to different areas of your life.

Spiritual/Personal Development and Transformation

This is the year to set off on your personal search for meaning if you don’t know what it is or to go deeper if you do. The Eight of Cups shows your desire to leave the mundane and head for higher ground, higher principles, higher aspirations, and higher consciousness. This will be a long and deep journey, an excursion into the unknown. Indeed, the only thing you’ll know for sure is that you need to go on this quest and stick with it.

Relationships

Is there a lack of direction in your relationships? It looks like there could be. This year is the year to shake things up, discuss with your partner/relative/coworker how to get back on track. If that doesn’t work, take steps to move on. This is the year to turn things around, with or without their support.

Finances/Career

If you feel lost, take heart. You’re being called to something better, a new way to increase your income, a different career or place of employment. However you feel about this, it’s necessary for you to leave the known and make your way to that new endeavor, no matter how frightened or unsure you are.

Health

If you’re having health issues (physical or psychological), the Eight of Cups says buckle your seatbelt because you’re in for a long ride. There will be some improvement, but it’ll be much slower than you’d like. Although you may not be able to return 100% to your old self, you’ll be pleased with the headway you’ll make if you stick with your recommended course of therapy.

The Eight of Cups from some of my favorite tarot decks. Top row, from left: the Rider (also known as the Rider-Waite-Smith) Tarot Deck, The Gilded Tarot, the Cosmic Tarot. Bottom row, from left: the Golden Art Nouveau Tarot; The World Spirit Tarot, and the After Tarot.

Finally, let me leave you with a poem about listening to your own voice, without looking back, without remorse. I hope it will give you the courage to follow your inner compass when things get tough.

The Journey

by Mary Oliver

One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you

kept shouting

their bad advice —

though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles.

“Mend my life!”

each voice cried.

But you didn’t stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy

was terrible.

It was already late

enough, and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen

branches and stones.

But little by little,

as you left their voice behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly

recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper

into the world,

determined to do

the only thing you could do —

determined to save

the only life that you could save.

Here’s a beautiful recitation:

I designed the cover, Donna Clement took the photo, and Luis H. Ruiz chose the font colors and sizes and placed the text where I told him to. I’m bossy that way.

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And if you really liked it, share it and tell your friends.

And if you really, really liked it, you might want to check out my ebook, The Grapes of Dementia: My Journey of Love, Loss, Surrender, and Gratitude, available worldwide through Amazon.

Cards from the Golden Art Nouveau Tarot. Photo by me.

If you’re interested in tarot, you might also like to follow my Wren Reads Tarot page on Facebook. I post weekly readings on Sundays and offer free personal readings periodically.

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Wren Wright

Writing mostly to heal myself from life; sharing in hopes you’ll find some of it helpful. Also books, personal development, and anything else I’m drawn to.