In the VIII of Pentacles, Melanie has chosen to throw us a bit of a curve. In the Waite deck, and the Robinwood. The VIII of Pen is the Card of Appreticeship. In the Gendron, It is the Card of Mastery. In both decks the III of Pentacles also swap roles. I noticed this switch fairly early, and have wondered for some time, just why did Mel transpose the cards.

In some ways the VIII of Pentacles in Mel's deck is secoundary to the III of Pentacles. The young woman, working on her Medicine wheel, is absorbed in her craft. Her focus is totally on the work in front of her, and she does not notice us entering her space. She shares this intensity with the apprentice in the Robinwood. He too is absorbed in crafting the Pentacle before him. Mel's card is not signifcantly different by itself, it could easily be a card about apprenticeship. Instead the card is seperated from the Waite/ Robin Wood by its relationship to the III of Pentacles. Mel's III of Pen depicts a father and son, together, the father is not only father but mentor. The III of Pentacles in the Gendron is clearly about appreticeship, leaving it to the VIII to close the circle. Presenting us with an Image of an apprentice nearly grown, and having mastered her craft. Mel has gently balanced the deck, by showing the Master of the Apprentice in the III of Pentacles as the Father. While showing the journeyman growing into her mastery in the VIII of Pentacles as a Daughter.

As an exercise in comarative Tarot, I think that Mel does us a service by reminding us of the circle of Masters and apprentice. It's very easy in this modern era not to hand down what we have learned to the next generation. In my own case, about the only common interest I share with my daughter is drawing. I very much enjoy it when she asks for my opinion or help as a draughtsman. She has developed into a very competant draughtsman in my opinion, and lately my major contribution has been to reassure her. She is not always sure what she presents will be what her teacher wants, or communicate what she means to communicate. Simply saying I can see what she is about with a drawing, or suggesting a very minor edit, can often make her feel confident about the larger work.

Part of this comes down to honesty, When Daph was no more than 9, she asked me to teach her to draw. I sat down with her, and showed her a few bits about use of negative space and drawing through juxaposition. The next day when I came home she had created a Mural in Chalk on the Dinning room wall. The Bernstien Bears where all present in a band on the wall. The work was amazing. I could not have done so well myself. Armed with just some very fundemental knowledge, my daughter had churned out a series of very professional looking drawings in one day. Since I have tried to be her best critic, and I think I have always tried for this in other area's our relationship. I dont coo over everything she does. I strive to tell her honestly when she does good, and point out honestly when she falls short.

I think this is a difficult balance for alot of Parents to maintain. It is to easy to be all Squishy with our children and tell them everything they do is so wonderful. It is also easy to fall into the trap, that nothing they do is good enough, thinking we will motivate them to do better. When what you do is never enough however, it only motivates you to give up. The father of Karate tells a story in his autobiography. It was his habit to practice his Kata's literally for hours, in the masters back yard while the master watched. On a given night, after hours of practice and dozens of repetitions of a given Kata, he had one of those special moments where he really got it right. All the aknowledgement he got from the master, was that the master smiled. It was however enough, because the masters smile was a hard won thing.

It is one of the privlages of age, too teach. I think, it helps, to remember we are not only father and mother to our children. We are also their teachers. Daph has grown into a young woman, I am proud to have raised. She has a job for over a year now, makes her own car and tuition payments. She seems to know where she wants to go in life. She definately more together than I was at her age. I think that a big piece of that, comes from my opinion all through raising her that it was my job to raise her, to teach her. We definately went through some rough years. Some lessons where hard. It would be a lie to say I never doubted myself, or wondered if I had alienated my little girl for life at points. Two years ago, she moved out, that was followed by a row, that left me wondering if we would ever speak again. Six months after that row all her carefully laid plans fell apart, and she needed to come home, or go homeless. Since her return we have gotten on better than we had in years. Oh she still ribs me when she thinks dads being too careful- "In your paranoid universe." Yet she has seen the worlds harsher side, she has felt the burn for herself, and maybe now, dads universe looks a little less paranoid.

Divination: Equanimity, Poise in the presence of change. A turning point. Leaving behind the familiar to embrace something new. Rejecting Earlier plans.

Reversed: Material Attachment, Recklessness, Restlessness, Pleasure Seeking.