omg yes!! i kept getting this one too when i was doing inner child work

for me it turned out to be about how i learned as a kid that my worth was tied to being 'useful' and productive. the reversed 8 of pents was basically saying 'stop equating your value with your output'

idk if that resonates but something to think about maybe?

in shadow work i usually read 8 of pents rx as either workaholism hiding from deeper issues OR the opposite - avoiding the real internal work by staying busy with surface stuff

like sometimes we throw ourselves into being productive so we dont have to sit with uncomfortable feelings

found this thread while searching for the exact same thing lol

what tarot_tea said about staying busy with surface stuff really clicked for me. i was doing all these "productive" things but it was basically avoidance behavior?? like reorganizing my whole apartment instead of journaling about the actual hard stuff

the 8 of pents rx basically called me out on it. now i try to check in before i start a task - am i doing this because it needs doing or because i dont want to sit with my thoughts