In a narrative context, each individual card in this spread can relate to various possible circumstances in the querent's life. The structure of the "plot" generally remains the same, but the details change.
Earlier this week the 3 of Cups appeared in a different context. The narrative was centered on an individual struggling to break away from a group that was sucking up too much of her time and energy. In this story the protagonist enjoys the companionship of a circle of friends. With the 7 of Pentacles in the Attack position, which is the factor that enters the story to get the ball rolling as it were, we can imagine that he has come into a substantial amount of money. Perhaps it's an inheritance, or he's won the lottery. In any case his circumstances have changed for the better. He could easily continue his life as before, but the 8 of Cups (Struggle) says he is strongly tempted to break away from his friends and begin a new life. The Empress provides the turning point, convincing him that he is right to make the move. Has he met a woman and fallen in love? Can you think of a time in your life when you have left an old life to pursue a new one?
In this spread The Moon (Outcome) suggests the woman is pregnant, or has given birth, both because The Empress which preceded it is an archetypal maternal figure and because the moon is in many traditional belief systems a symbol of pregnancy. But the moon also has a dark side, never seen, which tells us the future may not be perfect.
I was struck by the realization that this story has a parallel in one we all know well, the Creation myth. After Cain slays Abel he departs from his parents, Adam and Eve, unable to remain and enjoy the fruits of the Garden of Eden. In the Land of Nod he meets his wife and fathers children. The future of Mankind from thence forward is an ongoing struggle between the dark and the light, good and evil.
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