The Star: Shining Hope
Talk about a more suitable star for Friday, the 13th. Swamped in work, with an aching back and receiving bad news from multiple places. Looking at the Star card, I am forced to remember that this will all pass and we will reach a new equilibrium one way on the other. Even if it means the pain is only deadened and I’m used to it.
My favourite thing about this card, and the thing that I am choosing to focus on is the seven chakras represented by the stars (spoilers!) Laying on the floor and doing a quick inventory of each of the chakras: Root (grounding), Sacral (pleasure), Solar Plexus (confidence), Heart (love), Throat (communication), Third Eye (intuition), and Crown (rationality).
17. THE STAR
What you see: A naked woman holds two jugs of water: one she pours onto the lush, green earth where it runs in five rivulets, and the other she pours into a small pond. Her left leg is kneeling on the ground while her right foot is in the pond. Above her is a large eight-pointed star surrounded by seven smaller ones. Behind her is an Ibis perched on a tree with mountains in the distance. There are also ten red flowers growing on the ground around her.
What it means: The lady represents Mother Earth or the Empress, balancing herself between the conscious (earth) and unconscious (water) — using rationality and intuition. She nourishes the earth and the five rivulets signify the five senses. The eight-pointed star represents life in its entirety, and the seven stars around it symbolize the seven core chakras or energy points in the body. The Ibis represents thought.
The story: As a character, the Star represents hope and potential. As an event, it signifies renewed faith and optimism following destruction or chaos that came before. As a relationship, it stands for new insights that provide a way forward. As a sign, it calls to use our rationality and intuition, our five sense and our thoughts to move forward with positivity.
As part of the Fool’s Journey: The Star is the last stage of the divorce sequence; the calm after the storm that is filled with hope and the opening of the spiritual channel.
Reversed meaning: Reversed, the card signifies pessimism, doubt, despair and a lack of faith.
In mythology: Ibis is associated with Thoth, the Egyptian God of Wisdom. The card could also be associated with Ganymede, the youth who was the son of the King of Troy, who Zeus fell in love with. Zeus came down in the form of a bird and took Ganymede to the heavens where he became a cup bearer to the Gods. Ganymede is associate with the Aquarius Zodian sign.
Potential insights: After turmoil there is always hope. We need to acknowledge all our gifts — our senses, our emotions, our logic, etc. and use it so that we can once again bear fruit or achieve our purpose.
Just like the stars bring joy shining against an inky night sky and reminding us of our place in the world and the beauty of it all, the card is a symbol of hope and peace. No matter what happens, there is something in life that makes it worth living.
My research sources:
A Complete Guide to the Tarot, Eden Gray, 1970
Tarot Card Meanings, Biddy Tarot
Card Meanings, Labyrinthos
Deck: The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck®
