Shadowscapes Study - The Star XVII

From the Shadowscapes Companion Book: "Water and earth and air become a single element in her presence.... She dances tirelessly through the night, inhuman and yet embodying humanity in her very being."

Meaning: "Regaining hope, faith in the future, inspiration. Finding the still and silent place within your being of serenity, tranquility within trouble, harmony, offering without reservations, sharing and being generous."

I love this card! Especially the fish taking the place where you'd expect to see birds or butterflies. Despite breaking the laws of ordinary reality, this beautiful image is still easy to understand.

The woman is looking and pointing at something in the distance, and the clustered fish are all looking where she is pointing. You could imagine that she is telling them a story about one particular star.

Even if you are far from your destination, it can be okay as long as you are clear about where you are going. You know that you're moving in the right direction, so you can feel hopeful. The Star's kind of clarity -- clear vision over a long distance -- can get you through what would otherwise be difficult times.

It looks as though the woman of the Star could be in fact below water...
I first wondered about the ripples above her; was it her hair? Was it her cloak/shawl/dress? Now I'm wondering if it could be the surface. -After all, every other "star" (with the exception of the largest & 7 pointed star) is naught but a mere blur. Could those ripples not indicate the current or lapping waves upon the surface?

The rocks look like they are covered in barnacles, add the plants resemble sea anemones/coral... The fish are not just below her, but also along side her.

She definitely strides upon water, leaving circular ripples where she walks... but what of the fore-ground? -Where the ripples Y/V-out, the fish below her are contained in a body of water, a different colour, that looks distinctively separate from that which she walks upon...

I wonder if this card is a reflection upon a reflection.

From Stephanie's website*:

Silver gilded footsteps
glide on silver flowing streams
with the silver glowing starlight
etching night in silver seams

Click to expand...

*SEE: http://www.shadowscapes.com/Tarot/cards.php?suit=0&card=17

The first time I drew this card, the first thing that came into my mind was childhood, innocence, hopes and wishes. I saw serenity, the colors were delicate, joyful but fragile? For me, it speaks about inner hopes, pure energy.

In its more negative aspect, it could mean being aloof, daydreaming so much you could be isolatibg yourself. It could also represent illusions and willfull thinking. Or just not being able to find your "happy place" in your own mind, your place of serenity?

At least that is what I get when looking at this card.

Hope and harmony, quiet strength and purity if I had to sum it up!

After watching Gypsy Chique's video on the major arcana card, The Star, i learned something really insightful about this card in Shadowscapes. Gypsy Chique said that the fish near the bottom of the cards look like they are on land and gasping to breathe. They are suffocating. As the woman and the waves approaches, the fish come back to life and even are able to swim through the air.

Its a great depiction, especially if we are trying to follow the fool's journey through the major arcana. The Star follows the Tower which can be a devastating card, a shaking of the foundations and core. The Star right after reminds us to stay hopeful after such a catastrophe. This depiction really speaks to me about hope strongly. Just when you think you are about to die, suffocating, a tide comes and revitalizes you.