Star

[Disa]

I have a question regarding The Star. I see this woman as someone who has just gone through a traumatic experience (The Tower) has been shed of her possessions and what she thought was her identity. It's as if she is questioning who am I, where am I going?

There are many aspects to any card. Could one be that after the storm, this woman, naked and vulnerable is seeking and opening to her own truth? That for the moment she may feel inadequate because the life she was living was not her own? Could The Star (stars) reprsent the universe, its many mysteries and the seekers potentialities for the Self which is meant to give and flow back to others?

tink

I find your interpretation quite lovely. In opening to her own truth, is she not placing hope in what will be tomorrow? As she pours water out of the vessels is she not putting faith in the fact that there will be more water tomorrow? She isn't hoarding it as a person might when they have lost everything. So despite the loss of her home and earthly possessions, she appears to have not lost her faith that tomorrow will bring better things.

 

[apollo18]

I was reading about The Star and the constellation of the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, was mentioned. If it's of any interest, the German astronomer Mädler, in the last half of the nineteenth century, plotted the movements of the stars and decided that the universe rotated around the star Alcyone in the Pleiades. This was taken by some people to indicate that this was where God himself sat and watched his Creation rotate around Him. A book I have from 1909 says astronomers were still being asked about this at that time.

 

[apollo18]

The big eight pointed star in the middle of the other seven is probably Venus. Brighter stars are shown as larger on printed astronomical charts, and Venus is the brightest "star" in the sky, even sometimes visible in the daytime. A fellow member of an astronomy forum has kindly informed me Here that Venus passes through the Pleaides star cluster every eight years. The evening of 3rd April 2012 sounds like a great opportunity for everyone to see what this looks like.

 

[eagle001]

star tink

sometime ago I did a reading in which the star came up. I couldn't stop thinking about it for a long time after, the star literally haunted me in thought as knew it had special significance to the reading, but couldn't put my finger on it at that time. Your question regarding the star. This was exactly what happened, you couldn't have interpreted it better, as to the events surrounding it that came about in relation to that spread. I'd never looked at the star that way before.

 

[re-pete-a]

the way we see it

Interesting Apollo18,that the star pictured has 8 points surrounded by 7 smaller stars,shows there must be a connection between the two........we've also noted in the background is a tree on a hill with a bird atop with spread wings. we interpret these as the tree of knowledge, the bird sure looks like a pelican to us,so we tend to feel this is the ego waiting to descend into the material realm,(hermetic), plants are said to represent the etheric plane,water the giver of life,the astral is said to dwell in the stars,also notice that the feet are not in, but on the water,this is also a clue that the person is not of the physical realm, the woman is the vessel or carrier of new life,perhaps mother nature.The pond being reactive to the motion of activity means to us the mind is stirred by mother nature, the soul or land is being fertilized by water,ripened to receive new life.....................Our overall view is the divine preparing for new life ,great love and blessings, in preparation....a divine plan,pre-destined to happen.It's in the stars............

 

[Teheuti]

As usual Waite kept a hidden side to his cards. Another take on the Star can be found in Thomas Vaughn's "Lumen et Lumine," which had a very important influence on Waite.

“Near the daybreak there shall be a great calm; and you shall see the Day-Star arise and the dawning will appear and you shall perceive a great treasure. The chiefest thing in it and the most perfect is a certain exalted Tincture, with which the world—if it served God and were worthy of such gifts—might be tinged and turned into most pure gold.” (Waite, The Works of Thomas Vaughn).

And, his description of the card in PKT should really be read before making any judgments about it: "But she is in reality the Great Mother in the Kabalistic Sephira Binah, which is supernal Understanding, who communicates to the Sephiroth that are below in the measure that they can receive her influx."

 

[HoneyBea]

I like what you have posted Teheuti and Waite's description from beyond the veil makes her a little clearer.

I took the time to look at this card a little while ago and break down the symbolism in an effort to see how this can help us interpret this card - I'll share this with you now:

The OGD attributes her to Aquarius "the water bearer" and this gives her the element of Air.
A nude woman kneels upon the land with one foot immersed in the water, pouring life's water from two jugs onto the land as well as back into the water this way she nurtures the physical as well as the emotional/spiritual - this to me represent the balance she has achieved between her physical and emotional self.
The water that is poured onto the earth falls into five streams and this may well represent for us the five senses, taste, touch sight hearing and smell, - perhaps these are now fully engaged in our physical world. The bird perched in the tree in the background is a recognised symbol of Air but also here could represent the ability of one's spirit to rise up to higher levels of consciousness, (which may well fit in with the statement "she is in reality the Great Mother in the Kabalistic Sephira Binah, which is supernal Understanding"). The woman herself is nude because at last she is comfortable with who she is.

I have read in various places that the seven small stars may well be representing the 7 planets of the ancient world and I have even read that they could symbolise the 7 mystical sister who were turned into stars, thus indicating mortality. The large 8th star could represent the possibilities to go beyond normal earthly limitations.

This card for me is predominately a positive outlook card it symbolises for us that we have now reached a place where we are more confident and desire to achieve a higher level of understanding and spiritual growth.

This is the card that helps you understand what the Tower was all about, and how after you can come back with a better understanding of what you may need to do.

It is for me a card that suggests inspiration and a renewed sense of purpose - after all once the Tower collapses you can then see the faults in the foundations and rebuild stronger foundations can you not?

~ HoneyBea ~

 

[re-pete-a]

IS not the morning star Venus?.On the cards its given the number 10,(10+7=17)so it must be important, and its also the biggest plus the brightest,leading us to believe that LOVE is the message...........Something wwaaayyyyyyyyyy in the back of our mind says,the jewels of love can only be see in the rising sun,through the dew drops,when the rest of the world sleeps

 

[trinity8]

when i get the star I just think ... thank god I'm heading in the right direction and my hopes and dreams are not off track and may actually come true in some form or other. yeah! which sort of fits in with the more poetical stuff as well I do believe - new forms after the tower has collapsed, better understanding, standing naked and being okay about it. Actually it all sounds a bit like the fool machII.

 

[HoneyBea]

Just as a point of interest in the Tree of Life the
Qabalistic Path: Path 28: 7 Netzach to 9 Yesod
Translation of Path: The Victory of Foundation

In The Book the Tarot companion it has this to say about this pathway

The Star - this path connects sephira Netzach with Yesod. The energy of the Star combines victory with foundation to bring about intellectual awareness and enlightenment. The Star distributes knowledge to all of humanity to awaken them to universal truths and concepts because when possessed with factual information, we are better able to decide which spiritual path we would like to pursue.

This seems to fit very well with Waite's comment ""But she is in reality the Great Mother in the Kabalistic Sephira Binah, which is supernal Understanding, who communicates to the Sephiroth that are below in the measure that they can receive her influx."

Which takes me back to my comment "symbolises for us that we have now reached a place where we are more confident and desire to achieve a higher level of understanding and spiritual growth."

The Star is a card that gives us the opportunity to ascend to a higher state, In Robert M. Places book Tarot History Symbolism and Divination he says "It represents a breakthrough, an opportunity suddenly becoming available, calm after a storm. It is like forgiveness after an argument or clarity after the disillusionment of the last trump."

So yes there is love in the Star, but it points towards understanding ourselves and our actions better - it serves to renew the faith we have in ourselves and others, so that those things we hope for are not just an illusion and that we are able to be proactive in their manifestation.

This is the message the Rider Waite card seem to give to me.

~ HoneyBea ~