Bohemian Gothic-The Star

[Thirteen]

The BG Star Card is interesting in its differences from other Star Cards, and even from other cards in this deck. By that I mean that there's nothing I can see right off in this image to suggest the more Gothic elements that appear in a lot of the other cards. No suggestion of vampires, ghosts, monsters, etc. There's not a skeleton or crypt in site

What we do see, common to the Star Card: a young woman, a Star and two streams of pouring water. The similarities more or less end there. The young woman has bared breasts, but she is not, as in the typical Rider-Waite card, naked. Nor is she, herself, pouring the water into a pool. Instead, it it being poured out from a fountain behind her. And there is only one star in the sky over her head rather than the usual seven.

So what elements does this card have? Some very interesting ones. The woman is wrapped in dark purple and blue drapery (spiritual, mystical, feminine colors). We get the feeling that she may be about to bathe, as these seem more like bath sheets rather than garments. We especially get this feeling given that her bare breasts. I don't think it's a stretch to imagine the twin fountains of water as symbolic of milk from those breasts. Her hands are laced atop her head, as someone might do who is gazing up at the sky. Her upward look is distant, thoughtful, contemplative.

Perhaps the most striking thing in the image is the fountain (or is it a bath? A shower?). There is an upper "cup" part with relief showing ribbons and a wreath of leaves and grapes and such. Animal heads jut from it and one, a ram's head, is pouring forth a stream of water. The other stream of water is likely pouring from the head of some other animal, but we can't see what it is.

This cup part is being held up by statues of men. There is a lower "basin" at the very bottom which we barely see. It seems to be balanced on ornate lion's feet. One of the men seems to be just holding up the top "cup" half, like Atlas holding up the world. The other man has a goat or maybe it's a deer/gazelle (?) over his shoulders.

The Star is a card about looking to the far future and taking your first step towards that future. It is a card of hope, healing. About finding food and water in the desert. A moment in life where you can bathe, refresh, and find peace before moving on. The Woman in the Star, who may be bathing, is typically seen as feeding the barren Earth and replenishing a pool of water.

I certainly see in this card that idea of a moment of peace, healing, cleansing, and re-fueling. A moment to think about where you're going or want to go, and how to get there. The fountain show images of abundance, of a potential feast, as well as water to wash and drink. The single star in the sky reminds us of how children wish on the first star they see in the night's sky. And the woman gazing up looks to be contemplating the far future.

What of the Star do you see in this card?

 

[Surja76]

Hi Thirteen! Thank you for new card and your explanation. What I think.

The only Star is cynosure, pole star which can lead each of us to glory and success.Her navy blue with shawl on the shoulders, it is really looked like waterfall. There are 6 folds of cloth on her right hand = 6 of wands - Glory, success. But this success she linked, she locked on herself (hands locked on her head). She is blocked. She is fixed on herself only and she is self-sufficient or may be even selfishly.
She is under depression because she is out of energetic channel.(water flow on her locked hands). She is a victim of her own success. She should let her hands to be unlocked. She should be open to Devine sources flowing just on her head to make her purposes and prospects wider. She should become open to others she should see her pole star and follows it.

This girl is too selfish and is removal from the real world. Living in her own made-up world. She is too closed and untouchable for men. Celtic man gods over her head and one of them with Goat (man's nature). She is only in her own interests. She is cold like dead woman who is not able to pure love. She recognizes the primacy of man over her authority (Celtic stature is over), but she will not let him into her soul. She does not love him.

Her body seemed to be devided in two parts. Frankly I am not sure what is it. But I think it is like day and night.
Pure star is visible to everyone only at night.

 

[Thirteen]

Fascinating observations, as always, Surja!

But this success she linked, she locked on herself (hands locked on her head). She is blocked. She is fixed on herself only and she is self-sufficient or may be even selfishly.

Cool point about the hands. Interestingly, the first thing I thought when I saw those locked hands were how they better exposed the breasts. You don't mention them, but don't they, perhaps, run counter to your argument that she's both selfish and not interested in love or men? After all, she is, by raising her hands and not having the cloth up higher, offering her breasts as a kind of nourishment (or sexual gratification).

Far from being blocked, she has pretty well exposed that part of herself. She's quite naked and vulnerable there, and doesn't seem afraid or worried about it. Also, as she does not have water containers, like the Star does in the Rider-Waite deck, we pretty well have to say that the breasts symbolically stand for those. (I was, by the way, about to call the missing containers "jugs"--but that, in English, is vulgar slang for breasts as well as a word for, well, a jug).

On the other hand, the Rider-Waite deck does connect the Star card to Aquarius. So what you say about her refusing the men, love and such, makes a lot of sense. Aquarius is a card of pure mind. But I'm not sure this is a bad or depressing thing. Does a woman always have to be "open" to love and men in order to be giving, happy and good? Are there no cerebral women who can be happy, like so many men are, just thinking and dreaming and contemplating a better future for all mankind? Why does a woman HAVE to be connected to love and men in order to be fulfilled?

As Aquarius, she would be very much an independent and cerebral woman. Arms locked about her head, she keeps herself cut off from the men flexing their muscles and killing goats. No running around with Pan like the Moon Goddess there. Her mind is as high and far away as it can be, up among the stars, and she has no desire to bring it back down to Earth.

Also, although it looks like the water is splashing on her head, I don't think she's under it yet. It seems to be splashing down behind her into that lower basin. In the typical Star Card, however, the woman usually isn't the one receiving the water, rather she is the one providing it. Perhaps she isn't open to the divine, as you say, because she is, herself, the divine. Perhaps she is holding in her gifts until it's time to give them to someone?

 

[Thirteen]

Hey, I just noticed something. All three figures in the card have their hands up. The Star has hers locked atop her head, the male figure holding up the "cup" part of the fountain has his hands raised to hold it aloft, and the male figure with the goat/gazelle has his hands lifted to keep the beast across his shoulders.

Hands up. Hmm....

 

[Surja76]

Fascinating observations, as always, Surja!


On the other hand, the Rider-Waite deck does connect the Star card to Aquarius. So what you say about her refusing the men, love and such, makes a lot of sense. Aquarius is a card of pure mind. But I'm not sure this is a bad or depressing thing. Does a woman always have to be "open" to love and men in order to be giving, happy and good? Are there no cerebral women who can be happy, like so many men are, just thinking and dreaming and contemplating a better future for all mankind? Why does a woman HAVE to be connected to love and men in order to be fulfilled?

As Aquarius, she would be very much an independent and cerebral woman. Arms locked about her head, she keeps herself cut off from the men flexing their muscles and killing goats. No running around with Pan like the Moon Goddess there. Her mind is as high and far away as it can be, up among the stars, and she has no desire to bring it back down to Earth.

Yes. She can be happy staying with herself. She is too self-sufficient. She is happy with herself but she can be in depression if she does not find out the popularity and acceptance of others. She is in a vicious circle in its vacuum. She is look like Star closed with Milky Way circle gravitation. her hands like aureola on the god's icons.
it is the problem of all celebrities, who are in their own aureola of success. it is even difficult to udnerstand where is Star and real person. They are in their closed unreal world with their unreal wishes and love. Yes they happy with themselves but unhappy with others.
Remind Greta Garbo. Real Star dead in her New York home-crypt completely alone. It was her own choice and she was happy with herself. But tell me, is it full life??????

Yes star usually flow water. But her hands are busy. She is busy in prevention from water. She do not allow herself to be fulfilled with feelings and emotions. She love when she decide but no more.

 

[swimming in tarot]

Interesting reading! I had never thought of the Star being any particular star, but it makes perfect sense that it be Polaris, one's guiding light; and as Surja notes, one can only see it by night, so psychologically, subconsciously, one only sees one's way by intuition/the night side of one's awareness, and that seems to be the traditional meaning for the card (that makes the most sense!). I'm not sure if it's relevant that she has her back to the star. Yes, there are usually seven stars, but that's probably an echo of the Empress who usually has seven stars, and is in the same column arrangement (with the Wheel as well).

I have no brilliance to offer; I'm just checking in, after an attack of the 3D world...busy, busy. I still enjoy reading your input!

 

[Thirteen]

I'm not sure if it's relevant that she has her back to the star.

I don't know that she has her back to the star. After all, if we were seeing her looking at it, we'd see her back not her front, yes?

I think her eyes show as sidewise, upward glance at it. The hands on the head give me the feeling of a thoughtful tilt. Like she and the star are meeting each other's "eyes" and connecting. It's very feminine.

So do you see anything of the typical Star Card meaning in this? Of gazing into the future, of healing, hope, kindness, etc.

 

[Surja76]

It's very feminine.

So do you see anything of the typical Star Card meaning in this? Of gazing into the future, of healing, hope, kindness, etc.

Oh difficult. It is Gothic card. I see only advices to become opened and hopeful.
I can not say even that she is clear feminine spirit. She is with double dark bottom. She is sexual but not prolific. Her lower part is black. She does not want or are not be able to be in pair.

Actually I do not like such cards like the Moon and the Star in any their best interpritations.

If I got the Star card and it tells me about hopes and healing .... I always ask - HOW LONG I SHOULD WAIT for my hopes?.
I start to search in panic any numerogical signs which would specify to me in dates of performance of my desire.
And actually I can wait for ages and if something happened it will be very suddenly when I will not be able to wait anymore and tired of my waiting.

Any way this card indicate itself that we should hope for better and not to be linked to dreams.

 

[Thirteen]

HOW LONG I SHOULD WAIT for my hopes? ...Any way this card indicate itself that we should hope for better and not to be linked to dreams.

I, personally, don't see the Star's "Hope" as meaning anything you need to wait for. When I see the Star, I always interpret "hope" as meaning that there is something there, something real and solid however distant, like a real and solid star in the sky, which can guide us to where we're going.

Imagine if a sailor was lost at sea, no land in sight, he might feel hopeless. Now he can hope for rescue, in which case he might ask, as you ask, "How long should I wait for my hopes?" Hope, in that case, is a dream. He has no power over when or if anyone will come to rescue him. But I don't think the Star card is ever offering that kind of hope to those of us lost at sea.

Rather, I think the Star card offers the North Star as the hope that the sailor has of getting home. Something right there, that he can see and use, in hopes of getting home. No need to wait. And it's no dream. It is a very real hope.

IMHO, When the Star card appears, I believe it means there is hope. Right here. Right now. Right at that very moment that you've pulled the card. There is hope. If you look you can see it. And that hope, like the North Star, can guide you to where you want to go. But the card doesn't promise anything more. It doesn't promise that hope is coming to you like a rescue and you don't have to do a thing. Nor does it promise that you'll get to your future even if you see that star and make use of it. It simply says: "This is possible."

And in certain cases, like being lost at sea, I'd much rather hear that there is a hope of me finding a way home--however difficult it might be to latch onto that hope and make use of it, instead of hearing "give up hope, all is lost, there is no possible future for you."

Wouldn't you?

 

[Surja76]

Yes in order to make person someone calm and to make him sure he is under God's protection and something will be happened for good this card is positive.

By the way I had a meeting with one woman some weeks ago. Her son were gotten to prison and they waited for Court verdict for years he would stay at prison. This woman had an interest about terms.
I have got a Star in the spread. I told her that prison term will be long. Near 10 years. But my card had 2 hidden stars and I told he she can hope 2 years cut - 8 years. At least this guy has got 8 years.
The judge has reduced term in 2 years from 10 years.

Another example with my friend who has lost his job because of crisis. For 4 month in his spread Star appeared. I told him he should hope and wait but wait long time till Star disappeared of his spread. A week ago he asked me for new reading and there was not Star. I told him time has come, and two days later he has got job preposition.

It is good card but not good in terms. It always goes with long time, long distance.