Key 17 – The Star
The tarot Star follows immediately after one of the ‘disturbing’ cards, the Tower. If the Tower is all about destruction, chaos and upheaval, then the Star is the calm after the storm. A place of serene acceptance where you begin to understand that what you thought was a negative event has, instead, had a huge and positive effect on you.
You know that when you stand alone and stare up at the stars, you feel both overawed and immensely powerful. You feel connected and at peace. This is the power of the Star archetype – it soothes you and uplifts you at the same time.
© This page was created by Troi. All rights reserved.
Description of the Tarot Star
The Star depicts a naked, yellow-haired woman kneeling on the bank of a small stream or pond. Her left foot is placed in the water and supports her weight. However, if you look carefully, you can see that her foot must be supported on an invisible rock because it is not actually immersed in the water. The woman pours water from two pitchers, one into the pond and one onto the ground beside her, where the stream from the pitcher divides into five rivulets.
Above the woman is a huge yellow star and around it are seven smaller white stars. Behind her is a small hill with a tree at its summit, in which sits a curious-looking bird.
Symbolism
The large star has been variously identified as Sirius – the dog star, the Star of the Magii, and the Star of Venus. The water in the vessels is thought to be the same as the water in the Temperance card and are now poured upon land and ‘sea’ as nourishment. The five rivulets of poured water on the bank represent either the four cardinal directions plus spirit, or the five human senses. The bird, sometimes depicted as a butterfly, is an Ibis about to take flight. The Star represents the astrological sign of Aquarius.
|
Symbol
|
Meaning
|
Correspondences
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Star
|
Peace, serenity
|
Aquarius
|
|
|
Nude figure
|
Openness, acceptance
|
Colour: violet
|
|
|
Calm water
|
Calm emotions/feelings
|
Element: air
|
|
|
Ibis
|
Fertility, bravery.
|
The Fool’s Journey
The Fool’s Journey, described as man’s attempt to make sense of his life, traveling through the mundane and spiritual realms, has passed through the tumult of the Tower and now reaches the tranquillity of the Star. This is where the Fool has a profound insight into his recent travails – while he was at the mercy of the Tower, he could only experience himself as a victim of circumstance. Now he realises that momentous chaos and destruction has cleared away all the obstacles in his path and set him free from the heavy weight of materialism and bad habits previously acquired (shown in the Devil archetype). He is like a newborn. He learns that only love is important, and within love is encompassed all the good stuff; truth, beauty, faith, trust, clarity, empathy, healing, wisdom and charity.
Interpreting the Tarot Star
When the Star appears in a reading it is though a weight has lifted off. Know that the Star offers a 
message of hope and, better than hope, a certainty that all is well. However bad the current situation appears, this card tells you that the outcome must be good. It indicates that the seeker may find a place where all becomes clear, where they experience peace, where their soul receives comfort in the knowledge that the only sure thing is eternity. When we really understand that, then everything else becomes trivial. Our lives are but pinpricks, our eternal soul is where its all happening. We will continue to intertwine with the souls of loved ones for ever and always. Knowing and accepting the true message of the tarot Star delivers us from fear.
The Star in a Love Reading
If the Star turns up in a love reading, then love is surely all around you. If it appears as the outcome card in a relationship reading, then know that, whatever is going on, that there is a deep bond between you that is getting stronger. You, as an individual, can tune into a feeling of love within yourself. Try it, feel it now. You might need a little self-talk to make it happen but pretty soon you’ll be able to grab the tail of the feeling. Once you have felt this beautiful sense of love with the Star in the center, you can feel it whenever you need to – the more often, the better. Eventually, this inner feeling will manifest as outer love and your bond with your mate will grow.
The Star from the Pagan 2000 Tarot
The Star Card and Money
If the Star turns up in answer to a question about money, relax and let it flow to you. Read the section about feeling love and this time focus on abundance. Do this often and the tarot Star will manifest as abundance in your life.
Other Star meanings
If your question is about health, things are looking up. If work and career are being scrutinized, then again, go with the flow – focus on de-stressing, rather than competing against your co-workers.
The Reversed Tarot Star
I have often seen the reversed Star described as depression and loneliness. However, I can’t see that at all. The reversed Star is still positive, its core message is not diluted or made opposite. Instead it means that understanding is delayed, that the seeker is unable at this time to assimilate the ‘all is well’ meaning. The reader is advised to tone down the spiritual message and simply explain that the appearance of the Star always indicates a positive outcome or a positive side to any situation. The important thing is that this reading should leave the seeker with a feeling of hopefulness.
The Star’s Relationship to Other Tarot Cards
The Star is a turning point in the tarot, and as such, its light reflects and mirrors other Major Arcana. The card diametrically opposite in meaning to the Star, is the Chariot where control and direction are all-important. Temperance is very close in meaning to the Star, and you will see parallels in the imagery of an angel pouring water, one foot in a stream and the other on dry land. However, Temperance is about finding balance and moderation right where you are, whereas the Star is more visionary and forward-looking.
It has been pointed out that the woman in the tarot Star is the same woman as in the Strength card. Also Strength is numbered eight (though not always) and there are eight stars in the Star, each with eight points. Also 17 = 1+7 = 8. Strength is about inner strength, courage and gentleness, which fits right in with the Star’s message of self-belief and understanding.
If you read all of this… you *ARE* a star.
Back to Articles
I came across this as I was trying to find meaning in a reading I did for my best friend and soulmate, right before he died. The reversed Star was the final outcome card, and everything I read (quite a bit) online about the reversed Star was so confusing and contradictory. I am not a star but I read it all, and you ARE ⭐ Thank you for the clarity and how beautifully you made sense of it all. Making the pieces of the puzzle fit! Thank you and I wish you all the best 🙏
Thank you so much, Sara. Sorry for your loss (can’t imagine the pain you’ve endured) and glad this helped in a small way.
I think that the star represents the pole star and represents constancy. Why do I think this, because in the middle ages they believed there were eight unmoving stars of which the most important was the pole star. That is why there are eight stars in the sky.
Bright star would I were as constant as though art…. keats
Interesting comment, plumage. Yet the pole star, itself is not constant. It is Polaris at present but it has changed in the past and will change again, thus underlining that nothing is permanent in the Universe. Funnily enough, when I first started using the internet way back when, my screen name was Brightstar 🙂
I love this Article about the Star .. such a beautiful card .. thank you for sharing this .. Tarot On!! Yep I am a Star I read it all .. 🙂
* Thank you, Janette * 🙂