The Star is the seventeenth trump of the Major Arcana, which in most traditional decks is associated with Aquarius. In the Rider Waite Tarot the Star depicts a naked woman kneeling by a pool of water, with one foot in the water and the other on the ground.
She holds two jugs: one in her right hand, from which she pours a liquid into the water, and one in her left, which she uses to pour the liquid on the earth. In the background a bird stands on a tree, while above the woman there is a large eight-pointed star, together with seven smaller stars, making a total of eight stars.
From a Gnostic perspective the eight
stars represent the eight starry spheres beyond the visible planets, the
gateway to Heaven and what lies beyond human awareness. In this respect the
naked woman relates to Sophia,
a representation of the human soul in its purity, the ultimate and lowest
emanation of God, and the mystical Bride
of Christ. By pouring water on the land and on the pool the woman shows
mastery in the shamanic art of combining polarities, which is what finally
allows true ascension to higher realms.
Following the stormy features of the Devil and the Tower, the Star brings a radical soothing shift, which provides an inevitable sense of calm and relief. It heralds the end of a time of turmoil and the return of peace and stability.
This reminds me of a famous poem by Giacomo Leopardi, titled La quiete dopo la tempesta ("The Calm After the Storm”). “The storm has gone, I hear the joyful birds, the hen, returning to the path, renews her cackling. See the clear sky opening from the west, over the mountain: the landscape clarifes…..”
This is especially because the true calm to which Leopardi refers to in the end of the poem, far from residing in the provisional cessations of pain and troubles, abides in a dimension existing beyond our mortal awareness, which is generally provided only by death.
“To be free of pain is our delight. You scatter ills with generous hands: grief appears of itself, and pleasure, that’s so often born of trouble, through the monstrous, and the miraculous, is our only gain. The human race, dear to the gods! Happy enough to gain a breathing space from sorrow: blessed when death heals you of every grief.” (For a video with “The Calm After the Storm” in the original Italian click here.)
Death here is death of the personality, the ego identity based on false perception and separation. It is not a physical death, but rather a moment of epiphany in which what was obscured by the ego finally emerges, providing a sense of unexpected relief, balance and harmony. The storm may come again, and yet the Star brings increased awareness that the space of calm will return and that its presence can be ongoing if we learn to remain connected.
The Star is generally a most attractive card, which most people love, for it provides an immediate sense of healing and peace, suggesting unexpected help, or a gift often coming out of the blue. As a result, it is welcome in readings, especially in times of pain and darkness.
Since the Star is far away in the sky, it does not necessarily provide practical solutions to earthly issues, which are likely to remain troubled unless we take pragmatic action. Yet the Star brings the gift of hope, blessing and inspiration, which are surely a most motivating point in order to promote practical actions. Hence when the Star comes in a reading this can be a sign that we are on the right track and also that our intentions are blessed. And yet, in order for these intentions to be manifested we need to move further, embracing the blessing and doing what is needed.
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| Celestial Virgin by Augustus Knapp |
During the recent New Year Spiritual Healing Retreat, we held a ritual on New Year Day, which in the Catholic calendar is a solemnity devoted to Mary, Mother of God. On that occasion each participant established a connection with their own star. According to many legends there is a star that shines for each one of us throughout life and also shows the way back home when life here is over. This New Year ritual was accompanied by the sound of many versions of Stella Splendens, a popular round dance polyphonic song from the Llibre Vermell de Montserrat. And since I am writing all this on the day of the Epiphany, with the star energy being very intense in my body, I have had enough, and I cannot write much more!
The connection with the stars abides
in the deepest roots of our nature. Our physical bodies are the result of a
fusion generated by the explosion of a great star, a supernova that eventually
produced all the ingredients of the physical world. As Harvard professor of
astronomy Robert
Kirshner remarks “supernovas created the elements we take for granted – the
oxygen we breathe, the calcium in our bones, and the iron in our blood are
products of the stars.”
We were born from the stars, and the connection with the starry realms allows us to be linked to our original home, where we come from and our primary intention. The power of the stars is the element of transformation of the whole universe and stars operate as teachers, educating us to move on and renovate ourselves.
We were born from the stars, and the connection with the starry realms allows us to be linked to our original home, where we come from and our primary intention. The power of the stars is the element of transformation of the whole universe and stars operate as teachers, educating us to move on and renovate ourselves.
I dedicate the song “Stella Splendens” to all the readers and to all those who never cease to enamoured of the Star(s) and constantly hold her (their) tender and passionate embrace with the Earth.
I also devote it to those who have provisionally lost their love for the Star(s), knowing that this love keeps being available at all times, up in the sky and in the reflection of the stars down on the earth, and inside ourselves. After all, as Des’ree sings “in this great big universe, we are the stars on earth”.
I am so passionate about “Stella Splendens”! Only by listening to a little bit of its music stars begin to vibrate within and without me, spontaneously, with no effort. Yes, because, whether we want it or not, we are made of stars, and no matter if we get trapped in the marshes of our gloomy thoughts, stars continue to shine the light of whom we truly are.
Hence, for God’s sake, let’s enjoy these stars!
And then, if I also dare to dance this music, well, what comes is everything that I have always wanted to write about stars (but were afraid to tell).
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