"A great, radiant star of eight rays, surrounded by seven lesser stars--
also of eight rays. The female figure in the foreground is entirely naked.
Her left knee is on the land and her right foot upon the water. She pours
Water of Life from two great ewers, irrigating sea and land. Behind her is
rising ground and on the right a shrub or tree, whereon a bird alights. The
figure expresses eternal youth and beauty. The star is l'etoile flamboyante,
which appears in Masonic symbolism, but has been confused therein. That which
the figure communicates to the living scene is the substance of the heavens
and the elements. It has been said truly that the mottoes of this card are
"Waters of Life freely" and "Gifts of the Spirit."
The summary of several tawdry explanations says that it is a card of hope.
On other planes it has been certified as immortality and interior light. For
the majority of prepared minds, the figure will appear as the type of Truth
unveiled, glorious in undying beauty, pouring on the waters of the soul some
part and measure of her priceless possession. But she is in reality the Great
Mother in the Kabalistic Sephira Binha, which is supernal Understanding, who
communicates to the Sephiroth that are below in the measure that they can
receive her influx." A.E. Waite
The Star
We encounter in the star a nude figure who, after the devil and tower almost
seems separate from the path we've been trodding- she sheds all chains,
clothes and pretensions. There is hope, we think, looking at the bright star
in the middle of the card- an the seven stars around it...all eight-pointed
bright stars to guide us along the way. After all the lessons, the internal
and external forces, the chaos and blasting away of self, here we find
ourselves finally at one with the world and looking around- stripped of all
that we've been and done and looking now to find our way anew.
The woman has golden hair- of the freedom of the sun and stars, spiritual
wisdom. She has one knee on the collective unconscious represented by the pool
of water, and her left foot in kneeling on the ground by the pool- with
balance.. She pours water from her left hand which flows to the pool and is
joined by water from her right-, we are reminded of Aquarius- solar water
bearer for the skies. There are five rivulets from the stream she pours on the
ground, the five senses perhaps. Both waters from pitchers flow in three
streams- the triad again. She is almost neutral, in her unclothed state,
neither evoking passion or desire- but rather simply being, with nothing to
hide, nothing to flee from. She is making a choice to live life to the
fullest and is embraced by the guiding light of the stars.
The star with eight points links us to the superconscious mind- action and
opportunities. Called the star "Aldebaran" it is aid to be in the
constellation of Pleiades, and the zodiac sign of Taurus- grounded well. Eight
is considered a number of balance. The seven stars surrounding give us the
seven chakras, the seven points of the body for healing and balance- which is
a basic premise of this card. They also symbolized the spirits that influence
us in our lives..
If you look to the background you see a violet mountain- virtuous and noble
aspirations and there is a lush green background with plants taking root. The
bird is thought to represent a phoenix, which we know means transformation but
if not then it is also representative of ideas we have that need to nurture.
The bird sits on a tree, encouraging us to focus our thoughts and ground them,
rather than be 'flighty' with them.
When you get this card it is time to look at the situation and see how you are
situated to be at one with the world- to be in balance- in purity and in
simplicity. To banish all the noise and clutter and to put yourself in a place
where you can truly feel the guidance you are getting from the stars- and to
be at peace for a moment. There are hints in this card as to how to do that-
can you think of them? How do you find balance after being tossed and thrown
about by all the previous cards?
It is time to ready yourself for a new direction- there will be healing, inner
strength will come, and opportunity will be at your door. It is important
with this card to focus on self acceptance- with all the foibles of ourselves
as humans.
Look perhaps at where your focus has been and try to objectively evaluate if
that is where you are truly meant to be, or where you've gotten stuck. This
card tells us that in our simplest state we have it all- balance, the earth
and skies, the waters of subconscious...and we should use this card to focus
on the essence of who we are. That is not easy- that is what the previous
cards have told us in the various lessons and experiences-- yet we now realize
even more seriously how true and simple life can be if we but just focus on
who we are- with our dark and light sides...and find a balance between the two
places for ourselves...where we can enjoy the star light, we can heal, and we
can begin anew.
