Welcome to this edition of Liminal Walker Musings!
If you are a new subscriber, a special WELCOME! Today we are returning to the exploration of the major arcana of the tarot. To see prior posts, they can be found in the “Tarot Journeys” section of my substack site. In this post we are exploring the Archetype of The Star, this illumination from above and within. Enjoy and Love to you all!
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The Star
Numerically the Star card follows the Tower, the card of destruction. The Star arriving as the calm after the storm. The wheel has turned, whatever trouble or turmoil that has befallen us has now passed. However, the reverberation from it may still be echoing in our being. As this luminary makes her entrance, healing and integration begin. We are invited into self-care, a spa-like loving respite that rejuvenates and refreshes our soul. Letting the other gifts of this illuminate orb arise, that of insight, rebirth, harmony, hope, guidance and inspiration.
The traditional card in the RWS system shows a naked woman kneeling by a reflecting pool with one foot in it and the other on the ground. The element of water is our intuition and spiritual nature. The element of earth, as the home to our soul and rootedness in life. She holds two pitchers each with water flowing from them. One an ongoing replenishment of the pool the other nourishing the earth. Five streams flowing out, representing our five senses, the doorways to sensation. Behind her is a eight pointed star surrounded by seven smaller stars as the chakras.
Eight-Pointed Star
The imagery seen on the Star card varies from tarot deck to tarot deck. Each one depicts the Star in different ways. Yet many times we see the eight-pointed star. Eight-pointed stars are found all over the world, seen in many traditions. The first ones go back to around 4000 BC, during the time of Mesopotamia and Sumeria, the age of the fertility goddess. This is the star of the Goddess Ishtar, known as Innana, the goddess of love and war. Associated with the planet Venus, whose path moves from morning star to evening star, then back to morning once more. Like Innana’s journey into the underworld, where she dies, resurrects and returns anew again and again.
Here is a sampling from other traditions where we see the eight-pointed star…
Wicca: It is the star representing the eight annual sabbats. Festivals that fall on the Solstices and equinoxes and the midpoints between them.
Buddhism: it’s the Dharma Wheel, the eight-fold path.
Hinduism: It’s the star of Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, and her eight emanations of wealth.
Christianity: the Star of Bethlehem guiding the wise men to the baby Jesus.
Native American: This star is surrounded by a circle representing protection. The points signifying the four directions with the other four as the solstices and equinoxes.
The eight-pointed star is a gateway to ancient wisdom. A shining universal beacon that illuminates the natural cycles and rhythms of life, reminding us that we are all connected. Weaving into our lives the light of balance, protection, guidance, renewal, prosperity, hope and inspiration.
Guidance
Stars are ancient. Some have been around since the beginning of the big bang. Three of them right here in the halo of our Milky Way. A team from MIT discovered them recently. They believe these three stars are 12 to 13 billion years old. Each one potentially is all that remains of their former galaxies after being absorbed into the growing Milky Way.1
Before GPS our ancestors navigated by these stars. Life was understood through myth and folklore, many that included stars and their constellations. Astrology and astronomy up till the 17th century were once considered as one science, one art. Even though they work independently today, they still bring guidance from these heavenly bodies above.
Stars are part of us! In our DNA, components of our physical bodies. They are the inner light of our soul and spirit, the vital force that inhabits these forms. Each one of us born with an inner purpose for being here, a map as our constant guide through life. How important it is when feeling lost, disorientated or off course that we are reminded of what and who we really are. Star dust!
The insanity of our current world today makes it challenging to return to this truth. Yet this is exactly what is needed. For we are not the situations we find ourselves in nor the emotions we feel because of them. The Star reminds us of our sacredness and divinity. Its guiding light in these dark times are the inner nudges we feel showing us the way. Making accessible the universal wisdom from our ancestors, teaching us how to be responsible and accountable with each other.
“True guidance is like a small torch in a dark forest. It does not show everything at once, But gives enough light for the next step to be safe.” – Unknown
Hope
Our world desperately needs hope right now. But first, let us not confuse hope with wishing. Wishing typically is rooted in regret, desiring the present moment to be different than what it is. There is a passivity about it, a desperate cry for change that usually is unrealistic and implausible.
Hope is a belief accompanied by a deep feeling that events and/or situations will improve and get better over time. Grounded in a reasonable confidence, it’s a conviction that is possible, positive and doable. Here lies the crux of the power within hope, for its nature is optimistic. Igniting our courage and summoning our inner resources of creative thinking and powers of action. With that said, it’s important to watch out for false hopes, those based on misinformation and/or conspiracy theories whose sole purpose is to lead one astray.
Hope is liminal. Hope arises into our experience when we are experiencing adversity, some degree of difficulty is present. Like the ongoing rubbing of the gritty sand in an oyster, friction that eventually creates a pearl. But first, dissonance is the catalyst, that alchemizes hope. Hope lights our inner flame, fueling perseverance, empowering us to overcome despite what is showing up.
“Hope springs eternal in the human breast.” - Alexander Pope.
Inspiration
Hope is based in care and love. What we hope for is rooted deeply in what we are devoted to. An invitation to tune into one’s intuition, calling and dreams. Following the crumbs, letting the path unfold bit by bit. Along the way, finding deeper meaning in life’s celebrations and struggles. Times of light and dark.
Inspiration can come like a bolt of lightning or in the simplicity of being present. Either way it is an aha - eureka moment! Clearly something profound has been imparted. The root of the word inspiration comes from the Latin inspirare, meaning to breathe into.
There is a mystical infusion, an awakening to new possibilities. Supporting us in moving beyond self-imposed limitation and apathy into seeing our capabilities in new ways. Motivating us to create, galvanizing us into action. Inspiration is a breath of fresh air, a rebirth!
“There are two ways to live: You can live as though nothing is a miracle, or as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein
Final Thoughts
While in the editing phase of this post, I got the Star card in a reading. Upon seeing it, my heart immediately melted into this sweetest expanse. After the recent passing of my dear friend which I wrote about in my last post, I feel the Star’s offering of hope and inspiration seeping into my life.
And globally we need this more now than ever! May we open our minds and hearts and see this illumination in each other. One light, one love, one family. Recognizing it’s in our differences that a deeper creativity is born. An innovative force, a catalyst for new modalities of working together. An activation of the star dust in us all! Weaving together new possibilities.
Questions for you:
What guidance is showing up in your life right now?
With our world the way it is currently, are you feeling hopeful or discouraged?
How is the stars’ illumination birthing inspiration in you?
Would love to know your thoughts and feelings. Let’s have a conversation…
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https://www.popsci.com/science/oldest-known-stars/
Hi this was beautiful 😻 thank you 😊 and very synchronic. Dreamt of the star ⭐️ last night. So this is like a sign. I think we need hope as a collective and as individuals more than ever , and our creative offerings can be medicine like a lighthouse in this times. Mucho love ❤️ Jime 🌸⭐️
Julie, it is as though you wrote this post for me. Thank you!!!
Guidance. Hope. Inspiration. What beautiful words to read at the moment. The Star. What a beautiful image to see at the moment...I am a bit lost for words, my day was a bit discombobulated...your words are a soothing hopeful balm...thank you xxx