By Donnaleigh de LaRose
Ah, The Star. Ethereal, airy, suggesting sweet longing and the promise of dreams. She is the thirst of wishes and the benefactress of dreams. She is beautiful, she is magical, and she is a sparkle of sacred hope in the endless onyx sky.
The Star card is one welcomed with the sweet longing of dreams. This card does not hold the energy of action and sudden changes, but rather one of passivity and waiting. When The Star comes, a wish has been placed, a dream has been thought, and the intent has been placed unto the Universe.
Never depicted more beautifully and gently as in The Gaian Tarot, a woman kneels by a small reflective pool that captures the gossamer sky. Gently cupped in her hand is a luminous glow, held ever so delicately and with the respect and tenderness a wish should be held. Is it a faerie? Something magical? A phosphorescent star scooped from the water's reflection?
It is something held with awe and reverence. Not to hurt the fragility of her dream, she tenderly holds this light and senses the warmth and sacred magic it holds. Its soft radiance gives her a twinkle of faith, of life potential, of gentle anticipation. It is not unlike the small but hopeful radiance of a birthday candle just before we place intent and seal the wish with a gentle puff of life air from our lungs. Desire becomes a dream blown to the wind and placed into the ethers of the atmosphere where the stars dwell.
The numeric value of this gentle card is 17. The number 1 suggests a beginning, an inkling, the thought of a wish, a palpable dream. The number 7 is mystical, spiritual, something that is not of molecules and atoms but of thought. An alchemical transformation is at hand.
But this remarkable card has a number that trickles down to a sweet number 8 (7+1). An energy of strength lies hidden in the quietude of this karmic card, and hidden it is. We long for it, we pine for it, but it remains over the tops of the trees and beyond the grassy hills.
The number 8 is said to be the most powerful of all numbers. It is result-oriented, ambitious, and visionary. It is perseverant, forgiving, and self-disciplined, and it represents the markings of a natural survivor. But here, the 8 lies hidden in the 1 and the 7, yet to be culminated into the reduction of the final number. But that will come.
Water surrounds this card. Traditionally in Tarot water represents the swirl of emotions. The waters in this card remain still and idle except for the liquid the woman pours through her own actions. She is working toward growth by creating movement and energy. While she waits, she is gently swaying the water, moving its atoms, and with faith she aligns a balance.
Water. The Astrological attribution of this card as well as this Qabalistic Astrological attribute of this life path is Aquarius ~ The Water Bearer. We are made of water. The average adult human body consists of 50 to 65 percent water, roughly 45 quarts of life-sustaining fluid. It is no wonder that that the water in this card connects to us on a visceral level; it is what we are. Our brain alone consists of 75% water, so it is no surprise that we feel like we consist of 75% wishes. Our aspirations create what we become, and they are what propel us forward with hope.
Like wishing on a twinkling star at night, the Star's light reflects back to us with a glimmer of hope that anything our heart desires is possible. It just takes a bit of time for the dawn to rise and for us to see the first morning rays that shine on the actual manifestation, on which The Star provides barely a glint. The Star illuminates our way, though, and while the path is not well-lit, she gives us a direction to follow, a point upon which we can direct our gaze, and a place to go.
In Fate is our partner here. This card speaks of possible unexpected help, or support from the fates that surround you. Good energy moves forward here toward creation.
When the Star card arises in a reading, the promise of your dream lies just beyond the next waft of a cloud in the celestial sky. Place the intent, set it unto the azure heavens, and nourish it well with actions aligned with the direction of your Star.
The sky is aglitter with millions of glistening wishes. Wish upon your star. Because when you do, the limitless sky becomes narrowed to your point of focus. When it is the only Star we see, it becomes our Sun -- the brightest star we can see from plant Earth, and the only star we can see during our waking hours -- and this illuminates our way.
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For more information on the beautiful Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert, see www.GaianTarot.com.