(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Tarot Major Arcana: XVII The Star. [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-07-02 The Star directly follows XVI The Tower, one of the most nerve-wracking fraught cards in the whole tarot. After the fear, devastation and uncertainty of events beyond our control, the Star offers a message of calm and of hope. The Star as depicted by Pamela Coleman Smith in the Rider-Waite tarot deck. Traditional depictions of the Star show a young woman, usually nude, holding two jugs of water. One of her feet is in a pool of water while the other remains on dry land; her long hair is unbound and like her body, unadorned. Her nudity emphasizes the lack of separation between her and the natural world. One water jug is being poured into the pool before her, returning the element of water to it's source. The other is poured out onto the ground; the water separates into five streams representing the five senses. Surrounding her is flourishing and blossoming plant life, the abundant life of the Earth all around her. Often there is a bird perched nearby; since the most ancient times birds have represented messengers of the Gods. Above the woman's head shines an eight-pointed star. It is the star of Astarte/ Ishtar, who is also Venus. It is a brilliant steady light in the night sky, a comfort in the darkness and the herald of the coming dawn. However dark the present moment, the sun will rise again. A seventeenth century Tarot de Marseilles version of The Star. The Star reminds us to breathe. Take a deep breath. Take another. Maybe go outside and look around you; the ground beneath your feet, the life all around you. The sky above- our world vibrates with life, and you are part of it. None of us are truly alone in a world in which all that lives is interconnected. The Star as depicted in the DruidCraft, Hanson-Roberts, Ethereal Visions and Crow tarot decks. Upright, the Star is a reminder that the stress and turmoil you've recently endured will not go on forever; the dust will settle and life will go on. Stuff happens and things change; that's simply an inescapable fact of life. Sometimes those events are awful. Often they get amplified, occasionally they get blown out of proportion. If it's becoming unmanageable and you are tempted to panic, take a step back. Call your therapist. Talk to a trusted friend. Breathe. Pray, meditate, read something hopeful and inspiring. Walk outside or sit down and watch the fish in your aquarium. Turn off the TV and internet for a while. Breathe. Panic rarely if ever results in good decisions or helpful actions. It can cause great harm. It's definitely something to avoid. Maintaining your equilibrium and sense of perspective will serve you better, and that is a thing which requires a degree of calm. The Star tells us that that is possible. It's within our reach. Reversed, this card tells of hopelessness and despair. It's time to seek support, reestablish our boundaries, and prioritize our mental, emotional, and physical well-being. ETA I wrote this before learning about the SCOTUS decision regarding presidential immunity. Now it's my turn put the message of the Star into practice. ••••••• Thank you for reading. This is an open thread, all topics are welcome. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/7/2/2250319/-Tarot-Major-Arcana-XVII-The-Star?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/