DAILY TAROT: THE STAR

Dharma: Orientation, Direction, Flow and Renewal

XVII. THE STAR.

This card represents The Totality of Dharma.

This notion has three related sub-themes of: Fate & Destiny as well as Orientation, Navigation & Direction and also Harmonious Balance, Integration via Flow and Renewal.

The number is XVII (17) and is the 18th Card in the Major Arcana.

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HOW TO CONSIDER THE TAROT

For an introduction to this series and an outline of how to appreciate Tarot, in a very different paradigm to what one may be used to, the reader is encouraged to familiarise themself with the following post: How to Appreciate Tarot—a Hermetic guide to Semiotics & Allegory

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NUMEROLOGY

Numerology is the study of numbers. If mathematics is the language and the grammar, geometry is the syntax and poetry, and numbers are the base letters.

The number 17 is associated with its designated number in the Major Arcana.

This card is also associated with the number 8, via the 8-pointed stars depicted in the sky, of which there are 8.

SEVENTEEN (17)

17 is a prime, and is the sum of the first 4 consecutive prime numbers (2, 3, 5 and 7) and therefore maintains a relationship with these. 17 is the 7th prime number.

In Numerology 17 is associated with leadership and self-determination.

1 + 7 = 8, which brings us to 8. There is one golden star and seven smaller white stars on the card.

EIGHT (8)

8 is associated with the wheel of direction and orientation—compass points, phases of the moon, and sabbats of the year.

Embedded within 8 is the relationship to the square, and therefore the 4 elements.

8 is synonymous with the Infinity symbol (∞). The Infinity symbol is believed to be derived from the lowercase variant of Omega(Ωω) meaning mathematically “the ultimate limit of a set”.

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GEOMETRY & SEMIOTICS

Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation, the systematic study of sign processes and the communication of meaning

The compass has 8 cardinal directions and has connotations of Direction, Cardinality, Orientation and Navigation.

Geometrically, the 8-pointed star corresponds with two squares, offset by 45 degrees, which itself represents the Tetra-polar magnet and houses the 16 geomantic figures.

8 is the number of cardinal directions on a compass, implying the connotation of Direction, Cardinality, Orientation and Navigation.

This is depicted in the compass and associated with the 8-pointed Pole star, the North Star and the Star of Ishtar of the Star of Innana. The word Orientation itself is derived from the Latin word for East.

The 8-pointed star, also known as the Star of Lakshmi or the Star of Venus, has been used in various cultures to symbolize balance, harmony, and cosmic order.

Also depicted is the 8-spoked wheel of the dharmachakra and The Wheel of Fortune in Tarot, both being a representation of time’s cyclical nature, representing the death and rebirth cycle responsible for renewal via iteration. The axle of the wheel ensures the continuity of this motion which is reflected in the infinity symbol.(∞)

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ETYMOLOGY

Vertical shallow Etymology finds the nearest root words and leaves it at that. Deep and Wide Etymology reaches down and laterally, to explore the full essence of meaning that is related to the word.

Star comes to English via the Germanic sternan, which comes in turn from the Proto-Indo European root ster, meaning “star”.

It was used originally to denote the fixed stars in the heavens, as well as the astrological ‘stars’, which were any visible points of light in the heavens, from which it acquired its relationship with our sense of Fate and Destiny.

Astrologers would consult ‘the stars’ to allow leaders to determine their choices and if those choices would be sanctioned by the heavens, (the gods), or not.

In ancient cultures, seafarers were able to navigate across great distances, by the stars, and in that we discovered the relevance of ‘fixed’ and ‘moving’ stars, as well as certain stars in the night sky by which we could orient ourselves, depending on the hemisphere we were in. Fixed stars are those which maintain relatively constant positions in relation to each other. The fixed stars have been vital for navigation. Sailors and travellers used them to determine direction and latitude.

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APPEARANCE & ARRANGEMENT

The card depicts a naked woman kneeling at the edge of a small pool of water, with one foot in the water and her knee on the bank. She is pouring water from two clay vessels, one into the pool and the other onto the land, which makes 5 streams, one of which runs into the pool. In the sky, one gold 8-pointed is prominent in the centre, flanked by seven smaller white 8-pointed stars. The mid-ground on the right shows a tree with 3 main branches growing on a green mound. Perched in the uppermost branches of the tree, is an ibis about to take flight. In the far background, on the left is a wide mountain with a single peak.

Depicted are 2 jugs, 3 branches, 5 streams and 7 lesser stars (the first four consecutive prime numbers).

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EGREGORE

Egregore is an esoteric concept representing an emergent archetypal thought-form that arises from collective thoughts.

THE STAR card represents The Totality of Dharma: The Universal Fate & Destiny, with themes Orientation, Navigation & Direction but also Harmonious Balance, Integration via Flow and Renewal.

I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.

Galileo Galilei

The face of this card is a window onto the nature of the inherent duality of everything that exists, and its Telos or Purpose: Rota, Direction, Destination and Determination. Implied is the inextricable relationship between the Logos, and the Destiny of the Cosmos.

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THE UNFOLDING

THE STAR card comes right after the calamity and sudden correction of THE TOWER card and is the first of the three cards depicting celestial bodies.

This card by comparison is serene, and composed. The kneeling woman is Greek Astraea, the virgin goddess of innocence, purity and justice. Astraea is known as the “Star Maiden”. The kneeling woman’s feet do not touch the ground.

The dual jugs pour out ‘the living waters’ and depict the two universal aspects of cyclic renewal and flow: convergence & divergence. Very specifically these are vessels to distinguish their symbolism and meaning from cups.

The five streams represent the 5 directions, the 4 cardinal directions and the axis of return, the 4 spokes of the cross and the ‘sacred fifth’, being the divine and eternal orientation, the four elements and the quintessence that defines the essential nature of a thing.

The five streams echo the 5 aspects conveyed in the Bhagavad Gita: The Unmoved Mover, The Living Beings, Material Nature, Time and the Law of Cause and Effect (Karma).

The card and the number 8, the 8 stars and the dual jugs of water all depict themes of cyclic renewal, cyclic flow, cyclic infinity and cyclic eternity. This brings to mind the dharmachakra, the 8-spoked wheel. The card is often associated with Hope and Renewal, but it in fact depicts the duality of the cyclic nature of ebb and flow, the waning and the waxing, the disappearance and reemergence.

The ibis is associated with Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom, writing, knowledge, magic and communication, associated with Hermes/Mercury, who was known by the moniker ‘Tresmegistus’ which meant “thrice greatest” —master of all trinities.

The three-branch tree represents the manifold universal trinities:

• Past, Present & Future.

• Mind, Body & Spirit.

• Animal, Vegetable & Mineral.

• Solid, Liquid & Gas.

• Mother, Maiden & Crone.

• Creation, Preservation & Destruction.

• Underworld, Heaven & Earth

Hermes was the psychopomp, the messenger of the gods, able to travel between Olympus, Earth and Tartarus (the Underworld).

The seven white stars represent among other things the fundamental seven principles by which creation and the cosmos is ordered, summarised by the supreme ordering principle of the eighth golden star, as Logos. This is echoed in the 7 Hermetic Principles, the 7 candles of the Jewish Menorah, the 7 planets of astrology, 7 colours of the rainbow, 7 notes, 7 days of the week, the 7 vedic Rishis and their consorts the 7 Pleiades, the 7 halls of the Egyptian underworld.

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SYMMETRY WITHIN THE DECK

Within the deck, there are symmetries and connections between the cards, defined by the relationship of the numbers, others thematically by the relationship of their symbols, archetypes and other essentialities.

The integral symmetries and sequencing of this card show up in two ways offering a narrative arc within the Major Arcana.

In both the TEMPERANCE card and THE STAR card, a feminine figure can be seen pouring water from or between the two cups in the former and the two clay vessels in the latter.

TEMPERANCE is traditionally associated with moderation, alchemy, and the blending of opposites: Form & Flow, Giving & Receiving. These connotations are echoed in THE STAR, implying a connotation of temperance in the act of outpouring depicted in THE STAR.

THE STAR features in a sequence of celestial bodies that follow directly and consecutively after THE DEVIL and THE TOWER, the last two of which are the classic ‘Luminaries’ of Astrology, namely THE MOON and THE SUN. The sequence implies the nature of renewal after destruction, the nature of rebirth after death, either cyclic or via some form of transformation and transcendence.

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ALCHEMY

NIGREDO & ALBEDO

The alchemical process includes several stages, starting with nigredo (blackening), a phase of decomposition or death. THE STAR follows after THE TOWER card, which can be seen as the nigredo phase, where structures are broken down. The serene atmosphere of THE STAR represents the albedo (whitening) stage, where purification and washing away of impurities occur, preparing for a new phase of growth and understanding.

SOLVE & COAGULA

Also encoded is the Alchemical concept of Solve & Coagula, which is the process of breaking down elements to their purest form and then recombining them into a new, higher state. This principle is at the heart of alchemical transformation and is symbolized in The Star card through the dual act of pouring out and receiving water, denoting the dissolution of ego and the coalescence of true self.

This is further depicted as Dissolution & Reconstitution via the two jugs and the results of Convergence in the pool and Divergence in the 5 streams, depicting the alchemical notion that all elements exist due to the fundamental nature of the ‘sacred fifth’, the quintessence or the fifth element of aether/akasha, and are actually born from the same source.

AQUA VITAE

The Aqua Vitae pouring forth is the Water of Life, an essential element in the alchemical transformation process.

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KABBALAH & JUDAIC MYSTICISM

THE KLI

Very specifically depicted in THE STAR card are vessels, to distinguish their symbolism and meaning from cups used so frequently elsewhere in Tarot.

A concept key to Kabbalah is that of the Kli, which in Hebrew means ‘the vessel’, whereby each soul is a vessel into which is poured a measure of divine light that emanates from Ein Soph (The Infinite). The vessel begins as raw and imperfect and its default nature provides each soul with the innate and animating desire called the Will to Receive.

By this then, the project of Kabbalah, to the student, is the crafting, deepening and alignment of that vessel in order to receive more upper light and fulfil the purpose and function of the soul, by transmuting and transcending the ‘Will to Receive’ to ultimately become equal with The Inifinite in its nature of a ‘Will to Bestow’.

GEMATRIA & ALEF BET

The 8th letter of the Alef-bet is Chet(ח) which means “Life (trembling)”.

The 17th letter is Peh(פ) which means “Mouth” and represents “openness”. Numberically Peh(פ) denotes the value 80. 80 = 8 x 10. 10 is Yud(י) “The Emanation” and 8 is Chet(ח) “Life, trembling.” In this way THE STAR represents The Divine Word.

The mouth is the receiving portal of life.

On the Sephirotic Tree of Life, Peh(פ) is the branch between Chesed (Mercy) and Chokmah (Wisdom).

THE MENORAH

The seven white stars mirror the seven pillars of the Jewish menorah, alluding to the branches of human knowledge, represented by the six lamps inclined inwards towards, and symbolically guided by, the light of God represented by the central lamp. The menorah also symbolizes the creation in seven days, with the centre light representing the Sabbath. The first Menorah was made for the Tabernacle—the dwelling place of the Ark of the Covenant.

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HERMETIC LAWS & CONCEPTS

THE STAR card has encoded representations of several Hermetic principles.

CORRESPONDENCE

The act of pouring water from two jugs illustrates the dynamic balance between giving and receiving, action and reaction, and the constant flow of energy and resources in the universe.

The 8 stars in the heavens have 8 points each, which mirror the 5 streams of water and the 3 branches of the three.

POLARITY

The pole star at the centre is the symbol of polarity. The water running from the jugs towards the earth, and from the streams back towards the pool are depictions of the law of polarity in effect. The law of polarity is among other things about concentration gradients along which all convergence and divergence occur, which allow all things to ebb and flow according to their nature.

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ASTROLOGY

VENUS

THE STAR card is ruled by Venus(♀) and associated with the element of Earth(🜃)

Venus, when it appears as the morning star, heralds a new day and symbolizes renewal, hope, and new beginnings. As the evening star, it represents beauty, reflection, and the bringing of light after darkness.

The attraction towards divine beauty and harmony are key Venusian qualities. The star in the sky defines the Venusian ideal.

Venus is the ruler of Taurus(♉︎). Notably, Taurus, and specifically the central star of Alcyone, is considered the central axle on which the wheel of the Cosmos turns (from our geocentric perspective).

ASTREA & VIRGO

Depicted kneeling in THE STAR card is Astraea, the virgin goddess of innocence, purity and justice of Greek mythology.

Astraea is known as the “Star Maiden”, symbolizing the hope and renewal that we associate with the stars. According to myth, she was the last of the immortals to live among humans during the Golden Age, leaving the earth due to the wickedness of humanity during the Iron Age. Her departure to the skies is said to have marked the end of the era of humans living in peace and harmony. She became the constellation Virgo(♍︎), and the scales of justice she carried became the nearby constellation Libra(♎︎).

AQUARIUS

With her function in the card as water-bearer, there is an association with the feminine qualities of Aquarius(♒︎). This air sign’s focus is on the collective well-being, innovation and outpouring: the distribution of knowledge.

THE MOON

The number 8 of the 8-pointed stars and the 8 stars themselves represent among other things the infinity symbol and the 8 phases of the moon.

The number 17 is significant in how, on the 17th night after the Full Moon, a renewed crescent moon reappears again in the sky after three days of darkness of the New Moon.

THE PLEIADES

In Greek myth, the Pleiades were said to be daughters of the titan Atlas and the sea nymph Pleione. Each of the seven prominent stars has its own name: Alcyone, Asterope, Celaeno, Electra, Maia, Merope, and Taygete.

The Pleiades are in the constellation of Taurus(♉︎). The Pleiades have astrological and mythological significance to the Celts, the Meso-Americans, the Japanese, the Chinese, the Polynesian and the Australian aboriginal peoples.

In both myth and science, the Pleiades are sibling stars. Modern astronomers say the stars were born from the same cloud of gas and dust some 100 million years ago.

Given their location in the neck of the bull of the constellation of Taurus(♉︎), the Pleiades (Alcyone, especially), are considered (even in astronomy), as the central point around which ‘our’ Cosmos of fixed stars revolves, from the epicentre of which, and into which, the divine breath of ‘motion’ or ‘vibration’ is said to flow. This is because Taurus(♉︎) is the only constellation crossed by all three of the galactic equator, celestial equator, and ecliptic.

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MYTHOS & LOGOS

GREEK MYTHOS

The kneeling woman is associated with Astraea, known as the “Star Maiden” of Greek Mythology. According to myth, she was the last of the immortals to live among humans during the Golden Age, leaving the earth due to the wickedness of humanity during the Iron Age. Her departure to the skies is said to have marked the end of the era of humans living in peace and harmony. She became the constellation Virgo(♍︎), and the scales of justice she carried became the nearby constellation Libra(♎︎).

THE PLEIADES

The 7 white stars form the constellation of The Pleiades. In Greek mythology, the Pleiades were the seven daughters of the Titan Atlas and the ocean nymph Pleione.

The mother of the seven sisters was called Pleione, the mythical patron and protectress of sailors.

As their father, the Titan Atlas, was charged with holding up the firmament for all eternity, he was unable to protect his daughters. To spare the sisters from the relentless amorous pursuit by the hunter Orion, Zeus transformed them into doves and then stars.

The Pleiades were 7 sisters: Maia, Alcyone, Asterope, Celaeno, Taygete, Electra, and Merope. The oldest sister Maia means “Mother” in Latin and was revered by the Romans as their Spring Goddess, which is why our fifth month is called May. Zeus and Maia had a divine child called Hermes, who became the messenger of the gods.

Ancient culture looked up to the Pleiades star constellation for guidance. Mariners relied on the stars for orientation and navigation, and farmers took their cue for renewal and harvest, the waxing and waning of their agricultural seasons when to sow and harvest their crops. The Pleiades have astrological and mythological significance to the Celts, the Meso-Americans, the Japanese, the Chinese, the Polynesian and the Australian aboriginal peoples.

The Pleiades are mentioned in the Abrahamic Mythos in the book of Job, here God speaks to Job out of the whirlwind and challenges him with questions about the creation and governance of the universe to demonstrate Job's limited understanding of the divine order. The verse says:

"Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Or loose the cords of Orion?"

This rhetorical question is part of a larger passage where God questions Job about various aspects of the natural world, the immovability of the cosmos and its laws, from stars in the heavens to the laws of nature, underscoring the vastness of divine wisdom and power compared to human knowledge.

The Pleiades are of particular significance in the Hindu Mythos as the wives and nurses of the 7 Rishis, the cosmic deities said to be reborn at every great cosmic cycle. In Hindu cosmology, a Manvantara is a cycle that marks the lifespan of a Manu, who is considered the progenitor of humanity. Each Manvantara includes the creation and dissolution of seven Rishis (sages), specific deities, an Indra (king of gods), a Manu, and the Manu's sons, who are kings. This cycle is part of the larger framework of Yugas, which are epochs or ages that define the cosmic and moral order of the universe over vast periods of time.

The depiction of the Pleiades, given these cumulative symbolic meanings, positioned after THE TOWER card, conveys a strong message of cyclic renewal and orientation to divine cycles and flow of life and ongoing creation.

MESOPOTAMIAN MYTHOS

The 8-pointed star is associated with the Star of Ishtar of the Star of Innana. Ishtar and Inanna, representing essentially the same deity in different cultures (Babylonian and Sumerian, respectively), are ancient goddesses of love, beauty, sex, desire, fertility, war, justice, and political power. The eight-pointed star is one of the symbols most closely associated with Ishtar/Inanna, symbolizing her as the morning and evening star and reflecting her dual nature of both nurturing and destructive forces.

As the morning and evening star, Ishtar/Inanna heralds transitions, guiding through darkness into light or vice versa, from day into night.

One of the most famous myths associated with Ishtar/Inanna is her descent into the underworld. In this story, she descends to the realm of the dead, ruled by her sister Ereshkigal, to seek power or, in some versions, to rescue her lover Dumuzi. This journey symbolizes death and rebirth, the cyclical nature of life and seasons, and the transformation that comes through facing one's shadow or undergoing trials. Upon entering the underworld, Ishtar/Inanna must pass through seven gates, at each of which she is required to remove an item of clothing or jewellery, arriving before Ereshkigal naked and powerless. This stripping away of her possessions and symbols of power reflects themes of vulnerability, renewal, and the essence of being.

ABRAHAMIC MYTHOS

In biblical numerology, the number 17 is often seen as a symbol of victory and resurrection. In the story of Noah, it was on the 17th day of the second month that the fountains of the Great Deep were broken up and the windows of heaven were opened, leading to the Flood. After the flood, it was also on the 17th day of the 7th month that Noah’s ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat signifying the beginning of the earth’s rebirth after the destruction.

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INNER REFLECTION

Many interpretations of THE STAR card focus on hope—this is a bit narrow. Instead represents the full and accurate meaning of Dharma: an invitation to covenant with the Divine via alignment with both Logos and with Dharma (being both Fate and Destiny, source and telos, cause and purpose), that is the will of the divine as manifest in the causal nature of the world and our relationship to it through birth and participation, as well as what is possible, within the limits and reaches of what Logos and Dharma will allow.

THE STAR card has a dual face, supporting a heliocentric or cosmos-centric perspective of universal balance and flow via renewal, via the ebb and flow of all things, but also a geocentric, personal perspective relating to orientation to the ‘cardinality’ of the cosmos and the forces which drive it.

Here we are invited into the profound duality between the microcosm and the macrocosm and our place in it. This captures the essence of orientation—not just in a physical sense but also in aligning oneself with the cardinal truths and rhythms of the universe, and our relationship to the nature of ebb and flow and the nature of renewal through waxing and waning, death and rebirth.

The notion of ebb and flow is fundamental to harmony and death and rebirth are fundamental to renewal and to Life, the recognition of which reinvites us to an assumption of living under a state of grace, regardless of where we are along that cyclic and ever-changing journey.

Change is not something that happens to us but rather something that we are inextricably and intimately part of.

Encapsulated is the essence of duality within the universe and our lives, for the interconnected journey of finding our way and achieving balance, blending the physical and metaphoric acts of orientation, navigation, and direction with the pursuit of harmony, integration, and renewal in both those endeavours. This duality mirrors the intrinsic nature of all existence, where the cyclical processes of growth, decay, and rejuvenation are constant —a portal, offering a glimpse into the universal law of balance that governs both the cosmos and the inner workings of the human spirit. Suggested, that through acknowledging and embracing this duality, is that one can navigate life’s complexities with grace and insight. We are encouraged towards harmonious alignment with the cosmic flow, reminded of the importance of being both a seeker and a follower.

Implied is the inextricable relationship between the supreme reason of the Logos and the unfolding Destiny of the Cosmos. Via the path of emergence, and the indelible principles of divine law the dharma or Actualisation pathways of fate and destiny of the entire cosmos and every living participating thing are intertwined and inextricably connected.

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The title image depicts the symbol of the ship’s helm, reminiscent of the wheel of dharma, and the perennial symbol of both navigation and the rota of life, and the hub or axis on which that wheel turns, which is itself the eternal and indelible iron law of the cosmos. This imagery evokes the understanding that life is both a journey and a cycle, a series of navigational paths that are governed by universal laws and principles. Our relationship to this duality of singularity and multiplicity, of wheel and axis, defines our quintessence, which determines ultimately our way home.

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If you are interested in joining me for an integrated exploration of your own Archetypes, Symbolism, Mythos, Totems and Astrology via the Hermetic lens, and have an appetite for something deeper and more mature, schedule a call.