Timely Tarot: Embracing the Hope and Healing of The Star Card by Lisa De La O Wyman
Timely Tarot: Embracing the Hope and Healing of The Star Card
by Lisa De La O Wyman
We’ve made it to 2021! While it would be lovely to imagine that the struggles and grief of last year are a thing of the past, it wouldn’t be true. We are still dealing with the same issues and their accompanying emotions. However, one way we can create space for new possibility is to allow ourselves to heal. Healing is often depicted as something soft and cozy that takes place in an ambience of wind chimes and aromatherapy candles. In reality, healing is an art and can also be quite difficult. It asks us to cultivate discipline and commitment to a new way of being. Healing requires change, largely through surrender. It takes courage! It asks us to slow down, even as we work at our jobs and participate in relationships. Healing often comes after upheaval and encourages us to return to a state of embodiment and acceptance. The blessing of The Star card brings in much-needed hope, faith, spiritual guidance, and revitalization. It’s our North Star, lighting the path back to wholeness and optimism. In the darkness of night, it helps us find our way, refreshing us with every step and connecting us to the power of the cosmos and potential of the collective.
The Star Card Moonchild Deck
Ruled by the planet Uranus, Aquarius is a fixed Air sign. The constellation of Aquarius, Latin for “water-bearer" or "cup-bearer,” is most commonly associated with the young Ganymede in Greek mythology. Zeus was captivated by the beauty of the Trojan prince and spirited him off to Mount Olympus to serve as cup-bearer to the gods. Aquarian energy is all about freedom – the freedom to think in new ways, be original, buck convention, and to imagine a world in which the collective is united through cooperation and cosmically-influenced innovation. Aquarius is a humanitarian sign and believes in the interconnectedness of the universal family. It’s associated with crystals, the study of astrology, and passionate interest in the possibility of extraterrestrial communication and technology. The Water-bearer is also considered the sign of the internet due to its strong intellectual prowess and visionary ability. It is mindful of group energy and its influence.
The Star Card Rider Waite Deck
Aquarius is sometimes regarded as the “alien” of the zodiac for their so-called eccentric views; their unabashed originality and disinterest in conforming to the status quo can sometimes portray them as outsiders. However, this forward-thinking approach to life injects tremendous freshness and revolutionary creativity into our collective pool, which can get quite stagnant otherwise. As double-Aquarius, musician, and all-around Renaissance man Henry Rollins says – “Be weird. Live weird.” We need Aquarius at the table. They are often the star that illuminates a new path for everyone.
The Star Card Thoth Deck
The Star card traditionally depicts a naked woman on the banks of a river. As she kneels, she pours one pitcher of water into the river and another onto the ground. In doing the former she is returning the water to its source, and by the latter she is encouraging new growth through the hydration of seeds and existing vegetation. The sky is dark but for seven small stars and one radiantly large eight-pointed star. A star with eight points has many historical and spiritual associations, most notably the Star of Inanna (or Ishtar), who was known in ancient Mesopotamia as the “Queen of Heaven.” She was connected to the planet Venus, or “morning star” – and indeed, some feel this card depicts the naked goddess beneath the majestic Venus. Her nudity suggests vulnerability, openness, and authenticity. The star also relates to the eighth chakra, which is purported to connect us to our higher selves and the wisdom we possess beyond that of our human consciousness. It holds the knowledge and experience of potential past lives and ties to other dimensions. The bird depicted in the background of the card resembles an ibis, a wetland bird long associated with the Egyptian god Thoth, who was said to have invented writing and language. It suggests a fusion of heaven and earth and speaks to how we are always receiving guidance, wisdom, and inspiration from a spiritual source. These cosmic downloads not only help us to self-actualize but allow us to channel information for the collective.
The Star Card Lioness Oracle
The Star card invites us to engage in the process of healing, which is not about resting in bed. There is an effort and a surrender that must occur. Healing means committing to change, and not knowing how long it will take or who we will be on the other side of it. The healing journey must be completed and come full-circle, otherwise it will call you back to it again later, perhaps with more work to do. It’s like a caterpillar entering the chrysalis stage of its metamorphosis. We are asked to incubate, which can sometimes make us uncomfortable. It’s less about doing and more about being, which can stir up some resistance because we don’t want to slow down. It’s a time of rest, regeneration, inner knowing, and re-parenting with gentleness and patience. Healing can open our hearts, soothe the inflammation of past pain and anguish, and create space for powerful breakthroughs of all kinds. You don’t have to withdraw from your life and check into a retreat center; deep healing can occur as you continue with your daily efforts. It's a different kind of shift and rest that largely takes place within your being, although alterations to your routine may be helpful.
Most importantly, your healing happens not just for you as an individual, but also for the collective. By healing ourselves we can better participate in the world and its connections. Do your personal dreams and goals involve the collective? If they don't, they are perhaps too narrow. Widen your perspective and see the web of interconnection between everything in the world (and beyond). Place your star amongst the constellation of the collective cosmos.
When a client pulls The Star card, they are probably moving through a prolonged period of strife or suffering. This card often comes when we most need it, and we might pull it repeatedly for some time. It reminds us that we can receive grace, healing, and invites us to refresh our hope at its waters. It might also encourage us to tap into the flow of spiritual energy around us, and to actively embrace prayer, meditation, deeper connection to nature, or whatever else helps us to feel a greater unity with the richly woven-fabric of the universe. When The Star shows up for you, it wants you to embrace your potential and explore how you can share it with the world as a loving gift. You’re not supposed to be like everyone else – you’re YOU and have something very special to contribute. Different is good!
In terms of The Star and healing, it’s usually not a time of hard lessons or aggressive growth, but of rest, rejuvenation, integration, and receiving blessings. It may be unwise to take big action, make significant decisions, or initiate large projects. Remember – less doing, more being. Allow the healing to take place. Surrender your grip. It can be very subtle, and you may not even be able to identify what might need to be processed. Just show up for it and let the magic happen. You are a unique and dazzling star in a galaxy of light – let us see you shine!
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Lisa De La O Wyman is a Tarot reader and writer based in Redondo Beach. At Tarot for Empowerment she works with individual clients, private parties, and special events. Through her work she seeks to connect people with their innate power as well as encounter the mystery in everyday life. She can be reached via Instagram and Facebook at @tarotforempowerment.