17 - The Star Tarot Card
The Star is tarot card number 17, although it is the 18th card of the Major Arcana because the 1st of the 22 Major Arcana cards is number 0 (The Fool).
The Star tarot card may appear in a spread as a reminder that the querent is literally the "star" (main character) of his or her own life. It is also a spiritual card that conveys the concept of understanding through intuition.
It may be explained as follows: There are various ways in which people can understand things. For example, in a school or college environment understanding is often used to mean being able to give (logical) reasons for something, to justify it, or to cite certain associated facts. This is very different from, for example, understanding a person, a phrase and concept that is often intended to convey the idea of empathizing with someone, that is being able to imagine what it must be like to experience his or her circumstances from his or her point of view and, to a certain extent, doing so in order to support the person by accompanying him or her through an emotional situation. The Star tarot card is more concerned with the latter meaning of understanding, i.e. as in empathy, but its meaning is not restricted to apply only to people. It may concern intuitive understanding of a particular situation, relationship, job, direction, or idea.
In the cases of the Rider Waite and Robin Wood decks The Star tarot card depicts a nude figure of a young woman on one bended knee with the other foot in a stream or pool. In both cases, there is much symbolism in The Star tarot card. The nudity of the figure indicates that she has "nothing to hide", the eight-pointed star above her represents infinity, the water she is pouring onto the land beside the stream/pool divides into 5 small trickles representing the five senses.
Some words and phrases associated with The Star tarot card include:
- Bright prospects
- Hope
- Faith
- A need for cleansing
- Occult Arts
- A need for inner clarity
- Self-confidence (present, or needed)
- Self-Trust (present, or needed)
More about the Major Arcana
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