I wonder???

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 11 May 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

ruby_red4268	11 May 2003
I am new to the tarot and I was looking through my deck when I passed by THE STAR, and I looked at it closely because something caught my eye. I noticed that the woman has one leg resting on the ground and one on the top of the water...does this mean anything special, and did this stand out to anyone else? Thanks, Ruby

Belladonna	11 May 2003
I think that one reason the star lady has one foot on land and one foot on water is to remind us that the light of a star shines down everywhere, on everyone. Whether on land or on water, there is no place you can go that the light of the star cannot be seen. Ultimately, we all originated from stardust so that even when the stars above us are not visible we can look within for that guiding light. And that is what the star represents. Guidance. Hope. When there is nothing else, hope provides us with a light to go on. A light in the dark.

SharonElizabeth	11 May 2003
I have read that it indicates balace, 78DW compares the card to temperance and uses the fact that one foot is one land and one foot is in the water to illustrate the idea of balance. Personally I see it as a balace between two worlds, like yin and yang. She's got one foot in the fluidity of water, and one foot on solid earth.

Thirteen	11 May 2003
I agree that it's an echo of Temperance. It also relates to Aquarius, the water bearer. Aquarius gathers up the water of knowledge and pours it out where its needed to help things grow and develop. So, she has one foot in the pond as she bends to fill her urn with water. Water is all about psychic powers, the unconcious, as well, and the Star, while not swimming in that, has at least dipped her toe into it ;) Remember that the Star is all about insight into the future, about giving people a healing drink of water so that they can continue on to that future.

Inana	12 May 2003
Is curious that this is wanted to mean balance, cause i always saw it ¡n a different way. To me it tells about making good use of of your resources. Like an advice to not waste your illusions in wrong projects. Pouring water into earth is productive, it will serve to make grow something on it. So its good. But pouring water into water seems usseles. Its like wasting resources. It only makes bigger the amounth of water you have, and at long time it will overflow. I'm assuming here that water is representing emotions, hopes and illusions. So, you have to be carefull with not making bigger a hope that will lead to nowhere, cause this will spill your emotions in form of tears.

galadrial	12 May 2003
This is from "Spiritual Tarot", by Echols, Mueller, and Thompson: ...rests one knee at a pool that represents the collective unconcious. Her left foot is on land and her right foot on water, but not in it, suggesting that spirit supports matter, and that concious knowledge is propped up by unconcious intuition. The female figure, whose nudity shows she has nothing to hide, pours the water of life from a pitcher in each hand. The stream from the the vase in her right hand falls directly into the pool to show that she is making a concious choice to expand the Self. The flow from the vase in her left hand (unconcious/intuition) falls on the land, where it divides into five rivulets, representing the five human senses. The ripples in the pool form an expanding circle or mandala, suggesting expansion of the Self or the inner soul."

Thirteen	12 May 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Inana But pouring water into water seems usseles. Its like wasting resources. It only makes bigger the amounth of water you have, and at long time it will overflow. True, unless, of course, she is creating and maintaining the pool with that water. It always strikes me that the lady in the star card is in a pretty barren land, not very lush or green. What if our "water bearer" brought that water to this place? And now she pours it out--some onto the land, irregating it, making it grow. Notice the tree in the background, she's had some luck already in turning the desert into a paradise. And the rest goes into that pool. Why? First, to help the ecosystem she's creating, but also for thirsty travelers, for birds and animals that might stumble into this new oaisis. That's why it won't overflow, because it's going to be drunk. And when the level gets low, our Star will return, filling it back up again. At least, that's the spirit of The Star to me. Humanitarian, looking to the future, scientific even (create a pool, fill with water, add in some green stuff and fish--very soon, you end up with a living, breathing ecosystem where once there was a barren wasteland). Healing and inspirational, guiding us to an oaisis in the desert.

celeste	13 May 2003
To me the Star is simply about having the help and spiritual confidence to make our dreams manifest on the physical plane.

Inana	13 May 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Thirteen True, unless, of course, she is creating and maintaining the pool with that water. It always strikes me that the lady in the star card is in a pretty barren land, not very lush or green. What if our "water bearer" brought that water to this place? And now she pours it out--some onto the land, irregating it, making it grow. Notice the tree in the background, she's had some luck already in turning the desert into a paradise. And the rest goes into that pool. Why? First, to help the ecosystem she's creating, but also for thirsty travelers, for birds and animals that might stumble into this new oaisis. That's why it won't overflow, because it's going to be drunk. And when the level gets low, our Star will return, filling it back up again. Thirteen, your take makes a good point. Could be very true that she is doing so: transformating a barren environment with her hopes and illusions, the power of her unconsciouss mind. The card looks more happy this way. One of the things i meant before is sometimes making hopes too big can create big desillusions if you dont do nothing to materialize them (earth). Its fun this is my shadow card and quite hard to understand all its hues. Bah! I have a trend to lose illusion easily, so maybe this is why i see the card this way. But all im reading here is bringing new light to it. About other symbols in the card... What is the meaning of the eight-pointed stars? Eight-pointed stars are not very common to use. Are them about universality or something like this?

Major Tom	13 May 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Inana What is the meaning of the eight-pointed stars? Eight-pointed stars are not very common to use. Are them about universality or something like this? To answer I'll quote Paul Foster Case from his The Tarot - A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages: "The great yellow star signifies the cosmic radiant energy which is sent forth from the various suns and stars of the universe. It has eight points. Thus its geometrical construction is like that of the Wheel of Fortune, or the symbols of Spirit embroidered on the dress of the Fool... The inventors of Tarot used innumerable devices to remind us that in our mental and magical work we are using an actual force which has definite physical forms of expression."

Thirteen	13 May 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Inana One of the things i meant before is sometimes making hopes too big can create big desillusions if you dont do nothing to materialize them (earth). You're not entirely wrong. The Star is filled with hope--and looks to the future. She MEANS to make that future real, but she may be looking too far ahead (dreams and designs of a flying machine back in the Renissance were not realized for another 500 years, yes?). Or may, in deed, be heading toward illusion. The Moon DOES follow the Star. What you're talking about, however, is counting chickens before they hatch, dreaming of happy futures rather than making them real. That's more The Moon, though The Star could mean that given the context of a spread--or reversed. But at it's most pure, the Star talks about looking to the future rather than living entirely and selfishly in the present (like, someone who thinks we should pump all the oil out of the ground now, no matter where it is or what deadly oil spills that may cause, so they can have cheap gasoline and drive big cars). When I see the Star, I think of that rather infamous Native American quote about considering how your actions will affect the next seven generations. This is not "illusion"--dreams of what you're going to do with your money once you're famous, which you will be once someone discovers how talented you are, etc....This is seeing the future in a much larger context. It's coming up with ideas for alternative fuel because even if you don't need it now, your children's-children will, because oil is a limited resource and humanity WILL run out of it. It's about dreaming of flying machines, and knowing that men WILL someday fly--even if they can't do it yet. Whether the personal future, or the grand future, it's something we need to think about, like filling up our waterbags at that pool rather than just taking a drink from it now--lest we risk being caught in the middle of the desert with nothing to drink.

Inana	15 May 2003
Thanks much for the info Major Tom. :) Thirteen, then if I understood well, the Star is about having hope in the future but working for it. Think about it in a positive way, and taking actions to built it up. Maybe i've been mixing the meanings of the moon and the star, both of them have some "dark areas" in the sense that i cant see their clear meanings. And since the stars we see on earth are non existing nowadays, seemed suitable to to think it has some irreal and fantasious touch. But yes, they project real light in their future, wich is our present.

jakyle	20 May 2003
.......Coveting something that you don't necessarily deserve....Manipulating the elements so you get your way.........Security and cockiness.....egotistical person.......The seeker will do what ever they can to get what they want......Even if they have to,"sleep their way to the top."When this card is involved with pentacles in the spread.....(negative aspects or reversals point of view...........)I'm just giving my opinion,so if I offend anyone I'm sorry:D

The I wonder??? thread was originally posted on 11 May 2003 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.