The Star Tarot Card Meaning
Keywords: Hope – Healing – Faith
The Star Card Description
A woman kneels beside a spring. Her nudity represents vulnerability and purity. She is unembarrassed. She focuses on her task at hand. She holds a vessel in each of her hands. She pours water onto the earth and into the pool. The water is cooling and rejuvenating. She’s able to act as a conduit between the healing source of the pool and the earth that needs its nourishment. Above her is an eight-pointed star flanked by seven smaller celestial bodies. In the Pictorial Key to the Tarot, Arthur Waite suggests the star above is Sirius, the Dog-Star. Behind her is an ibis in a tree. The ibis was a sacred bird in Egypt associated with Thoth the god of wisdom, writing, and magic.
The Star card is the seventeenth card of the Major Arcana. The Star is a card of healing, rejuvenation, hope, inspiration, and faith.
Upright Meanings for the Star Tarot Card
The Star card is a beautiful card to receive in a tarot reading. It signals a time of healing and peace. In the numerical sequence of the tarot’s Major Arcana, it follows a string of difficult cards (Death, The Devil, and the Tower). It’s a respite from storms. It’s a card of hope after a difficult period.
This card can appear when you are in need of hope. Stay focused on your vision. Your situation might be difficult, but it isn’t hopeless. This is an affirmation to not give up now. Have faith in yourself and the process. Things will get better.
The Star card can also appear in a reading where you might be on the fence on whether or not to make a huge life change. In this situation, it’s one of the biggest “YES” cards you can get! Even more so if your reading features the Sun card too. Go for your dream. The Universe has your back on this one!
It can be a call to return to your source of inspiration. This is particularly true if you’re receiving this card after a period of burnout. Take time to reflect on what originally motivated you. This card suggests the answer may come from an internal source such as the joy of an activity you love, or a cause. Or maybe you’re motivated to help your family, your community, or even yourself?
The woman in the Star card pours water from the pool onto the ground to nourish it. For someone looking at it from the outside, this might seem like a fruitless task. But it does work and it does matter. Even just for the healing effect it has on the soul of the woman. It nourishes the land and herself. And thus, the Star card is an advocate of so-called “idle”, but regenerative pursuits such as art, journaling, joyous movement, or any creative activity. Science has shown the healing benefits that creative and expressive activities have on the body. It’s the patron card of humanitarian efforts in the face of hopelessness. It’s acts of radical self-love and self-acceptance.
The Star card is connected to healing on the mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical planes. This is a great card to appear if you are using tarot for self-development. It’s a positive indicator for those working through shadow issues. It’s a sign that you are moving past difficult events. It’s a great indicator for those in recovery.
And too, the Star card can suggest that it’s your time to shine. It can represent embracing being in the spotlight and allowing yourself to be seen. Others may shine a light on your talents and gifts. Pay attention to what draws others to you. Those talents or aspects of yourself are gifts to the world. Others need what you have to offer.
Love and Relationships: The Star
The Star card is a positive sign in any relationship reading regarding conflicts. It’s a sign of a peaceful period of healing. It’s a wonderful card to represent any romantic, platonic, or familial relationship. It can indicate feeling truly confident in being yourself around another person. Relationships represented by this card are safe and nourishing. In short, whoever this card represents is a keeper!
If you are looking for a new relationship, this card affirms that you are ready for a new connection. I’ve found that it can sometimes suggest that you will find a potential partner by just doing your own thing. It’s a reminder to be yourself. Allowing yourself to be authentically seen will be enough to attract a partner and new friends on the same wavelength.
Career and Work: The Star
This is a great card to appear in career readings. It’s a card of inspiration and wishes coming true. This card could suggest a career or workplace that will give you immense satisfaction. It can suggest work that truly speaks to you on a soul level. It can also point toward careers in humanitarian pursuits and healing.
The Star card very rarely appears in work-related conflicts. The few times I’ve seen it appear as such, it has often represented keeping your head down, so to speak. It suggests that focusing on your own tasks is the best course of action. But again, this is rare. Usually, it indicates a lack of conflict and a peaceful relationship with your coworkers and supervisors.
It suggests work related to healing of the mind and body such as counselors, therapists, physicians, herbalists, and energy healers. It speaks to humanitarian workers. It’s a card connected to astrology via its correspondence with the sign of Aquarius. Also, it’s often suggested that the seven heavenly bodies that surround the Star represent the seven planets of traditional astrology.
People and Personalities: The Star
Individuals represented by the Star card are humanitarians, calm, and creative. They are individuals who aren’t afraid of vulnerability. Their supportive nature makes them great friends. If there’s any potential downside, it’s that they could be too idealistic at times. Always seeing the best in others might set them up for disappointment sometimes.
They can represent individuals of the zodiac sign Aquarius born approximately January 21st to February 19th.
The Star Reversed Tarot Card Meaning
Reversed Keywords: Disenchantment – Burnout – Doubt
Reversed Meanings for the Star Tarot Card
The Star Card reversed can signal a period of disappointment and hopelessness. When it appears in a reading, it’s a sign that you’re feeling hopeless about a situation. It’s important to step back and look at your situation from an outsider’s perspective. There are a lot more opportunities and resources for you than you think. Don’t allow yourself to wallow in despair. If you’re truly unable to see your way out of this state, talk to a trusted friend. The Star reversed carries the risk of feeling so defeated that, if unchecked, it can lead to depression.
The Star card can appear reversed when you’re feeling burnout. This is especially true in career readings. You may be feeling physical symptoms of fatigue, anxiety, etc. If this is the case, refocus your energies onto yourself. To prevent yourself from falling too far into exhaustion, engage in healthy, rejuvenating self-care activities. Look for activities that have brought you joy in the past. Have some or all of these activities fallen to the wayside over time? You may feel like you don’t have the time or energy to do any of this. Or worse, you might be afraid that everything will fall apart if you take time for yourself. Resist this mindset. You must make time to care for yourself in the same way you care for others.
Sometimes, the Star reversed card is simply doubt manifesting itself. You may have big dreams that both scare and excite you. Don’t let yourself get so overwhelmed that you begin to second guess yourself. You are completely capable of going after your dreams. Even though it’s reversed, the energy of hope is still present in the Star card. Refocus on your goals and why you want to achieve them. Remember the successes that you’ve had in the past. You’re far more resourceful than you give yourself credit for. Have faith that you’ll rise to meet any challenges.
Reversed Love and Relationships for The Star
The Star card can indicate relationships that are affected by resentment and disappointment. You may find yourself feeling cynical about the sincerity of a partner. This card can appear after difficult breakups that cause you to question whether the pursuit of love is worth it or not. Of course, it is worth it. It’s important to focus on healing from past violations of your trust. Talk to someone you trust if you need help understanding what went wrong. Do you pursue people who aren’t available or can’t show love in the way you need it? Sometimes in a bad relationship, we bring out the worst of ourselves and our partners. You are not always going to jive with someone else’s energy. It’s not a reflection of you or your worthiness. Don’t give up or think yourself unworthy of a healthy relationship.
Reversed Career and Work for The Star
The Star card reversed isn’t a pleasant one to have appear in a career reading. It can indicate that you feel like you’re drowning in responsibilities or burnout. This can be a situation where things don’t seem to be getting any better. When this is the case, it’s important to remember that you have much more power than you think… including the power to leave a situation where you’re being taken advantage of. Draw clarifying cards in your reading to see what your next course of action should be. You may have allies within your organization who can help.
It also indicates a lack of inspiration and motivation within your career. Look back at what originally made you passionate about your field. Have your responsibilities now taken you far away from those things that initially brought you joy? This is a call to reconnect to what brings you pleasure in your work. It can hint that now might be a good time to take a break too!
Reversed People and Personalities for The Star
Individuals represented by the Star card may be currently going through a difficult time. It can indicate a tendency toward cynicism and pessimism. If this represents you in a reading, it’s important that you don’t lose faith in humanity. There are wonderful, kind, and caring people out there. Challenge yourself to refocus your thoughts on building healthy, mutually supportive relationships.
The Star Tarot Card Correspondences
Astrology: Aquarius
Element: Air
Numerology: 17 & 8 (see Strength Card)
Affirmation
I radiate with renewed hope and healing.
Some of My Favorite Examples of The Star
So, I’m a little picky about my Star cards. It’s one of my favorite cards in the tarot. I think nothing has trumped the Rider-Waite-Smith card. The Pamela Coleman Smith edition from U.S. Games Systems is a faithful reproduction of a 1909 edition of the deck. Smith’s original drawings for the tarot were made into lithographs for printing. This edition captures the texture and color tone of an antique, printed deck. But what I love so much is seeing the textures and slight ink offsets that make it feel like the original printing of the deck. This edition has become one of my preferred decks for my own readings.
The Victorian Romantic Tarot is an indie deck from Karen Mahony and Alex Ukolov of Baba Studios. I love in their depiction of the Star card the woman has partially submerged herself into the sea. She’s also not pouring water out as seen in the traditional Rider-Waite-Smith tarot. Instead, she seems to be having a moment to herself. It strikes a chord with me because I find water to be very soothing and healing. I can get a little cranky when I’ve gone too long without a visit to a body of water. For me, it’s a reminder to take time for myself for an activity that’s healing and rejuvenating.
The Wild Unknown Tarot (affiliate link)
The Wild Unknown Tarot uses a simple depiction of the Star card. And I think its simplicity makes it a lot easier for a new reader to understand. It allows the reader to think about what a star means for them. Many will see it as a symbol of guidance and hope –which is right on the money for the traditional meaning. Ultimately, what you see in the card trumps traditional by the book meanings.
Halloween Tarot (affiliate link)
The Halloween Tarot was the second deck I received. A perfect gift for a Halloween obsessed teen! The deck draws inspiration from early-American Halloween traditions, Universal monster movies, and pop-culture. I wanted to include this Star card as one of my favorite examples because of a strange bit of trivia. Of course, I think we’ve established that the Star card’s primary keyword would be hope. This card features a gargoyle inspired by Norte Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. A fire broke out in Norte Dame in 2019 that destroyed much of the roof and risked burning the entire structure to the ground. Luckily, most of the interior artwork was removed days prior for cleaning. And despite the extensive damage caused by the fire, the majority of the cathedral’s iconic gargoyles were spared. These silent sentinels will be able to continue to look out over Paris for years to come. In the meantime, what was lost will be rebuilt.
The Our Tarot uses influential women to represent archetypes of the tarot. Here, Anne Frank represents the Star. Frank is one of the most well-known victims of the Holocaust. She was an extraordinarily gifted writer —writing with clarity and self-awareness beyond her age. Her diary, which was written while hiding in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands, has become one of the most widely-read books in the world. Her optimism, compassion, and faith in humanity in the face of everything that was happening to her is one of the most powerful facets of her character. Here are some potent excerpts that perfectly tie to the spirit of the Star card:
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
“Where there’s hope, there’s life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again.”
“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature, and God.”
“I don’t think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.”
“In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”
“Those who have courage and faith shall never perish in misery.”
“I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness; I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too. I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more.”
The Star Tarot Card Keywords – Upright and Reversed