The Star

The Star is the seventeenth key to the Major Arcana in Tarot.  The Element of the Star is Air and the zodiac affiliation is with Aquarius.  

Qualities of the Star are Awakening, Guidance, and Hope.  An alternative name for the star is Dog Star.  Symbols are Water, Birds or Butterflies, The Tree of Life, and Vessels. 

In German the Star is called Der Stern.  In French, L'Etoile.  And in Italian, La Stella, Le Stelle.

SYMBOLOGY

A woman kneels at the edge of a shimmering pond.  Above her, a large central star dominates the night sky, surrounded by seven small stars that, in many decks, are meant to symbolize the seven chakras.  Either a bird or a butterfly perches on a tree branch, representing nature and the Tree of Life.  The woman is naked, innocent, and vulnerable.  She holds two pitchers of water.  Her right hand pours one container into blue depths of the pond, as her left hand releases its pitcher's contents onto lush and fertile soil.  The woman's right foot touches the surface of the pond water, symbolizing feminine power and spiritual strength.  Her other foot is planted firmly on the ground, indicating her practicality and connection to the earthly realm.  

ATTRIBUTES

The Star illuminates, offering hope and inspiration.  She is a reminder that everything one needs can be found within.  She brings a message of faith, heralding inner vision, spiritual power, and the enduring beauty of the natural world.  Her clear light penetrates through darkness, rays spread ever outward as the unnecessary and false are stripped away.  She reveals the purity at the core of all things.  She stands at the wellspring, nurturing growth and encouraging clarity.  She is generous in her offerings.  She softly, gently, opens the heart, igniting energy, fertility, creation.  Her gifts are all the sweeter for her struggles endured in reaching her domain.