The Star (tarot card)
The Star (XVII) is the 17th ranking or Major Arcana card in most traditional tarot decks.[1] It is used in game playing as well as in divination.
Description and symbolism
A naked woman kneels by the water; one foot is in the water and one foot is on the land.[2] Above her head is one large star, representing her core essences, and seven smaller stars, representing the chakras.[3] The star is typically eight-pointed, but some late 15th-century depictions depict a six-pointed star instead.[4] In each hand she holds a jug. From one jug she pours a liquid into the water. From the other jug she pours a liquid onto the land.[5] The five senses are represented by the five unique lines formed by water spilled on the ground. Temperance, the 14th Major Arcana card, also has a foot on both land and water while pouring water, but is depicted as standing and rigid.[6] It is the first out of three cards in the Major Arcana to depict celestial imagery. Sometimes three men, representing the three Magi are depicted below the Star.[4]
Interpretation
According to A.E. Waite's 1910 book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, the Star card carries several divinatory associations:[7]
17.THE STAR.--Loss, theft, privation, abandonment; another reading says-Hope and bright prospects, Reversed: arrogance, haughtiness, impotence.
In astrology, the Star card is associated with the planet Uranus and Aquarius zodiac sign.[8]
In popular culture
In the manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, tarot cards are used to name some of the characters' powers, named 'Stands'. The protagonist of Stardust Crusaders, Jotaro Kujo, has a Stand named Star Platinum, named after the Star card.[9]
In the Adventure Time franchise, powerful vampires are named after tarot cards. In the spin-off series Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, Marceline the Vampire Queen (voiced by Olivia Olson) is named after the Star.[10]
References
- ^ "The Star Tarot Card". Keen. 2014-08-26. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
- ^ "Star Tarot Card Meanings". Biddy Tarot. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
- ^ "Star Tarot Card Meanings". Biddy Tarot. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
- ^ a b Place (2005), pp. 156–157.
- ^ "The Star Meaning - Major Arcana Tarot Card Meanings". Labyrinthos. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
- ^ Pollack (2009), pp. 122–125.
- ^ Waite (1979).
- ^ "The Star Tarot Card". askAstrology.
- ^ Garnett, Christian (2021-10-20). "Cardcaptor Sakura & 6 Other Anime Based On Tarot Cards". CBR. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
- ^ Kaldor, David (2023-09-22). "Review: Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake "The Star; Jerry"". Bubbleblabber. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
Works cited
- Place, Robert (2005). The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination. New York: Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-4406-4975-2.
- Pollack, Rachel (2009) [1980]. Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot. Weiser Books. ISBN 978-1-57863-408-8.
- Waite, A. E. (1979) [1910]. The Pictorial Key to the Tarot. New York: Samuel Weiser. ISBN 0-87728-218-8.
Further reading
- Wood, Juliette (1998). "The Celtic Tarot and the Secret Tradition: A Study in Modern Legend Making". Folklore. 109: 15–24.
External links
- Media related to Star (Major Arcana) at Wikimedia Commons