The seven planetary spheres surrounded by an
eighth sphere can be said to explain The Star.
This card has been portrayed by different images
and has alternatively been known as L'Etoile,
La Stella and The Stars.
Waite made a change from the traditional
seven-pointed star to a large eight-pointed star
surrounded by seven white, smaller eight pointed
stars. In Gnostic tradition the eight-pointed
star was a symbol for Mary, the mother of Jesus.
The Golden Dawn considered the large star to
be the star of the great cosmic goddess, the
'Morning Star.' As the Great Mother, she is
the 'star of stars,' gives birth to the gods, and
gives light to all other heavenly bodies.
The nude figure on the card in earlier decks was
depicted as androgynous, although with long hair
and female breasts. The Star is attributed to
Aquarius, the Water Bearer who is generally
considered to be a masculine god. In the ancient
world, the water-bearing Nile god, Hapi was always
shown in the form of a man with breasts like those
of a woman. Since Egypt was divided into two parts
-north and south - the Nile river was also divided
and resulted in a Northern and Southern Hapi.
The two were formed into a composite that holds
two plants, or sometimes two vases from which
he was thought to pour out the divided Nile.
As the Daughter of the Firmament, the figure is
considered to be female and is related to Binah,
the Great Mother. The letter tzaddi means fishhook
and is seen in the beak of the ibis placed in the
background. The ibis was sacred to the Egyptians
and was a symbol of the god Thoth who gave man
all worldly knowledge and was the god of the
intellect. The ibis was known to hunt for fish using
its beak like a hook. The tree the ibis is perched on
is related to the World Tree or djed pillar - the
backbone of Osiris.
Astrological symbols of the cross and crescent
can be seen in the pattern formed by the stars.
The larger star has also been related to the Star
of Bethlehem that guided the Magi to witness the
birth of the Messiah. This star is also believed
to be a representation of Sirius, the brightest
star in the sky.
The scene depicted on the card is the perfection
of Nature. Feminine and masculine gods are
represented as the Divine Androgyne. In a reading
the unclothed figure may represent a need to be
brave and to face the world without fear. The Star
symbolizes the birth of hope, a new god, a savior
or "golden age."
Positive Keywords: Success, healing, good fortune,
hope, faith, love, peace, pleasure, inner light,
rejuvenation, relaxation, gift, creation and
manifestation.
Negative Keywords: Unfulfilled hopes, loss,
deception; something hidden, dark or blinded;
immorality, bad omen, impurity, fear, illness,
unworthiness, lack, and abandonment.