The 17th card in the Major Arcana is the Star. Throughout the Major arcana the lost Goddess has been hinted at by the previous cards. But now she is fully revealed in her naked glory. She reverently kneels on the earth for she knows the sacredness of Mother Earth and she is not separate from the land, even though she knows she was born in Celestial Heights. She honors the Earth by freely pouring out the waters of life onto the planet, nourishing her environment and bringing fertility to the land. Everything is green and fertile around her.

The fiery stars above her head shine bright with their power to inspire heavenly visions here on Earth. The bird of paradise sits in the Tree of Life, spreading its wings to take flight in the element of air. The Goddess' nakedness is her purity. She is not ashamed of who she is. That purity is taken to heaven by the bird of paradise (the element of air) that is perched in the Tree of Knowing. Here, duality completely disappears into the tangible experience of oneness.

She pours the waters of consciousness into the pool before her. She looks deeply into her own unconscious mind to know herself fully. Her true image is reflected back to herself in the mirror- like clarity of the pool before her. Her foot rests miraculously on the surface of the pool. In this clear spiritual state of being magic can happen. The star brings hope and spiritual insight as she freely gives the spiritual waters to those who are thirsty.

Her bare breasts reveal the nourishing qualities of her being. It is through spiritual nourishment that a soul is truly feed and fully healed. The eight stars above her remind us of the number eight and the symbolic sign of eternity. When you add 1 plus 7, the number of the star card, it reinforces the symbolism of the number eight. The large star above the Goddess is symbolic of our Higher Self. The seven smaller stars surrounding the main star are the spiritual centers (chakras) of the body. When these seven chakras are activated and aligned with our Higher Self, then our life purpose will become activated and find tangible expression.

Historically, there have been many Goddesses that have been associated with the stars. The title Stella Maris (Star of the Sea ) has been conferred upon the Goddess Aphrodite, Ishtar, Isis, and Mari Anna. This title today is used in reference to the Virgin Mary in one of her particular aspects.

Tara, one of the most ancient of all eastern Goddesses, is still revered today in both India and Tibet. The name Tara means Star. The Tibetans to this day practice meditations honoring the 21 Taras. Since the true origin of the tarot is not really known some believe that the Tarot and its 22 major arcana had some of its roots in the meditational practice of the twenty one Taras. This practice is visualized with Jetsun Dolma, (Green Tara ) at the center and her retinue of the 21 aspects of Tara surrounding her.

This same ancient Goddess is also known in Latin as Terra Mater and in Ireland as the beloved Tara, the Earth Goddess.

Traditionally, the Star card speaks to us of hope, alignment with our higher self. It represents generosity and creativity. It stands for peace and harmony. In a reading this card sheds its light as a beacon upon the questioner.


The ritual

Materials: Eight star anis (can be obtained at any herb store). Chose whole anises that are not broken. Bottled spring water, a clean glass bowl, a stainless steel pan and a beautiful goblet or your favorite tea cup. Yellow candle with holder, matches. Stick of incense and a white altar cloth for purity. The Star Card.

The night of the new moon when all the stars are shining brightly, place the eight star anises in the glass bowl and pour about two cups of water over them. Now place them outside in the direct starlight. You now can ask in your own way the star people to shine upon these eight herbal stars and charge them with heavenly energies. You can make up your own little poetic verse or use this one...

Starlight, starbright all the stars I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might
Charge these herbs with your Heavenly Light.
So be it.


Now let the herbs soak up the starlit sky for at least three hours or all night, but make sure you bring the herbs back into the house before the sunrise even begins. Now you can set this aside for the day in a cool dark place and cover with a lid so that dust cannot disturb the water.

The night after the new moon, bathe yourself in a purified bath of lavender, and dress yourself in comfortable clean clothing. It is now time to brew the tea. I prefer to do this by candle light in the kitchen myself and you can do the same if you like. Take the star anise water and place in a stainless steal pot and bring the seeds to a full boil. Once it has boiled, take off the pot and put a lid on the herbs so that the delicate herbal oils are not released. Let this brew steep for 17 minutes exactly.

As the brew is steeping, in a clean quiet place set up your altar with a white cloth. Now place the star card in the center of the altar and place the yellow candle with holder directly in front of the card. Place the incense on the altar to the left side of the card, (close to the bird on the star card.) The Star card is in perfect balance with all the four elements, so we want the four elements to be represented and balanced on the altar. The incense is the element of air, its smoke carrying prayers to the heavens. The candle light shall burn bright like the star light.

Now go back to your brew and pour the star anise tea without straining it into your cup. Bring this to your altar and place it at the foot of the star card. This represents the element of water, and the combination of the star energies is represented by the star anise that had been grounded into the earth since the plant is grown in the soil.

Now it is time to begin......Sit comfortable before your altar. Start to breathe and slowly release attachments to all your thoughts. Through this detachment to your thoughts, allow inner peace to arise within yourself. Now, in your own way honor the element of fire and light the candle. A brief prayer said aloud invites the spirit of fire into your meditation. Now from the candle flame light the incense and honor the elements of air. Place it at the side of the star card that we mentioned before. Look into your goblet and honor the element of water and of Earth. Now begin to gaze at the Goddess of the Star card, admiring her beauty and her generosity. Now say:


I call forth the Goddess of the Stars
Who is ancient, Who is pure and who is all-knowing.
You have had many different embodiments throughout all time.
I call you forth and I honor you as I give you my body, heart and soul.
Stream forth and fill me with your starlight.




Now repeat this invocation several times until you feel the spiritual presence of the Goddess before you, inside you. One must do this with real feeling and meaning for it to become tangible. Once the feeling of her presence is with you, salute her with the drink of the star anise beverage. Honor her as you drink this tea filled with the light of the stars and the seeds of the earth.

Now sit quietly. Feel the subtle effects of the star anise tea and begin to visualize starlight filling your whole body. Every cell in your physical body has a tiny little star at its center. Your body is now made up of thousands of stars. Let the stars shine brilliantly within each atom of your body. They begin to shine so bright that the light is extended beyond your physical form into the atmosphere around your body, stretching out several feet beyond your form. Let yourself be totally bathed in this light that is within you and around you. Take the time to visualize this fully.

Now ask from the depth of your heart - really meaning it - that you be shown and given your soul's work for this life time. Ask for the memories of your unique spiritual gifts to be shown to you. Ask for the guiding light of the stars to shine upon your path to guide you. Now just sit quietly for about 20 minutes. With your eyes closed, allow the silence that resides deep within your own center to unfold. After the silent meditation thank the Goddess for her blessings and her light. Now put out the candle. Throughout the next few days watch if you are given hints or spiritual insights concerning your soul's purpose. One must no be discouraged if this does not happen immediately for it is only through deep and earnest soul searching and deep desire to fulfill our destiny that this can unfold. Meditation is the key to finding our Self. Through the process of meditation we will understand the true purpose of our life. We shall discover why we have come to this class room on earth. Our true tasks will be made known to us.