Star light, star bright
First star I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might
Have this wish I wish tonight.
Do you remember that little childhood rhyme? Perhaps you still say it?
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| Sirius |
In this day and age, cities produce so much light than unless you live in a very isolated area, you rarely get to see many stars. What a loss that is! Imagine what nighttime was like for our ancestors long ago: there were no streetlights, no electricity. The only light came from fire or the moon. In the darkness, bad guys could do all kinds of nefarious deeds with none the wiser. We still talk about how we wouldn't like to run into this or that person in a dark alley--well, in the old days that alley would have literally been pitch black. But on clear nights, the stars would be visible, sparkling away, making the darkness beautiful and offering a little light.
The medieval Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym (ca. 1315/1320-1350/1370) described the stars as "candles of Him Who owns the world":
A light from high heaven,
A candle of clear wit is it.
The candle's form does not vanish.
And it can't be stolen through deceit.
They are something humans can rely on, seemingly unchanged through countless generations.
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| The Star, Star Tarot |
In the tarot, The Star appears to us as a beacon of hope. After the collapse of The Tower, we need some encouragement if we are to carry on. And so the next card is The Star, a card that is both simple and glorious. In the traditional Rider-Waite imagery, a nude woman kneels and pours water into a pool and onto the ground. The water is refreshing and we are shown that its flow is abundant and unstinting. The energy here is gentle and soothing. When we receive this card, we are reminded not to lose hope or faith; things are going to be ok.
