The Star (Tarot Triptych)
Name: The Star
Number: XVII
Astrology: Aquarius
Qabalah: He ה, the Window
Chris Gabriel July 13, 2024
A woman is naked and we are the voyeur of her celestial act. She is pouring two vessels as she stands before a body of water. Above her are eight Stars. This card emphasizes the influence of the stars over our lives, and our own starry nature. This is the emblem of Astrology.
In Marseille, we see a naked blonde woman pouring two vessels while she kneels in a stream. She is pleased, and her hair is flowing. Behind her, a bird stands in a tree. Above her, there are seven stars, led by a central star. Some of these stars are heptagrams, others octograms
In Rider, essentially the same image is shown but with some slight alterations. Here the naked woman is kneeling on the ground before a pool of water, one foot steps in while the other rests on the ground. She pours water from each vessel, one onto land and one into the lake. She has a more reserved look of calm. Here all eight stars are octograms, and they seem to be coming down to the ground.
In Thoth, as ever, there is a rather different image. Here our lady is looking away into the distant universe, she is in the midst of the cosmos, her vessels are flowing with geometric water as she stands in a crystalline structure. Behind her is a brilliant star, topped with a heptagram, and in the far left corner, an octogram which seems to be spiralling brings forth all the stars in the sky.
These three cards depict Aquarius, the water bearer. Aquarius is the sign of the strange far out processes, and here it represents Astrology. This is the image of the astrological theory underpinning much of the Tarot’s structure. A human being unknowingly influenced by distant heavenly bodies. This is, as the first nude card in Marseille and Rider, a literal “unveiling”, of the female form, and of the esoteric philosophy at play.
This card illustrates the Thelemic motto “Every man and woman is a star”. Stars are endless, yet each is unique, we are infinitely unique. This idea has trickled down into culture in the form of “Rock Stars” and “Movie Stars”. We see the bodily process of life, our movements, thoughts, and feelings as the invisible influence of the beyond.
This is also what Jung called Synchronicity, or meaningful coincidence. The idea that meaningful occurrences in our lives are mirrored in outside processes like the movement of the heavens, the random shuffling of cards, the throwing of coins, and that this mirroring is in fact an intimate connection.
Diagram of Synchronicity, Kristin Middleton and Chris Gabriel
As our lady pours out her vessels, and her water flows down, we need only look up to see the stars pouring forth their influence onto her. She is like the heavenly Star, giving and receiving flows.
We can shift it again, and see the Goddess Hera, and the forming of our Galaxy, the Milky Way. And how is it we see all of this? By way of the card’s Hebrew correspondence, He ה, the Window.
The tarot cards were formed through a process of compounding symbolism, where a card is not just a card, but an astrological form, a Qabalastic place, a myth, a philosophy, and a poem.
The Tarot is a framing device for our exploration of these distant esoteric ideals brought down into the palm of your hand, which is exactly where they belong!
Aesop warns us in his tale of the Astronomer, that someone who keeps his head in the clouds will fall down a hole. Our lady is looking upon her work.
When you pull the Star, you are being given the image of distance, of the far off and far out. This is something that’s a long way off, or something you find strange, an opportunity that falls out of the sky. Keep your feet on the ground and the stars will come down to you!
