The Star (tarot card)



The Star (XVII) is the 17th ranking or Major Arcana card in most traditional tarot decks. 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. Above her head is one large star, representing her core essences, and seven smaller stars, representing the chakras. The star is typically eight-pointed, but some late 15th-century depictions depict a six-pointed star instead. 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. 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. 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.

Interpretation
According to A.E. Waite's 1910 book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, the Star card carries several divinatory associations: "17.THE STAR.--Hope and bright prospects, Reversed: Loss, theft, privation, abandonment; another reading says: arrogance, haughtiness, impotence."In astrology, the Star card is associated with the planet Uranus and Aquarius zodiac sign.

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.

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.

The Jessica Hayworth print for Welcome to Night Vale episode 210 "Ten Years Later" features The Star tarot on characters Cecil and Carlos's fridge.