The Star - Don't Be Decieved

The Star,  is such a bright happy image yes, and don't be deceived, Pandora's box has been opened and out fly spites of swarming pestilence that has been released into the world, and can't returned to the box. All manner of troubles and sorrows have suddenly been loosed. Pandora doesn't seems phased by all this and looks upward in hopeful anticipation with faith and trust that there is still so much beauty and goodness in the world. She believes there is always hope for the hopeless.

I seldom draw this card. In all my daily draws over the years, this is the fourth time it's come up. Perhaps that's a good thing because it makes me more appreciative of the beauty in The Star and it is consistent with my recent posts that explore the feminine, intuition and reclaiming the Feminine Divine. It reminds me of the Wild Woman that exists in all women. Unlike Eve who is seen as sinful, and impure, Pandora is innocent, pure of heart and hopeful. She knows in her bones she will survive all that has been unleashed yes and she will thrive not in spite of, but because of the very things that would destroy her. Pandora is becoming stronger than ever, loving life even more, with an open mind, spirit, and a trustful heart.


 

Carp Diem! - Ace of Wands

 I always love to see the Ace of Wands come up in the Tarot. New beginnings and inspiration, with the force of the creative imagination bursting and busting out! A very positive card that urges us to Carp Diem, seize the day and grab hold of your creative ideas and apply them in pursuit of a vision!

Well in spite of this affirming card I have to admit I can be one of the worst procrastinators when it comes to seizing the day, and getting certain things done resulting in restlessness and dissatisfaction. I have over the years, worked hard trying to change my proclivity to procrastination.  Frankly, I see it as being familiar to the disease of alcoholism, in many ways.

I once was told by a fellow 12 Step member, procrastination is like masturbation, because the only person you screw is yourself! True, but there are others who can be greatly affected by our own individual procrastination, whether we are aware of it or not. Creditors, family members, friends, employers, to name a few, all can be causalities, and on the front lines of our private war with procrastination. Most of all we disappoint and hurt ourselves.

The best way I have found to cope with, if not overcome procrastination, is in the same way I learned to cope with my own addiction. Seek help, reach out, and take it one day at a time. Applying the 12 Steps to life can work for everyone I believe, regardless of their struggle. There is always hope for the hopeless, living one day at a time.

The Star - Hope

This being my 100th post on this blog I think it is fitting that I drew The Star, which is, I think one of the most hopeful cards of the Major Arcana. It is the card of hope and promise, but can also warn against false hope, which can set us up for great disappointment, disillusion and despair.

Here Pandora is akin to Eve, before the Fall, full of love, light, and all things innocent, and beautiful.
She is the epitome of the feminine, the intuitive, feeling, imaginative and the instinctive side of our nature.

In spite of, and even because of our difficulties, and burden, we move above and beyond, mere survival. We grow, and thrive beyond our unhappiness of the past, and we now have an even stronger will to live. We have accepted our burdens and struggles, have grown and  are becoming stronger individuals.

 I once heard it said by a holy man, and I paraphrase; The cross is heavy for those that drag it, but light for those that embrace it.
What the world needs now is hope, and we would do well to impart hope to others. We are living in trouble times indeed, some may even say the end times. Regardless, we all need to have hope, meaning and faith, otherwise things would be completely hopeless.

 I always fondly remember, what I saw on the small button, a young punk rocker was wearing in Tim Horton's, many years ago which said " Hope For The Hopeless. " It might sound funny, but it is true I think and almost beyond hopeful.

The other day I saw a video of a homeless man. It is I think a commentary on hope, from one who may to some seem hopeless. Post by R̲o̲y J̲a̲n̲s̲e̲n̲.

Nine of Swords - The Darkest Hour Is Just Before Dawn

 

The Nine of Swords is a card the describes a psychological state of mind indicating that we are having many sleepless nights, because we are carrying burdens, overwhelming feelings of failure, disaster and impending dread. We may have guilt about the past and fear what the future repercussions will bring. This is a psychological problem not based on reality.

I've always agreed that action through prayer is the antidote to worry. Just my opinion. Most people I think would agree, worry is not constructive, and can make us psychologically and even physically unhealthy. Worry simply fuels anxiety, and signals a lack of trust and faith. We feel hopeless.

 Many think it is a virtuous thing to do, in that it reflects care and concern. Fretting and worry can be a habitual reaction. In extreme cases, it is being in a constant state of hyper vigilance, and is often a way of being for many, especially if we have grown up in troubled family situations, or had traumatic events happen.

We do not have to be a prisoner of our fear and sense of hopelessness. We can seek help for ourselves, if we reach out to change.

There is nothing we can do to change the past, and projecting into the future is futile. It does nothing to improve our lives or our state of well being, and happiness.

The Nine of Swords reminds me of a time when I saw a young punk rocker years ago. He was wearing a button which said, "Hope For The Hopeless ". To me it said it all, and made me smile and feel very hopeful. 

The Star - A Time of Hope

 "There shall be signs in the Sun, Moon, and Stars" -  Jesus Christ

I cannot study the Sun and Moon without including the Star, as they are, and have always been closely connected to one another, dating back to ancient days.
The Star being the 17th, card, Moon the 18th, and Sun the 19th, are the order in which these cards come within Major Arcana in the Tarot deck.

The Star portends experience of hope, meaning and faith, where we find inspiration, generosity, and serenity.  It is a very positive card, though a realistic one. It is about turning the negative into the positive, overcoming difficulties and rising above them, remaining hopeful, and becoming a stronger, a better person  with depth, of character, because of our struggles, not just in spite of them.
We can fulfill our highest human potential. We look to heavenward, lightening the burdens and struggles of the earth.
Many dreadful afflictions have been released into the world from Pandora's box but the promise of hope remains, always.

The Star card - A Time of Hope 

The Star card always gives me a feeling of hope. It's an important card for the times that we are in right now. Following the Tower card, the Star is a guiding vision of hope and promise that arises from the ashes of the Tower which has been destroyed. In the journey of the Mythic Tarot, the Fool waits amidst the rubble, and has no clear sense of how or what to rebuild - all he is left with is hope, and a sense that all is not lost.

The Star card is the 17th card of the Major Arcana, and the next step on the Fool's journey in the Mythic Tarot. The card of the Star portrays Pandora as a beautiful, young woman with long, fair hair, kneeling before an open chest. From the chest, a swarm of flying creatures rise including dragon flies, wasps, bees, flies, moths and spiders; and they fill the sky with darkness. Pandora's eyes are fixed on a bright star symbolized by a female figure in glowing, white robes with a rainbow shining behind her.

In Greek mythology, Pandora is a lot like Eve, who represents the feminine side of human nature which includes feelings, instinct, imagination and intuition along with the need to probe for the truth despite the consequences. The wooden chest that Zeus, the father of all the Greek gods, sends to mankind is a lot like the apple in the Garden of Eden which Eve found hard to resist. The chest like the apple is something which is forbidden, but yet impossible to resist. It contains knowledge of the reality of human life which means the death of innocence and childlike fantasy, but it also contains the most precious attribute of the human spirit which is hope.

When Pandora opens the box, the terrible afflictions of human life that had been locked away by Zeus were now released which included - old age, labor, sickness, insanity, vice and passion; and they spread all over the world. Hope alone, which had also been locked in the chest, did not fly away.

On an inner level, the image of Pandora and the Star of Hope, is a symbol of that part of us which, despite disappointment, depression and loss can still cling to a sense of meaning and future which can still grow out of the unhappiness of the past. The Star does not reveal the future plans, or solution to one's problems, but like the cards of the Hermit and the Hanged Man, the Star is a card of waiting, for the sense of hope is a fragile light which glimmers and guides us through the darkness. Somehow, it offers us faith, and therefore in the card's image, Pandora's eyes are fixed not on the unhappiness of the human condition, but on this intuitive feeling that a dawn of a new day is coming.

The quality of hope has nothing to do with planned expectations, but is connected with something deeper which has sometimes been called the will to live. Doctors experience this with their patients – those who have a sense of hope and a strong will to live - will often find the inner resources to face a life-threatening dis-ease, and beat the odds. Likewise, individuals who have suffered tragic circumstances, or have faced challenges which are far greater than any human should have to go through such as those who experienced the concentration camps in Germany and Poland during World War II - have often expressed that it was some inner sense of hope and faith that meant the difference between survival and death. Hope is a profound and mysterious thing, for it would seem that it can transcend anything life offers us.

In a reading, the Star card represents the experience of hope, meaning and faith in the midst of challenges. It's a sign that there is new and better life coming in your future if only you can believe.

The Star is a symbol for all of us right now as we face a challenging world. If we can believe and envision a better life, we can co-create this life for each one of us. If you need some hope right now, have a reading to shed some light on your future path.

By Donna M. Fisher-Jackson, MA © 2010

Thanks to Juliet Sharman-Burke, and Liz Greene, the creators of the Mythic Tarot for their insightful comments.

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