Tarot for Troubled Times: The Star

Honestly, I did not expect to have this archetypal pattern show up so soon into our current situation, but still felt the emergence of...

 THE STAR

Here is where the particular order of the Major Arcana becomes supremely important: in isolation, it’s easy to give The Star a wholly positive spin, such as “hope” or “inner peace.”

However, when taken in context as the card that immediately follows  The Towe r, its unique meaning begins to take shape.
 
You may recall that The Tower brings--that’s right--violent upheaval as our established structures collapse and rigid belief structures are disrupted. The sudden onset and rapid rate of change can be scary, painful, and challenging (especially for those who have benefited for so long from those structures).
 
But here is the payoff of that painful phase, the true gift that Tower medicine brings: 
 
On the other side of this dramatic shattering lies the clarity and inspiration that points us in a new direction.
 
So the more nuanced reading of this card is about the calm after the storm, the healing that begins with a crisis, the distant light at the end of the tunnel, and most importantly, Hope In The Dark.
 
When our personal or collective towers fall, even as we sit amid the rubble and settling dust, we may now notice the newly revealed night sky above. 
 
This larger perspective can bring a fresh burst of motivation and inspiration, which may sustain us on the path ahead. 
 
The Star encourages us to pause here to make contact with our own depths, to replenish ourselves by finding the still point at the center of our storm, to tap into our inner reservoir of strength. 
 
We recall that long before apps and printed maps, we used the constellations to navigate through the world. We may now be inspired to forge a new path, seeing the way ahead by following a north star.
 
 
An important note: hope is necessary and yet not sufficient; this is a BEGINNING point, not a final destination. Such faith encourages us to persevere in our toughest moments, and without it, we’d never get started. 
 
However, we MUST harness this newly emerging optimistic note to ongoing positive action. 
 
Rebuilding a better world takes BOTH our ability to dream big, to believe that more is possible, as well as devotion to the hard work of developing practical solutions. 

(Cards pictured here are from the Modern Witch Tarot, a modern and diverse interpretation of the classic RWS deck, and the Black Power Tarot, the Tarot De Marseilles’ Major Arcana featuring Black American historical figures.)