The Star is the 17th card in the Major Arcana of most tarot decks, including the Rider-Waite deck. This card precedes the 18th card, The Moon, which represents Pisces. It’s fascinating to observe the connection between zodiac signs and tarot cards: two successive cards, The Star and The Moon, represent two consecutive signs, Aquarius and Pisces.
But now, let’s delve into the connections between Aquarius and The Star card. Psst, that’s not all because, at the end, we’ll explore the connection of Aquarius with a suit of the Minor Arcana as well!
Connections between Aquarius and The Star card
The Star tarot card symbolizes hope, inspiration, and renewed sense of purpose. As a symbol of renewal, The Star embodies many qualities that describe the zodiac sign Aquarius. The card features a woman pouring water into both a body of water and onto the earth, providing nourishment and restoring hope for the future. This focus on the future aligns perfectly with the visionary nature of Aquarius.
Moreover, the water being poured signifies not just physical nourishment, but also the nurturing of the soul and the spreading of hope and inspiration. Aquarius is known for its humanitarian nature and forward-thinking vision, qualities that are vividly encapsulated in The Star card’s themes of renewal and future-focused optimism.
Aquarius, the sign spanning from about January 20 to February 18, heavily relies on intuition and personal inspiration. This air sign is represented in the card in many ways, also by a small yet significant symbol we’ll discuss later: the Sacred Ibis perched on a tree.
Additionally, this card reflects Aquarius’s dual planetary influences. On one side, Aquarius is ruled by the disciplined Saturn (in traditional astrology, alongside Capricorn). However, in modern astrology, Aquarius is also ruled by the unconventional Uranus. The woman in the card is symbolically divided between earth and water, consciousness and unconscious, spiritual and practical abilities, and so on…
Another glaring connection is the water-bearing symbol of Aquarius. This is clearly depicted in the card, as the woman is pouring water from two vessels… let’s delve into this aspect.
Water Bearer: Aquarius’ symbol and The Star card
Aquarius, an air sign, is commonly known as The Water Bearer or The Water Carrier. In fact, in Latin, Aquarius means “water-carrier,” derived from “aqua”, meaning “water”. The Water Bearer is often depicted as a figure pouring water from a vessel, which parallels the imagery in The Star card. This act of pouring water represents the flow of life-giving energy, and the sharing of wisdom.
The Aquarius iconography typically features two squiggly lines that represent waves of water. That’s also why Aquarius is often mistaken for a water sign. While it is true that the symbol depicts water waves and Aquarius literally means “water bearer,” it is also true that this is a graphically open symbol. It is not closed like a circle (for example, the symbol of Taurus), which already suggests the openness typical of the air element. The flow of energy is open, not circulating back on itself, but flowing freely.
Key symbols between The Star card and Aquarius
If we observe The Star tarot closely, we can identify details that reveal more connections between this card and the Aquarius sign. Let’s delve into these connections.
The woman’s nudity
It’s interesting to see how the woman’s nudity in The Star card is connected to Aquarius. To understand this connection, a bit of theoretical background is needed.
The woman in The Star is the first naked figure in the Major Arcana. Even Alejandro Jodorowsky, in his book “The Way of Tarot”, highlights the significance of The Arcanum XVII (The Star) as representing the first naked human in the tarot, preceding Arcanums XVIII (The Moon), XX (Judgement), and XXI (The World). With it begins the adventure of the being who has reached purity and detachment. Beyond appearances, The Star has nothing to hide; it only needs to find its place on Earth.
This is perfectly in sync with Aquarius. Aquarians tend not to hide their unique perspectives on the world. They are different, sometimes odd, and they embrace and display this uniqueness. The nakedness of the woman in the card symbolizes the Aquarian fearlessness and authenticity.
Moreover, we said with the woman in the Star begins the adventure of the being who has reached purity and detachment. And, yes, Aquarians can be emotionally detached. This doesn’t mean they lack emotional intelligence; in fact, they possess a great deal of it. However, they often appear open yet distant.
The Sacred Ibis
While external guidance is appreciated, Aquarius has a strong connection to their personal intuition and will always prefer to listen to that internal voice above all others.
This is deeply connected to the Sacred Ibis, a bird symbolizing the birth of thought, which roosts in the tree of the mind. The Sacred Ibis can be symbolically linked to the boundless intellect of Aquarius.
Birds are known as messengers, and the Ibis brings to the Water Bearer the words of wisdom needed to uplift and support. The Ibis bird somehow represents Aquarius’s inner voice, providing the wisdom and insight that guide their visionary and forward-thinking nature.
The Star’s Keywords link to Aquarius
Each tarot card has specific “keywords” that encapsulate its essence. These single words or brief phrases are useful for quickly grasping the card’s meaning and guiding interpretations.
Fun Fact: The tradition of assigning keywords to tarot cards dates back to the 18th century, thanks to the renowned French occultist Etteilla Tarot. To discover more about this part of tarot history, as well as the history of tarot in general, you can explore the link below:
History of tarot unveiled: exploring its evolution from origins to present time
Now, let’s delve into the specific keywords associated with The Star and examine their connection to Aquarius.
Some of the upright keywords for The Star card include:
- Inspiration
- Intuition
- Hope
- Serenity
- Brighter future
- Optimism
- Positivity
These keywords align perfectly with the qualities of Aquarius. Aquarius is known for being visionary and unconventional, always looking toward the future with a sense of optimism and hope. The progressive mindset of Aquarius envisions a world filled with endless possibilities and opportunities for positive change. Just as The Star card represents a brighter future and a serene outlook, Aquarius is driven by the belief in a better, more enlightened tomorrow.
Conversely, some of the reversed keywords for The Star card include:
- Lack of inspiration
- Spiritual confusion
- Imbalance
- Inner turmoil
These reversed meanings can also relate to the Aquarian experience. When out of balance, Aquarians might feel a lack of inspiration or face spiritual confusion. They can experience inner turmoil when their ideals and visions for the future seem out of reach or when their unconventional views are not understood or accepted by others.
Aquarius sign’s connection to the Suit of Swords
The suit of Swords in tarot, representing the element of Air, aligns beautifully with Aquarius. Just like the Swords, Aquarius is about intellect, communication, and the power of ideas. Both are driven by a quest for truth and clarity, cutting through illusions to reveal deeper insights.
Aquarius, as an air sign, thrives on innovation and progressive thinking, mirroring the analytical and mental prowess of the Swords. This suit’s focus on challenges and conflict also resonates with Aquarius’ unyielding pursuit of social justice and reform. Together, they symbolize a relentless quest for knowledge, an embrace of change, and the intellectual rigor needed to navigate life’s complexities.
The suit of Swords is often considered negative, seen as a harbinger of misfortune. This view of the tarot aligns with a more divinatory and less evolved perspective, where there is only good or bad, with no hope for working on one’s life path.
Through a more evolved (and decidedly more useful) reading for our times, and the ability we have to work on ourselves, the suit of Swords does NOT correspond to misfortunes. Instead it’s about the potential difficulties that can arise when we are not aligned with our mental power.
Just like the Swords, Aquarius represents the power of the mind and the Uranian drive for progress that arrives, destroys, questions, and builds anew. Swords cut away the dead branches that would otherwise cause the entire plant to rot. Sometimes it is painful, but it is for the best.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them down here in the comments.
