Starry Wonder
Starry Wonder
The magic of stars. There is nothing like looking up at the sky on a clear night and seeing the stars glimmer above me. This upcoming week we'll have the Perseid meteor showers putting on a wonderful show and remind us there's more in the universe that we can see if we only look up. I'm going to sit on my deck with my dog and a cup of tea and watch the splendor unfold. I'll send good wishes to all those looking up at the stars and sky at the same time. A wonderful way to feel part of the universal flow and how we're all connected.
I remember a meditation I did many years ago. I was going through a hard time in my life and desperately needed some respite and guidance. In my meditation, I connected with a guide that took me on a journey way above our world and into the cosmos. At one point, we turned around and my guide said, "Look how far you are above your problems. Don't they seem small from up here? You are so much more than what you are experiencing down there." At that moment I felt peace. My problems seemed like a storm in a teacup. Now when I look up at the stars I remember that journey and how I felt healed.
As some of you may know, this past year I've been ill and have had to step down from a number of activities including my blog and dream workshops. Gratefully, I am getting better and gaining more energy. Over the past year I've needed to focus on myself and have learned to ask for help from people and spirit. Seeing the love and generosity of my friends and family and getting answers to prayers has given me hope and a profound sense of gratitude.
In many cultures, the star is a symbol of hope, guidance, and spiritual significance. It connects us to higher realms and suggests that we embrace a deeper spiritual connection and rely on our faith in the divine to be with us. I have certainly connected with the divine over the past year in strange and amazing ways. It has me rethinking and embracing higher guidance. There were several times when I was feeling low and I prayed and asked for help. It always appeared and for that, I am so grateful. I know many of us relate to the divine in different ways, whether that be an organized religion, not so organized religion, or your own personal connection. For me, I always seem to get help like a guiding star.
The first star that many of you may know is the Star of Bethlehem. The star appeared in the sky to guide the magi across the land to the birthplace of Jesus Christ. The star is seen as a divine manifestation and guidance that Jesus was born to bring the world hope and healing. What faith in the divine the wise men must have had to follow a star across the desert to an unknown place to see the holy child.
The Star of Inanna, also known as the Star of Ishtar and the Star of Venus. Inanna is a Sumerian goddess of love, beauty, and fertility but also war and justice. She is known as the Queen of Heavens. She is believed to be the daughter of the sky god Anu or the moon god Sin giving her sovereignty over the star. Her star has eight points and encompasses her attributes and powers of love, beauty, fertility, desire, power, dominion, wisdom, and justice and is closely associated with the planet Venus and the power of female energy. The eight pointed star is also used as a star of balance and protection in some cultures. Clearly this goddess is not to be trifled with.
In the tarot, the star is seen as a symbol of hope, optimism, and inspiration as well as a guidance in times of crisis and darkness. It is one of my favorite tarot cards and I'm always delighted when I pull it. To me it feels like I'm being reminded that it's not just me all on my own and that I need to have faith and embrace a deeper spiritual connection. In my traditional Rider Tarot deck, the star again is eight pointed. The woman has one foot in a pool of water and one on land. Perhaps a sign that we need to not only stay balanced and practical but also listen our intuition and spiritual resources. She also holds two containers of water; one pouring back into the pond and one onto the land. The left representing the subconscious and spiritual and the right the conscious and physical. She is replenishing and giving back so that others may . Both in the spiritual realm and the physical. Perhaps as a reminder to not only replenish when you need to but to give back to others as well.
There are many star legends in different cultures. The Greeks tell a story of the Ethiopian Queen Cassiopeia who angered the Greek god Poseidon by saying she and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than the sea nymph daughters of the sea god Nereus. Poseidon punishes her by chaining her to a throne in the sky where she is positioned to hang upside down part of the time clinging to the throne to avoid falling off. A good lesson in humility and learning to work with the gods. I invite you to do your own exploration of the night sky and the stars that it holds. Read and listen to different stories and develop your own connection to the starry skies.