What Does The Star Card Mean In Tarot?

Getting a tarot reading, or trying to do one for yourself, is a great way of getting an understanding on where your life is right now and what you need to be focusing on next. Understanding what your card is saying can be difficult — especially if you pull a card like the Star tarot card.

In most traditional decks, the Star tarot card shows a woman kneeling before some water, according to Tarot Card Meanings. She is often seen naked with one foot on the ground and the other in the water. Both of her hands hold containers of water being poured out, and above her, a large star and seven smaller stars shine.

Newer tarot decks often have a different take on how to symbolize what the Star tarot card means. For instance Claire Goodchild's "The Antique Anatomy Tarot" deck shows a skeleton hand surrounded by seven small spinal vertebrae as one large vertebra hovers above the hand. It also features five petunias growing around the hand.

While the images vary, the Star is a "welcome reprieve after a period of turmoil and destruction" (via Biddy Tarot). You can see that in the way the woman is pouring water back onto not just an already lush land, but dry dirt primed for regrowth as well, especially in the Rider-Waite cards (via Tarot.com). In Goodchild's deck, the five pink petunias growing show regrowth, rebirth, and femininity (via Florgeous).

So, what does all of this mean when the Star card is pulled in your tarot reading? Well, the woman at the center at the Star tarot card tells us a lot about how we're supposed to interpret the card. The woman is nourishing the earth around her, both the land that's already growing back and the land that's still bare. "Any challenges you've faced recently are about to move into the past and you can focus on the positive aspects of your life," says Claire Goodchild of "The Antique Anatomy Tarot" deck.

Biddy Tarot also says that the Star card is a sign you're "entering a peaceful, loving phase in your life filled with calm energy, stability, and a more in-depth understanding of both yourself and others around you." The hardest part of your journey has come to an end (at least for now). It's time to grow and enjoy the work you've put into making it through challenges. Nourishment is still important, but so is taking a moment to understand what you've just gone through — the same way the woman pictured in the card is watering the land around her. 

When you draw the Star tarot card and it's upside down, however, it means it's time to stop and take care of yourself. The Star reversed is a sign that you've become "disengaged" and "uninspired" with different parts of your life so it's time to stop, reflex, and most importantly recharge.