THE TAROT RUG PROJECT: THE STAR (XVII)

This is the twentieth post in a series on the Tarot Rug Project (also known as "Exploring the Tarot:  23 Artists Hook the Major Arcana").  To view other rugs in the series, go HERE (that post will be kept up to date as new photos are published and the show travels).

THE STAR:  Here is the "classic" Rider-Waite-Smith image:

Universal Waite Tarot images used with permission of U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902. © 1990 by U.S. Games Systems. All rights reserved.

"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well."
Julian of Norwich

There is something about this card, especially since it comes directly after The Tower card, that makes us want to let out a big sigh, and relax.  All of its symbols are inherently peaceful, and that is one of its themes. 

The card is packed with symbols--we'll focus on just a few.  The lovely naked woman has nothing to fear and is perfectly calm. She is pouring water both into the pool and also on the earth;  water is plentiful in the card.  She has an inexhaustible source of it.  It circles, centers, flows.  In tarot, one of the things that water represents is intuition.  It also represents our emotions.  Both intuition and emotion are in good supply, in a balanced and centered way.  The earth on which she is pouring the water is fertile and flowering as a result.  Behind her is an ibis (a bird associated with the Egyptian god Thoth) on a tree, representing wisdom, and above her are seven small stars, reminding us of the Pleiades (also known as the Seven Sisters) and one large, 8-pointed star, a symbol of the Sumerian goddess Inanna.

Armed with this partial list of symbols and a start on their common meanings, let's look at what Cyndy Duade has done with her interpretation of this card:

Photo credit: Anne-Marie W. Littenberg. The rug is © 2015 to Cyndy Duade, all rights reserved. Please do not copy, post, or pin without permission.

Ok, go ahead--say it. 

Wow. 

Cyndy Duade is another in our long line of distinguished and well-known rug artists who contributed to this show.  She is a certified rug hooking teacher, a colorist and dyer, and holds many classes in the Northeastern USA and elsewhere.  She doesn't have a website, but there is a charming and thorough introduction to her HERE.  Well worth reading.  I look forward to meeting her some day. 

This rug is clearly a reflection of her many travels.  One of the most intriguing aspects of the rug is that she has used an endanged bird native to Hawai'i as a substitute for the ibis; it is named the 'I'iwi.  (That's not a typo--it's really spelled that way, and you can find out more about it HERE. )  It's gorgeous and she's captured it perfectly in the rug.

There is a definite story behind this interpretation with its Polynesian theme.  Every single one of the objects and symbols in her rug has personal meaning to her.  Some of that story is revealed by Cyndy in the show's catalog.  (To get the information on how to order the catalog--the proceeds from which help the rug to travel--see the FAQ at the very bottom of this post.)  Even the design in the white border was carefully selected by her to reflect and honor the culture she portrays in the card.  The gourds from which the water is being poured, the flora and fauna portrayed...all reflect that lovely culture.

If anything, I think Cyndy's rug makes me feel even more like giving a relaxed sigh as I look at all the elements she has combined, than the original card does!  And I love the reversals--there's just a little bit of clothing on the woman; she is facing in the opposite direction from the card, the tree and bird are on the other side also.  In this way, the rug mirrors the card perfectly; and there are so many similarities and echoes of the original.  But all is done with a Polynesian twist, with this lovely and grace-filled result.

“Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of heaven,
Blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the angels.”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.”
― Carl Sagan

“Caddy got the box and set it on the floor and opened it. It was full of stars. When I was still, they were still. When I moved, they glinted and sparkled. I hushed.”
― William Faulkner

“Each star is a mirror reflecting the truth inside you.”
― Aberjhani

 SO WHAT DOES THE CARD MEAN?
The Star is the ultimate card of hope and healing.  The main figure is calm, collected, and has all that she needs to fertilize or bless the earth around her.  She has an inexhaustible source of what she needs - the waters of hope. Notice that she draws not on her own personal power to bless the earth, which could eventually drain her energy; instead she uses the waters of the pool, a deep, round mandala of compassion and healing. 

And while she pours water onto the earth around her, so she also returns water to the pool to ensure that it will never run dry.  This card tells us that even in darkness (stars, after all, are visible only at night, dawn, and dusk), we can look up and see those lovely lights hanging above us, encouraging our spirits.  The Star is like our compass, guiding us in hope towards our next step to healing...guiding us toward beauty and balance.  It is a card of nourishment and replenishing.

I also think this card has a lot to tell us about the importance of Nature in healing our spirits, and how we must not only draw hope and energy from Nature, but also give back to Her. 

In that way, it is a about stewardship and kindness.

When you get this card, ask yourself:

• What calming and restorative forces are at work in my life right now, and how can I most benefit from them?
• When I need to relax and replenish, what is my most effective (healthy) way to do so?  Am I allowing myself to do this?
  
• If someone in my life is helping me and supporting me, how can I give back to them (pouring water back into the pool) once I have the energy and resources to do so?  (This could take awhile and there is no need to rush it)
• How do I use, or how could I use, Nature to heal myself?  And as I celebrate the beauty of the natural world, and draw on that beauty, how can I give back to Nature in some small way?
• If that Star overhead were my compass, where would it be pointing me?
• If that Star overhead were a mirror, what would it be reflecting to me as I look at it?  (Remember that this image will be completely compassionate)
  

As always, thanks for reading and I hope you are enjoying the show.  Frequently asked questions are below, including information on the catalog.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SHOW:

HOW DO I GET A CATALOG?

• Email Michele Micarelli at [email protected]  (Cost of catalog will be $18 US plus shipping)  NOTE:  Catalog sales support the costs of shipping the rugs from venue to venue.  Thanks for ordering!  (Donations for this purpose also accepted)

IF I WANT TO BRING THE SHOW TO MY TOWN, WHAT SHOULD I DO?

• To bring the show to your town/country (yes, you can do that—it’s a traveling show!), contact either of the organizers:
  • Michele Micarelli at [email protected] or
  • Loretta Scena at [email protected]
• Both of the organizers have websites and you may also contact them there:
  • Michele at http://www.michelemicarelli.com/
  • Loretta at http://www.lorettascena.com/

WHERE WILL THE SHOW GO NEXT?

• As of this writing, the show will be going next to Montpelier, VT (May 2016), then to Onancock, VA (July 2016), then to Sauder Village's Rug Hooking Week (August 2016), then to the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild Show (October 2016).  In 2017 it will be traveling in Canada.
• In most cases the show will be at a venue only for a few weeks or for only the duration of an event (Sauder Village, Green Mountain), so there are weeks when it has not yet been scheduled.  If you would like the show to travel to a venue near you, contact Michele or Loretta as detailed above.