Tilly Tarot
The heavenly and inspiring mythological stories surrounding the life of Tarot overwhelms our knowledge of archetypal annotations past. It encourages us to use our personal experience to unveil the true hidden meanings and deliver what we believe to be at the fountain of symbolism. For many centuries they have helped guide us through life and bewitched our sense of space and place in the modern world.
Folklore, tales and stories retold about courageous people and using such symbols as a star as a guiding light offers us great hope and inspiration. True or false we can apply the wondrous symbolic adventures from ancient people past all the way through into our lives in the modern 21st Century. It is still very relevant and holds great derogatory meaning of ‘lessons learnt’ and how to attain stability in our unpredictable lives. The past and the future are the parallels of time featured in the card of The Star and deliver a message of faith and ambition. Symbolic of this momentum the origins of Tarot in relation to time can be directly linked to the evolution of The Star card itself. In the card, during the past, peoples’ eyes would be drawn up to the sky filled with stars to symbolise how the future world is so full of hope and renewal. The Native American Inuit Tribe came to what they described as a round hole in the sky, burning like fire. “This” said the Raven, “is a Star”. (Inuit Creation Story). The Star card represents the story of time and it’s effect on the world with optimism and affirmation similar to the evolution of Tarot as a tool of Divination itself making it’s way into the world of the Occult.
The ‘Mamelukes’, an Islamic tribe who overthrew Egypt during the late 14th Century, were thought to have travelled into Northern Italy with the Tarot, then only known as playing cards. From this time they evolved into what we now know as the Tarot Deck in 1410 – 1430 and grew into a European trend for predicting future events. I believe they used the image of a star for card number seventeen in the Major Arcana because of the iconic and magical mythical tales surrounding it. The oldest dated star in ancient Egypt was recorded in 1,534 BC, thus providing for a lot of time for stories to evolve and mature. With the Tarot very much linked to time and forward dating, many tribes from many nations used the night sky of stars as a mapping system.
Astrological measurements were taken over time and were associated with each of the Tarot cards in the deck providing for a more accurate insight into when an event may occur. The card of The Star is further strengthened for future predictions being in direct association with the sign of Aquarius, a forward thinking and progressive Zodiac sign. The cosmos and the astrological mapping of time is how the Tarot foretells encounters in our life and which directions to take. This is the foundation of how we accept Tarot and one of the main contributors to the original deck of playing cards. Without the basis of timing associated with the astrological side of the Tarot card we would be by-passing a great link that takes us further back in time to events that during the 14th Century influenced the divination tool and helped it evolve.
There are many stories about the night filled sky of stars that lead people from danger such as mariners in the sea or to teach younger children right from wrong. However, many refer to a star as a soul reborn now mounted in heaven or ‘souls of the dead’. In Thailand there is a story whereby seven stars are mentioned much the same to The Star card that helps guide their attention towards the future and making a decision. It is called the story of The Seven Chicks and is about a very poor old couple that lived in a forest. With only a small amount of brown rice, a hen and seven chicks they feared for their very existence. One evening a monk camped near their hut and they became very worried because it was the custom that they should offer the monk some food in the morning (the monks did not eat after noon.) By placing some food in the begging bowls that the monks carried around people acquired merits that would benefit them in future lives.
And so this couple wanted to give the monk the very best food that they had, but they were very poor. In the end they decided that they only thing they could offer him was their hen. The hen overheard this, and was very sad and took her chicks aside and told them that they must look after themselves from now on. Very early the next morning, the old man killed the hen and began to roast her to give to the monk. The chicks were so overcome with grief that they threw themselves onto the fire so that they might always be with their mother. The seven chicks were reborn as stars in the sky, and they are called Dao Look Kai. This old tale delivers many references to The Star card and how the constellations help guide us and provide a symbol of hope for the future.
The Tarot most famously refers back to the Egyptian and Greek times of power and more importantly to the time of the ancient Gods. The large Star in the centre of the Rider Waite card is supposed to represent Sirius the ‘Dog Star’ but anciently called Sothis by the Greeks and Sopdet by the Egyptians that rises with the Nile during the New Year. However, also within the card of the Star is the Lady Isis, Queen of Heaven and thus the ‘Souls of the Dead’ are now in the sky surrounding Sirius. When she pours water into the river it represents her tears from Osiris and his betrayal of love. The Egyptians believed Isis was the Soul of the star and delivers energy of faith, courage and hope that has now influenced the Tarot today.
In terms of creative power there is also a great influence from the elements in Tarot and can be seen, in particular within The Star card. In terms of water there is a great link to streams of energy, motivation, love, personal emotions and shows how we think deeply and reflect sometimes too hard on ourselves. According to the Pawnee Native American tribe from the Great Plains of Nebraska the brightest stars were in charge of the clouds, wind and rain to ensure the fertility of the earth. It represents growth, forward motion and that to ever evolve we need to leave the past behind and not be afraid to step forward. Here the tribe use the stars to describe the creation of the world.
Lady Isis
“In the beginning there was only Tirawahat, which is the Universe and everything in it. Morning Star (Venus) and the Sun and the other males in sky were in favour of creating the world but Evening Star (Venus) and the Moon and the females were against it. To win the debate it was clear that Morning Star would have to win the heart of Evening Star. Many had failed, she was guarded by the Wolf (Sirius), Cougar (Auriga), Bear (Sagittarius), Bobcat (Procyon), and worst of all the Snake (Scorpius). One by one Morning Star defeated them and won the hand of Evening Star. And so the world was created.” (Native American Proverb/Story)
By the 19th Century the Rider Waite Tarot was created with more additions to the pack changing a few of the major names from The Pope to The Hierophant and The Popess to The High Priestess. But in terms of Christian Europe the first deck of playing cards appeared in 1397 and later became known as the tool for divination. In relation to Christianity here the Tarot bears more than one resemblance to the story of the Bible but more so in the card of The Star. The Star of Bethlehem is one of the greatest stories told and recorded and when I personally visited the town I was in awe of the energy of the people around me. Symbolic of a guiding light for the Three Wise Men and still today for hundreds of thousands of followers, the story of Baby Jesus lives on with a star as his saviour and symbol of hope. As so many religions, tribes, families and individuals follow the folklore of another passed, the wise words of one travels onto another and thus finds a new home within the mind, body and spirit of the future. There is no need for evidence to back up these mythical tales as hope and faith are built upon a foundation of energy and power beyond our conscious reach. What has meant a great deal to one generation is passed onto the next refined and further inspired because of the irreversible passage of time. Whatever our personal belief system we can all relate to Tarot and the story of our life cycle with 78 cards to narrate our life experiences. If the Tarot read for itself the lady in The Star card would represent the beginnings of time and the delicate naked condition the deck of cards would have been like in its embryonic state. Depicting the creation of Tarot and the irrigation so needed for growth in our world it creates a portal into the energies that surround us and delivers a reflection of the unseen. As a gifted Clairvoyant the lady is our window to the other side by bringing together the origins of the world with the guiding light of a star.
This article first appeared in Issue 3 of Indie Shaman magazine (October 2009)
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