THE STAR(S) in The Cagliostro Tarot

The Stars (The Star, XVII)

I chose a card at random from the The Cagliostro Tarot, asking "What do I most need to hear now?" What hit me first was that this version is titled "The Stars," as opposed to the traditional singular "The Star." My next thought was "Ah, much to be hopeful about; beauty coming from many different sources at once." Wow. That led me to think of the DREAMJIN group (see sidebar) I just started and what the members are bringing to this developing new poetry form. Blessings aplenty! And that each member is a "star" in her or his own right.

I also thought of all the wonderful elders I meet and greet every day here in my new home in a retirement community in southern California. Each person radiating their unique beauty, eternal youth, and hope. (This is not to deny or ignore the struggles I also witness and sense, but to acknowledge what lives in them even so.)

Now to this card in this deck a bit more specifically. At the bottom it says: THE DIVINE POWERS OF NATURE - NATURE - FECUNDITY. (This deck also has reverse meanings printed upside down at the top, which I happily ignore. I don't work with reverses. The range of a card is apparent to me upright. :-D) And I am reminded to more fully and regularly avail myself of the gorgeous gardens, large and small, on the grounds of this retirement community. Just as we all can be reminded to be open to all around us that radiates hope, healing, beauty, music, all the time. If only we can listen, be still. No instant results promised, but the opportunities are here. I am reminded of a haiku by the Japanese master, Basho (translation by Robert Bly):

The temple bell stops --
but the sound keeps coming
out of the flowers.

Here's The Star in the Rider/Waite/Smith deck:


The RWS Star seems to me to take what I say above a step further: What we do for ourselves and others, goes into the collective pool of possibilities. We are truly all in this together. Even as The Great Goddess radiates Her bounty for us all.

Brief comments on The Cagliostro Tarot: IMHO, it's an odd deck. I've always sort of liked the (I think) watercolor Majors (the Minors are unillustrated) but they are a bit strange, silly even at times. E.g., here's The Madman (The Fool):


I rarely use this deck, but something told me to go to it today and I am happy that I did. :-)

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‘til next time, keep opening to the blessings around us and enjoying The Tarot,

Roswila
[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)**** SEE ALSO: Roswila’s Dream & Poetry Realm for Tarot poetry; Roswila’s Taiga Tarot for taiga (illustrated tanka); and Yahoo DREAMJIN: Group for Dreamku – Haiku-Like Dream Poems.****