When I started this series, I primarily wanted to examine the cards individually and see how they would apply in queer situations, as well as share stories of my life as a reader and how those queer interpretations have manifested. While this is still a key component of my writing, as time has gone on, like with all things tarot, the connections between the cards in this line of thinking has become just as powerful as the card themselves. The Star is our next card in the major arcana to look at, and we can’t truly do so without recalling the sometimes traumatic events of the Tower previously. The Star is frequently thought of as what comes after a period of life when everything is falling down around us. While the picture is always peaceful, in my mind I have always thought an ideal Star card would be the same picture surrounded by the rubble of the Tower. Just as much hope as traditional interpretations of the star, but without denying what happened to get us here.

Traditionally this card indicates hope, it shows a slight illumination in a dark time, like a star guiding you home. The Star also usually shows an image of a woman nourishing the Earth and being nourished in return, a potential statement on the infinite resources available to us and the cyclical nature of them. Renewal and refreshment are also indicated with this card and in such a picture, promising a fresh burst of energy or assuring a good omen if vacations are coming up. This is one of the cards in the deck that is harder to separate from its spiritual root, as the card itself can mean simply “spirituality” or comfort via spiritual matters. You’re truly blessed by your view of the “powers that be” in this time.

In a queer reading, this card almost always comes up after my client has gone through a rough time. It might not always be as devastating as The Tower, but it is hard to ignore the feeling of loss and being left to stand on your own that the Tower leaves and how that uniquely affects LGBTQ+ querents when queering The Star. Without the Tower of being outed or coming out in unsupportive environments, you don’t have that moment of hope and clarity where you realize that either you can make life work on your own or that you do have support around you to rebuild from. Recognizing the milestones that queer clients face and how The Star as a source of hope, illumination, or renewal would show up for them is an easy enough line to draw—it is essentially, after all, the breakthrough that comes when all has fallen.

The matter of spirituality is a difficult one for many queer people. Many of us grew up in oppressive Christian households, or are acutely aware that the rights and dignities we do not have in large part stay absent from our lives because of the stronghold of the Christian right in our society. For that reason many have abandoned or turned their back not only on Christianity or spirituality as a whole. Some may never miss it, and atheism is a perfectly valid viewpoint to hold. For many though, spirituality is a source of inspiration and connection to spirit, and a crucial part of who we are and how we view the world. When that’s taken from you or you lose that faith, our lives can feel out of balance or like a piece of ourselves is missing. So for many in this community, if The Star shows up, it can indicate that it is safe and it is time for the querent to seek out a spiritual path, usually an alternate one to what drove them away from spiritual faith. This is a time to try on many different hats, spiritually speaking, and see what sticks and what works for you. A lot of times spirituality moves in cycles in our own lives and the world at large. Right now we are seeing a HUGE uptick in queer and trans people turning to Pagan paths and even being willing to experiment with paths other may view as darker. This path for me and many others has led to a sense of faith in self and spirit that was so lost for so long, but try not to color your client’s best path with what worked for you. There are local and affirming groups of all faiths now, and seeking that out to figure things out for themselves is the querent’s best option.

Finally, The Star has frequently combined a lot of it’s own messages for me and my clients to turn into a card about faith and belief in the self. Many times when the Tower falls, good or bad, it was for reasons beyond our control. The Star comes to let us know anything we made out of the rubble, we made on our own, and to remind us how much more we can build. We have an idea and a focus for our life now thanks to that illumination from The Star, and it is time to create the path we want out of it. Hold tight to your faith in yourself when this card shows up. We live in a pretty nasty society where gender and sexual minorities are concerned. Even when legal rights are obtained, our dignities are affronted every day, but we are so strong and so beautiful in the face of that. Most frequently for me, The Star shows up to remind me of this, to remind me to keep fighting the good fight—whether it’s for the community or just for myself. More importantly, it shows up to remind me how capable I am of doing so and how much of my faith I should be putting into myself.

Be sure to check out the first fifteen parts: Queering the Tarot: The Tower, Queering the Tarot: The Devil, Queering the Tarot: Temperance, Queering the Tarot: Death, Queering the Tarot: The Hanged Man, Queering the Tarot: Justice, Queering the Tarot: The Wheel, Queering The Tarot: The Hermit, Queering The Tarot: Strength, Queering The Tarot: The Chariot, Queering the Tarot: The Lovers, Queering the Tarot: The Hierophant, Queering the Tarot: The Emperor, The Empress, and Archaic Gender Roles, Queering the Tarot: The High Priestess, Queering The Tarot: The Magician, Queering the Tarot, and Queering the Tarot: Let’s Start at the Very Beginning