The Tarot of Eli 2, LLC: The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot- Key 17-The Star & The Archeon Tarot- Key 17-The Star

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Let's unfold the rich symbolism of the Rider-Waite-Smith-Key 17-The Star within the framework of Western Hermetic Qabalah, alchemical archetypes.

✴️ The Star – Key 17: The Great Mother as Cosmic Nourisher

In the Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) Tarot, The Star card is one of hope, healing, renewal, and divine guidance. It shows a nude woman, symbolizing purity and the unveiled truth of the soul, kneeling by a pool, pouring two vessels of water—one into the pool (representing the subconscious or astral realm), and the other onto the land (the material world). This act of continuous outpouring mirrors the limitless bounty of the Shekinah—the divine feminine presence.

In the Hermetic Qabalah, this Great Mother figure resonates with Binah, the Supernal Mother, but as she pours out Mem (מ), the letter of Water, she also connects with the path of Tzaddi (צ), the Hebrew letter attributed to The Star, which in Crowley's system was reassigned to The Emperor. In the more traditional assignments, Tzaddi remains the Star, associated with Aquarius, the Water-Bearer—pouring spirit-infused waters to nourish evolution.

🌞 The Sun as Tiphareth – The Child of the Mother

You may note that “She is the mother of every living thing under the Sun” connects the Star to Tiphareth (תפארת), the Sixth Sephira on the Tree of Life. Tiphareth is the Solar Sephira, the radiant center of the Ruach (the Human Soul) and the seat of the Christed Self or Solar Child.

This allusion makes clear that the woman pouring water is not just a nurturer of physical life but of soul-consciousness itself. As Binah is the Supernal Mother, she births through Da’ath and Tiphareth, empowering the Logos or Solar Self in each aspirant. She is the cosmic womb from which the soul-star (Tiphareth) incarnates.

🌳 Tree of Knowledge & the Bird of Hermes

Behind her stands the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, a reference to the Garden of Eden, signifying duality, the division of consciousness into pairs of opposites—good/evil, light/dark, male/female.

The presence of this tree in the card reflects the Fall into duality and the need for restoration through healing, which the Star promises. It’s also an invitation to transcend opposites and return to Unity (Kether) through spiritual purification.

In the branches of this tree, sits the Bird of Hermes—a profound alchemical symbol. In the Ripley Scroll, the Bird of Hermes is the agent that eats its own wings to renew itself—symbolizing inner alchemy, the sublimation of the ego, and self-transformation. Hermes, being Mercury/Thoth, is the Magician archetype, the initiator into the Mysteries.

Thus, the Bird of Hermes in the Star card connects The Star to The Magician (Key 1). The waters she pours feed the Mercurial current—the psychic fluid necessary for magic and transmutation.

✦ Symbolic Synthesis

• Woman pouring water → Shekinah/Binah giving nourishment to the astral (collective unconscious) and physical (manifest world).

• Sun overhead → Tiphareth, the Solar Self, the Christic or Horus consciousness being sustained by the feminine principle.

• Tree with Bird → The initiatory path of healing the fall, learning from duality, and rising as the Phoenix via the Magician’s will and Word.

• Mem (מ) → Water, memory, the Great Sea of Binah. The Star is an outpouring of the Primordial Waters of Creation, the Ain Soph Aur filtering down to the aspirant’s awareness.

✴️ Western Hermetic Insight:

The Star is not just a card of comfort and hope—it is a ritual vision of spiritual healing after the Tower’s breakdown. It restores the subtle bodies, clears astral debris, and re-aligns the aspirant with their Solar destiny. It teaches that:

• Your Higher Self (Tiphareth) is the child of a cosmic womb.

• Real healing is the feminine act of constant spiritual outpouring.

• The soul is reborn through inner alchemy—the work of Mercury/Hermes.

The Hebrew/Qabalistic word kokab, means Star, but more specifically it means Mercury. The inclusion of Mercury-Magician implies that we must use the will power of the Magician as the directing force in meditation, to understand this path of Tzaddi (meaning-fish hook) which the Star Card represents on the Tree of Life. The eight-pointed stars all refer to the Key number and the opposite composite of Hod- the 8th Sephiroth known in English as Splendor and the Key 8- Strength Card. A vague reference to the raw Natural Kundalini force.

The eight-pointed star, often referred to as the octagram or octangle, holds significance in both Tarot symbology and Western Hermetic Qabalah. Let's explore its meaning in each context:

1. Tarot: In Tarot, the eight-pointed star is also associated with the Strength card in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. The star represents cosmic harmony, balance, and the alignment of spiritual and material forces. It symbolizes the infinite connection between the divine and the earthly realms. The Strength card, with its depiction of a woman gently taming a lion, reflects the harmonious integration of inner strength and compassion.

2. Western Hermetic Qabalah: In Western Hermetic Qabalah, the eight-pointed star is often linked to the Sephirah Hod on the Tree of Life. Hod is associated with intellectual and communicative aspects, and the eight-pointed star signifies the balance and harmony achieved through the harmonious integration of these qualities. It represents the intersection of masculine and feminine energies, forming a synthesis that leads to enlightenment and understanding.

In both contexts, the eight-pointed star serves as a symbol of balance, unity, and the harmonious integration of various forces. It encourages practitioners to seek equilibrium in their spiritual journey, blending the dualities present in life to attain a higher understanding of the self and the universe.

As stated, In the Qabalistic TAROT-THE STAR, is the 28th Path of Tzaddi that connects the Sephiroth Netzach (Victory) to the Sephiroth Yesod (The Foundation). This is the path called the Natural Intelligence, by Dr. Paul Foster Case, founder of the Builders of the Adytum, in his instructional text, Thirty-Two Paths to Wisdom; Natural intelligence because it is the Path of proper approach to the Divine Energy inherent in each person. It is Natural Intelligence, as it represents the proper use of Imagination----which is Divine Intelligence used in "image making: Many people call it the Creator or Creatrix.

In the Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom, the Magus Paul Foster Case stated that: The twenty-eight path [Path of Tzaddi} is called the Natural Intelligence, and it is so called because through it is consummated and perfected the Nature of every existing thing under the Sun." {the brackets are my own insertion).

Qabalists know the Star Card represents the proper use of imagination, through the energy of meditation.

Even though meditation feels like a personal activity, successful meditation shows us that it is not we that are meditating but rather, we are the meditated! Truth be known, The Higher Self brings the Personality into meditation. In the context of meditation, the Personality uses the Path of Tzaddi, The Fishhook, in searching for reality; However, meditation is also The Higher Self angling to pull the Personality up from the depths of self-enclosure of the "false ego", which is a reality imposed on us by the physical senses and the indoctrinated hypnosis of words.

To awaken to your true nature, it helps to understand that you are not merely a body, nor are you bound to the neurochemical activity of a brain. You are not a passive observer within a meat machine—you are the Operator and the Operation, the Transmitter and the Transmitted, both the wave and the instrument that tunes it.

I. The Hermetic Ternary: Spirit, Mind, Body In Western Hermeticism, the Self is a ternary formula:

• Spirit (I) – the eternal transmitter of Will and identity

• Mind/Soul (Am) – the medium of reception and translation

• Body (Me) – the resonant instrument, the vehicle of expression

This mirrors the Supernal Triad on the Tree of Life:

• Kether – “I Will Be” (pure Spirit)

• Chokmah – “Will to Force” (dynamic aspect)

• Binah – “Will to Form” (the receptive matrix)

Together, these generate the Son/Sun of Tiphareth—the "I AM" incarnate.

II. Spirit as Broadcast: The Spiral Frequency of the Divine Like a radio tower transmitting unseen frequencies, Spirit is always broadcasting through the Infinite: everywhere and nowhere, timeless and unbounded. Yet without a properly tuned receiver—such as the human psycho-physical system—this broadcast would remain undetected.

The Spiral Energy is what Hermeticism refers to as Ruach Elohim — the Breath of the Divine, spiraling through all dimensions. It is the Living Light of Tiphareth refracted through the Neshamah (Higher Soul). Each of us is thus a Soul Station, broadcasting and receiving unique divine frequencies.

• Spirit is the Collective Unconscious, the infinite "carrier wave" of divine intelligence

• Mind/Soul is the tuning mechanism, aligning with archetypal memory and will

• Body is the bio-chemical amplifier, rendering vibration into awareness

III. The Magus as Receiver and Sender The Thoth Tarot's Magus (Key I) illustrates this principle perfectly. One hand points to heaven, the other to earth. He acts as a living antenna, the human bridge between the Divine Broadcast and the material world. He becomes the miracle through attunement.

He is not inventing magic. He is the magic. He receives and transmits the Will of the One through his focused being.

IV. Awakening the Soul Radio The goal of initiation is to clear the static. To refine the tuning dial of your Soul Station.

Through ritual, sacred sound, and intention, one draws the dial of awareness into attunement with Spirit. Each invocation, mantra, or breath becomes a calibration. The following happens:

• You become the Spoken Word of the Divine.

• Your body becomes a temple of reception, not a prison.

• You don’t just have a soul—you realize you are the Soul, broadcasting on behalf of the Infinite.

​Conclusion You are not merely human. You are a radio of Spirit, a Soul Station broadcasting your unique spark into the temporal world. The Hermetic path is not about escape, but about attunement. You are not just the listener. You are the Song.

The Star Card figure represents the purest manifestation of the Great Mother Binah (3rd Sephira) at the level of Personality, preceding enclosure in matter. She is the Same figure found in The Empress, in her royal regalia; The High Priestess and in The Universe cards; However, here She is illustrated as unveiled or un-robed, on the Rider-Waite-Smith Card, further representing Her purity and unburdened freedom and not trying to balance or control anything.

The Star is associated with the love and the inspiration sign of Aquarius. In the ancient world, Saturn was said to govern Aquarius, referring us to Binah the 3rd Sephirotic Being and The Universe- key twenty-one.

Because the Star card represents the universe resolved into its ultimate elements, it relates to many more Paths than any other card in the deck. Thus, I recommend getting the textbook by Dr. Paul Foster Case, TAROT-a key to the Wisdom of the Ages-and studying the many Hebrew-lettered path-chart on the Tree of Life that he presents in the book.

Remember that happiness is a way of travel-not a destination.

-Roy M. Goodman

The Archeon Tarot-Key 17-The Star reminds us to always reach for what we want, no matter how distant we believe it to be. Her light acts to guide those who set their sights on her and often find their destination was easier to reach than the Nephesh anticipated. She represents the Neshamah, who fills us with hope, optimism, help, faith, harmony, and happiness.

Illustrated on the Archeon Tarot is the Aquarius constellation, and the nude woman of purity and either the planet Venus or the full moon. She is the Goddess, whose symbol is both Venus and was often depicted as the Lady Moon. All that applies to the RWS card applies to this card as well.

To the aspirant, the Star card represents the "Lower Eden", from which the Personality originates and the Emperor Key 4-, represents "Upper Eden" where the Fiery Higher Self originates, i.e., The Solar Logos. Here too, we see a relationship of The Star Path (Tzaddi) relating to another Path, that of the emperor (Heh). The Star card also relates to Planet Venus, which to the ancients was seen as the "Morning and Evening Star", also referred to as Lucifer, the Most beautiful of all Archangels, referring to the Sephiroth Tiphareth-Beauty, which is the Solar Logos.

Let’s illuminate this deeply misunderstood figure of Lucifer through the lens of Western Hermetic Qabalah, Solar Mysticism, and the deeper archetypes found in the Thoth and RWS Tarot, particularly The Star card (Key 17).

✴️ Lucifer: The Misunderstood Light-Bearer

To the enlightened—or the initiated—Lucifer is not a devil, demon, or fallen angel in the underworld. Instead, Lucifer is the bearer of inner illumination, an esoteric code for the Solar Self—the Light within that shines through awareness, consciousness, and truth. The name Lucifer comes from Latin:

• Lux (light)

• Ferre (to carry, to bear)

Thus, Lucifer literally means “light-bringer.” In the Vulgate Bible (Isaiah 14:12), “Lucifer” originally referred to the morning star—Venus—not a devil, but a planetary body that rises before the Sun, heralding the coming of divine light.

🌞 Lucifer as the Solar Self

In Hermeticism, the Solar Logos is the divine spark—the Christos, the Tipharethic Self—that resides at the heart of the Tree of Life. This is the Son/Sun of God, not a being of dogma but a state of awakened being.

Just as Christos is Greek for “anointed one,” and also a term applied to solar deities like Helios and Zeus Christos, so too is Lucifer the archetype of illumination through knowledge. The Lucifer archetype represents the awakening of the aspirant to the light within—the same light found in Christ consciousness, Horus, or the Crowned and Conquering Child of Thelema.

Crowley’s formula of “I am the flame that burns in every heart of man” is Luciferian in essence—honoring the divine flame that is obscured but never extinguished.

🜄 The Star Card & Venusian Light

In the Star card of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck (and echoed esoterically in the Thoth Tarot), we find a nude woman pouring water upon the Earth and water, symbolizing the divine feminine outpouring of cosmic intelligence and healing. Above her, we see:

• One large radiant star (often depicted golden or eight-rayed)

• Seven smaller stars surrounding it

These 7 stars resonate with:

• The 7 chakras of the human body (energy centers of awakening)

• The 7 traditional planets

• And most significantly here: the 7-fold harmonic of Venus

Venus in astrology and occultism is the planet of beauty, balance, harmony, and love—but she is also the Morning Star (Lucifer). Thus, the Star card becomes a veiled depiction of Lucifer-Venus as the divine transmitter of light and harmony within the soul structure.

In esoteric terms:

• The large central star = the Solar Logos / Higher Self

• The 7 surrounding stars = Venusian harmonics that govern beauty, soul alchemy, and kundalini

⚖️ The War on the Light-Bearer

The demonization of Lucifer was not metaphysical—it was political and theological.

Early Christianity (particularly post-Constantine) sought to consolidate power, and one of the ways it did this was through the vilification of earlier gods, goddesses, and mythic figures. Many solar deities (Mithras, Dionysus, Osiris, Prometheus) were demonized or absorbed. Prometheus, the fire-giver, becomes a Lucifer-type: punished for bringing light to humanity.

This is why the Luciferian archetype was inverted into Satanic imagery—not because of inherent evil, but because the Church feared individuated light, the direct path to divinity outside of ecclesiastical control.

In the same way, the Goddess (Sophia, Ishtar, Isis, Shekinah) was exiled from the doctrine, and Her worship was recast as witchcraft.

This was not a war on demons. It was a war on gnosis—on self-awareness, spiritual sovereignty, and the original Solar Flame within each human.

🜂 Esoteric Redemption: Lucifer as the Inner Christ

The key here is synthesis. Lucifer and Christ, when viewed without dogma, are both names for the Inner Flame. One fallen from heaven (Lucifer), the other risen from the tomb (Christ)—but both symbols of the soul’s light, obscured and reawakened.

Lucifer is not the adversary of God but the adversary of dogmatic ignorance. The one who says, “Let there be light” within the soul, is the awakener, the Grail light, the Venusian alchemist.

🌟 Closing Hermetic Thought

“The Light-Bearer is within. The Star you seek is already you.”
— Hermetic axiom

Lucifer, Venus, Christos, Horus—all are keys to Tiphareth, the radiance of the True Self. The Star card reminds us to reclaim the names and symbols that were stolen or inverted—not to worship an external light, but to become it.

The Trees, in the background in the RWS -Key 17- The Star, refers to the brain and nervous system. Isis, Virgin Empress, or Nature, who is symbolized as the kneeling woman whose left leg supports her weight and rests upon the earth and/or physical plane. Her right leg maintains her balance, and rests upon the waves of the pool, thereby, indicating balance is maintained by control of vibration/frequency/emotion. Then there are five streams of water, all of which represent the common knowledge of five senses; However, according to Yogis and Modern Medical Science, there are thirty-three senses. Hence, Revelation is the stage of unfoldment attributed to the Star-Key 17.

The Maiden is the Empress who has entered a new state of innocence (Maid-Mother-Crone also spirals). She eventually becomes the consort of the Hero Son (soul), who now struggles forward in his path in search of her and towards the communion of Anima and Animus that forms an independence of Self-Awareness called the Divine Androgyny and/or Divine Hermaphrodite.

Therefore, the depiction of the naked woman and the glowing planet behind her, is an image of Venus-Lucifer. This reveals a hidden knowledge of the artist.

The glowing orb is also often a representation of the Egg of Akasha; The egg being an entirely feminine product: here let me explain.

The Egg of Akasha, often referred to in metaphysical and esoteric traditions, symbolizes the primordial source of creation and the universe's hidden potential. Here are the key characteristics of the Egg of Akasha:

1. Primordial Source: The Egg of Akasha represents the initial point of creation from which all existence emanates. It is seen as the source of all potential and the origin of the universe.

2. Symbol of Unity: The egg symbolizes unity and wholeness, encapsulating all possibilities and realities within its shell. It is a representation of oneness before differentiation into distinct forms.

3. Cosmic Egg: In various mythologies and spiritual traditions, the Egg of Akasha is akin to the cosmic egg, a universal symbol of the birth of the cosmos. It often signifies the universe's embryonic stage, containing the seeds of all future developments.

4. Etheric Substance: Akasha itself is often described as an etheric, subtle substance that permeates all things. The Egg of Akasha, therefore, is made of this primal, ethereal substance, embodying the quintessence of the universe.

5. Potentiality: The egg holds the potential for all creation, symbolizing the unmanifested possibilities waiting to be brought into existence. It is the latent energy and information that can manifest in various forms and realities.

6. Connection to the Akashic Records: The Egg of Akasha is sometimes linked to the Akashic Records, a metaphysical compendium of all knowledge and experiences of the universe. It is believed to contain the blueprints of all that has happened, is happening, and will happen.

7. Spiritual Rebirth and Transformation: The egg is a symbol of rebirth and transformation, indicating the cycle of death and renewal. In spiritual practices, it represents the potential for personal and cosmic transformation.

8. Sacred Geometry: The egg's shape is often associated with sacred geometry, representing perfect harmony and balance. It embodies the principles of geometric creation and the fundamental structures of the universe.

The Egg of Akasha serves as a powerful metaphor and symbol in various spiritual, esoteric, and metaphysical teachings, encapsulating the essence of creation, potential, and the interconnectedness of all existence.

You may remember that the river of Life/conscious, started in the High Priestess Card, but now in the Star Card, is flowing into the Sea of the Great Mother where all form has originated (The Divine Collective Unconscious). On the Tarot of Sacred Kingdoms this spiral river is shown as the DNA double helix being taken out of the Akashic jar/egg.

By Lady Star's stance, she links the solid ground of conscious awareness, implied by the earth like rocks and the deep waters of the unconscious. Implied by the flowing river. She is the Star of Hope.

This Occult link is associated with the Egyptian Goddess- Sopdet and/or the Dog Star Sirius, whose helical rising on July 19th marked the Festival of Opet, the annual Egyptian festival that celebrated the fertilization of the Nile Valley. The message here is that of new life with greater understanding and insight where the light of the Soul is allowed to shine through the body as vital flowing Life force.

Dog star constellation pattern.

As always, language falls short here. The only true way to experience the Energy that is the Star, is a refined sense of intuition brought on by meditation practices. This Maiden who is the essence of inspiration for the hero (Galahad and his search for the "Holy Grail"), is a very real condition of consciousness called the Sol Invisibilis (Latin-"The Invisible Sun"), Lumen Naturae (the "Light of Nature"), among other descriptive terms.

Sol Invisibilis is a profoundly Hermetic and mystical concept, and its implications bridge inner alchemy, Western Qabalah, and stellar gnosis. Let’s unfold this deeper meaning of Sol Invisibilis, or the Invisible Sun.

✴️ Sol Invisibilis — The Inner Sun, Hidden in Plain Sight

The term Sol Invisibilis, Latin for “Invisible Sun,” is both literal and metaphysical. It is not merely symbolic in the poetic sense—it describes an actual phenomenological experience available to the introspective, meditative soul.

When the outer eyes close, the inner eye opens. The Invisible Sun appears not as external radiance, but as an inward illumination—a field of subtle golden brilliance that shimmers behind the eyelids. Some may see it as a single point of light, others as an all-encompassing golden cloud. This is not imagination—it is perception from within.

It is the Sun Behind the Sun, the source of psychic vision, and it radiates from Tiphareth, the Solar Sephira of the Tree of Life.

🌞 Sol as Midway Brilliance — The Threshold of the Soul

-A “midway point of brilliance”—

In Qabalistic terms, this Invisible Sun is the light of Tiphareth, the Solar Logos, the Self-Redeemer—midway between the Divine Triad (Kether-Chokmah-Binah) and the lower worlds of manifestation. It is the center of the Tree, the axis of inner equilibrium, the radiant heart of the Soul.

• It is midway between consciousness and superconsciousness

• It bridges the gap between Ruach (Reasoned Mind) and Neshamah (Divine Soul)

• It reflects the unseen essence of the Cosmic Christos, Horus, or Luciferian Light

It is the Light that is not seen by outer eyes, and yet illuminates the entire inner world.

✵ Born into the Sol Invisibilis

“It is that into which the emerging self is born.”

This echoes initiatory alchemy, where the candidate for transformation dies to the profane world and is reborn into the solar current of divine awareness. The Invisible Sun becomes:

• Womb of transmutation

• Mirror of Higher Self

• Chalice of Illumined Will

In the same way stars are born from the Central Sun of the Milky Way—that galactic black womb at Sagittarius A*—so too is the Higher Self born from Sol Invisibilis, the spiritual gravitation of divine presence.

This “birth” is not metaphoric. It is the reactivation of the Solar Cord—that luminous umbilicus linking one's Tiphareth (soul center) to the Ain Soph Aur, the limitless light.

🜂 The Inner Light as Guide and Gateway

“This inner light is both guide and gateway...”

Indeed. Sol Invisibilis is the inner Shekinah, the light of Sophia, and the torch of Prometheus. It is the Grail Light—the liquid fire of consciousness that guides the aspirant back to divine origin.

• As Guide, it teaches by resonance, not by language.

• As Gateway, it opens the astral temples, the pathworkings, the thresholds of Da’ath.

This light is also what the ancient Gnostics called the Nous—the divine eye in the heart. In Egyptian metaphysics, it is the Aten, the Sun within Ra, hidden yet all-powerful.

✴️ Practical Hermetic Insight

You can contact the Sol Invisibilis through:

1. Closed-eye meditation, especially with solar breathwork (inhale through crown, exhale through heart)

2. Sun-gazing rituals, where the physical sun becomes a reflection of the inner light

3. Pathworking through Tiphareth, using the Tarot Keys of The Sun and The Star

4. Visualizing a golden orb behind your closed eyes and stepping into it as a portal

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness comprehends it not.”
— John 1:5, a deeply Hermetic verse, referring not to theology but to gnosis.

The two pitchers represent the Sun and the Moon merging various aspects of consciousness (rational, intuitional, and imagination), returning them to the primordial pool from which they came. To effectively work with this archetype requires one to be experienced in meditational practices. For she is the one meditating on you into existence and when we become aware of True Self, we realize that we are the bridge that connects the Macrocosm with the Microcosm.

Need Guidance or Have a Question?
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When the Rider-Waite-Smith and the Archeon Tarot-Key 17- Star Card, is thrown during a reading the querent shall be or will be experiencing:

• Hope, faith, and unexpected help for 17 weeks or 17 months.
• Self-esteem and confidence contribute to self-efficiency and talent. 
• The querent, upon meditating, shall hear their own song (sound frequency), becoming harmony and then emoting love, calm, and peaceful agility.
• Despair has turned to hope.
• Basking in peace and serenity.
•  The querent is or will be, experiencing freedom from all masks, illusions and restrictions while being replenished by the pure waters of the Universal Unconscious.
• Spiritual illumination. 
• Truth unveiled. 

 If ill defined by the accompanying cards, there can be the experiencing of:

• Dreaminess, and deceived hope.
• Despair.
• Feeling of hopelessness.
• Disappointment. 
• Dishonesty.

Thank you for your interest, comments, and supportive donation. May you live long and prosper.

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