The Star is a card of Hope and Faith in the Universe. It tells you that in spite of all your trials and tribulations, everything is as it should be, and in the end everything is going to be alright.

It encourages you to expand your horizons; to stretch out beyond your personal value systems and embrace the Universe as a whole.

It invites you to open your eyes and see the vastness of the world around you, the billions of stars in the night sky and the billions of people that make up humanity.

The Star card is associated with Aquarius as the Water Bearer archetype. It is a card of compassion, inspiration, intuition and faith.

A few years ago I suffered a traumatic emotional event. I felt like everything I had trusted was gone. What I had held as truth was a lie and the very foundation I stood on had disappeared from beneath my feet. I began having episodes of severe anxiety and depression spending most of my waking time either angry or crying. Luckily my children, my friends, and a really good therapist helped me to figure out what I wanted and needed and held my hands while I discovered the tremendous strength needed to rebuild my life.

When I was in the depths of turmoil I was reaching for anything that might give me the answers to why this had happened to me. I came upon a website that gave a free tarot reading and, as a bonus, e-mailed a specific card every couple of weeks that was supposed to help figure out my world at the time. Do I really believe the cards are seeing my future? No, but it was uncanny how much comfort and clarity the cards I received gave. I very rarely get cards any more but the Star Card landed in my inbox the other day and caused me to think about my life and the choices I’ve made the past few years.

I’m much happier than I used to be. I’m able to take what I need and not apologize for doing so. I recognize my inner strength, celebrate my independence, and mourn what was lost but realize it needed to be set free. In walking my winding road of recovery I’ve kept a bit of the broken-ness, though. When I first felt the tremendous hurt I locked away my battered and broken heart swearing to never set it free again. If I kept my soul safely tucked away I would never again feel pain, never again open myself to trusting others, and while it might be a tempered life, I would be safe.

The Star Card came along and reminds me that I’m going to be OK. I need to let my heart be open to possibilities and understand that a safe life isn’t what I want. I need to embrace the universe and move forward with a compassionate soul. I want to be inspired as well as inspire others. A full life is one with faith, in myself and the people around me. My travels the past few months have encouraged me to boldly step out into the great unknown and take a chance that something wonderful will happen.

Stay tuned for Gigi’s adventures in Ireland…lots of stories to tell.