The Star Tarot Card Meaning: Upright, Reversed, Love and Yes/No
The Star is the card of hope. After the upheaval of The Tower, it shows a calm, clear night and reminds you that healing has begun.
- Hope, healing, renewal, calm.
- Yes or no: upright leans yes, reversed leans not yet.
- Astrology link: Aquarius, in the Golden Dawn system most decks follow. Systems vary.
On this page (13 sections)
- The Star at a glance
- The Star in one minute
- The Star upright meaning
- The Star reversed meaning
- The Star in love and relationships
- The Star in career and money
- The Star as a yes or no answer
- Quiz: does The Star fit your situation?
- Reflect on The Star
- The Star and astrology
- Cards often paired with The Star
- The Star FAQ
- Keep exploring
The Star at a glance
| Number | XVII, Major Arcana |
| Keywords | Hope, healing, renewal, calm |
| Astrology | Aquarius, in the Golden Dawn system most decks follow. Systems vary. |
| Yes or no | Upright: leans yes. Reversed: leans not yet. |
The Star in one minute
| Good or bad? | Very good. It is a card of hope and healing. |
| As a person | An inspiring, hopeful person, or someone who is healing. |
| As advice | Trust that things are getting better, and be gentle with yourself. |
| As a warning | Giving up on hope too soon. |
The Star upright meaning
The Star shows a woman kneeling beside a pool under a night sky. She pours water from two jugs, one into the pool and one onto the land, where it runs off in five small streams. Above her shines one large eight-pointed star surrounded by seven smaller ones, and a bird rests in a tree behind her.
Numbered seventeen, The Star comes just after The Tower. Upright, it means hope, healing, renewal and calm. The worst is over and you can breathe again. It encourages you to trust the future, look after yourself, and let your hopes guide your next steps. It is one of the most gentle and positive cards in the deck.
A real-life example: someone lost their job in a sudden restructure and spent weeks feeling lost. Slowly they start sleeping better, reach out to old contacts and sign up for a course they have always wanted to take. They feel hopeful for the first time in months. That quiet return of hope is The Star.
The Star reversed meaning
Reversed, The Star can point to discouragement, losing faith in yourself or the future, or feeling disconnected from what used to inspire you. It is usually a passing low, not a permanent state.
- Signs: cynicism, low energy, feeling that nothing will work out, or giving up on a dream too soon.
- What may help: write down three small things that went right this week, and take one gentle step toward something you still hope for.
The Star in love and relationships
If you’re in a relationship
Healing and renewed hope in the relationship, especially after a hard time. Openness and honesty help you reconnect. Reversed, feeling disappointed or losing faith in the relationship.
If you’re single
Hope is returning. You are healing from the past and becoming open to someone new. Reversed, you may doubt that love will come, or feel too guarded to try.
The Star in career and money
A hopeful time for work: recovery after a setback, new ideas or a step toward a long-held goal. For money, things are improving slowly. Reversed, discouragement or losing sight of your goals.
The Star as a yes or no answer
On this site every card follows one rule. The Star upright leans yes: hope and healing support it. Reversed, it leans not yet: the timing is off or the support is blocked, so wait and look again. This is a guide for reflection, not a prediction. For a quick one-card answer, try our free yes/no tarot reading.
Quiz: does The Star fit your situation?
Reflect on The Star
Pick an area of your life for three questions to think about.
The Star and astrology
The Star is linked to Aquarius in the Golden Dawn system, the sign of hope, ideals and the future. The figure pouring water echoes the water-bearer of Aquarius. Systems vary, so follow your deck's guidebook if it says otherwise. To learn more, read about the planets in astrology.
Cards often paired with The Star
The Star looks different from deck to deck. Our guide to the best tarot decks for beginners explains which pictures are easiest to read.
Some links on our deck and book pages are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
The Star FAQ
Is The Star a good card?
Yes. It is one of the most positive cards, standing for hope, healing and renewal. Reversed, it is a prompt to reconnect with hope.
What does The Star mean in love?
Healing, hope and reconnection. For singles, becoming open to love again. Reversed, disappointment or a loss of faith.
Is The Star a yes or no card?
In our site-wide rule, The Star upright leans yes: hope and healing support it. Reversed it leans not yet.
Why does The Star come after The Tower?
The Tower breaks down what was false, and The Star shows the calm and hope that follow. Together they tell a story of upheaval and then healing.
Keep exploring
- Browse all tarot card meanings
- New to tarot? Start with tarot for beginners
- Quick answer: our free yes/no tarot reading
How we made this page
Written and edited by the Centaurus team. We aim to be clear about what is tradition, what is our own reading, and what is fact.
How it works
We describe the card in the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, give a plain meaning for upright and reversed, then add love, career and yes/no readings. The quiz and reflection tools are for thinking, and nothing you type is saved or sent.
Sources and background
- Imagery and symbols: the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, drawn by Pamela Colman Smith for A.E. Waite (1909).
- Meanings: informed by A.E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911, public domain) and modern teaching, then written in our own plain words.
- Astrology links follow the Golden Dawn system. Other systems assign different signs and planets, and we say so on the page.
- Yes or no rule on this site: every card leans Yes, Not yet, No or Maybe, and reversed cards shift one step more cautious.
What this page cannot do
Tarot cannot predict the future, and a card does not decide what you should do. Decks and readers differ, so meanings vary. It is not medical, legal, financial or mental-health advice.
Affiliate disclosure
Some links on our deck and book pages are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend.
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Tarot is a tool for reflection and entertainment. It cannot predict the future and is not a substitute for professional medical, legal or financial advice.