🌿 This week in Sage Leaves… 🌿
As a new calendar year begins, you stand at a quiet threshold between what has been carried and what is just beginning to form. The turning of the year invites reflection, but it also invites hope. The Star appears as a guiding Jungian archetype for this moment, offering gentle reassurance rather than grand promises. It speaks to renewal that unfolds slowly, through trust, healing, and small acts of faith. In the Heroine’s journey, The Star reminds you that even after rupture or exhaustion, a deeper sense of meaning can return. This opening of the year is not about forcing change, but about allowing light to reappear, one honest step at a time, as you orient yourself toward what still feels possible.
The Star Card As Jungian Archetype
In Jungian psychology, The Star represents the archetype of hope that emerges after collapse, not as naïve optimism but as quiet, enduring trust in the psyche’s ability to heal and reorganize. In the Tarot sequence, The Star follows The Tower, and this placement is essential. Where The Tower strips away illusion and false structure, The Star arrives as the gentle restoration of meaning. It does not rebuild the old world. It offers a new inner orientation.
From a Jungian perspective, The Star reflects the Self’s capacity for renewal after ego disruption. When the ego has been shattered by loss, trauma, or disillusionment, the psyche must find a new center. The Star symbolizes this re-centering process. It is the moment when the individual begins to sense that life still has coherence, even if that coherence is not yet visible or complete.
Unlike more dramatic archetypes, The Star operates quietly. It does not demand action. It invites receptivity. The figure on the card kneels in humility, pouring water back into the earth and into the stream, suggesting a balanced exchange between inner and outer life. Jung would recognize this as the restoration of psychic flow. After trauma, energy often becomes frozen or fragmented. The Star marks the slow return of movement and trust.
Psychologically, The Star is associated with the archetype of the inner guide. This is not the commanding authority of The Emperor or the moral framework of The Hierophant, but a subtler form of knowing. It is the sense that something within you understands the way forward, even if your conscious mind does not yet have answers. This archetype often emerges in dreams, symbols, or moments of unexpected calm following chaos.
“The Star is not the promise that nothing was lost,
but the assurance that meaning can still be found.”
In the Heroine’s Journey, The Star is the point where endurance gives way to gentleness. The heroine has survived the fall, but survival alone is not enough. She must learn how to live again without armor. The Star teaches that healing does not require force. It requires presence, patience, and compassion toward the self that endured the breaking.
From a Jungian lens, The Star also relates to individuation. Individuation is not about perfection. It is about becoming whole by integrating shadow, loss, and limitation. The Star reflects the psyche’s ability to hold pain without being defined by it. This is why the card often appears during periods of recovery, grief, or spiritual realignment. It signals that the unconscious is offering reassurance that healing is underway, even if the process feels slow.
Importantly, The Star does not promise certainty. It offers orientation. In Jungian terms, it restores symbolic meaning after it has been disrupted. Trauma often collapses meaning structures. People ask why this happened or who they are now. The Star does not answer those questions directly. Instead, it rekindles the capacity to ask them without despair.
The light of The Star is distant, but steady. It does not overwhelm. It guides. This reflects Jung’s belief that transformation unfolds gradually, through relationship with the unconscious rather than domination of it. The psyche heals through dialogue, symbol, and time. The Star embodies this patient unfolding.
In readings, The Star often appears when a person has passed through difficulty and is learning to trust themselves again. It suggests a return to authenticity, simplicity, and inner alignment. From a Jungian standpoint, it is the psyche’s way of saying that the worst is no longer defining the future. Meaning can be rebuilt, not by recreating the past, but by listening to the deeper self that survived it.
Ultimately, The Star represents faith without illusion. It is hope that has been tested and refined. In Jungian terms, it is the Self whispering that wholeness remains possible, even after the world you knew has changed.
Reflection Prompt:
After a period of loss or disruption, what quiet source of guidance or steadiness has begun to reappear in your life, and how might you tend it with patience rather than urgency?
🌿Sage Leaves Weekly Tarotscope
Tarotscope for December 30-January 5, 2025
This week unfolds with a strong focus on personal authority, emotional honesty, and purposeful forward motion. The cards describe a movement from external recognition, through internal resistance, toward clarity and renewed confidence. You are asked to hold your ground, examine your motivations, and then step forward with intention. This is a week that rewards steadiness over speed and self awareness over impulse.
The Cards of the Week
Tuesday: 6 of Wands | Mercury in Sagittarius Square Saturn in Pisces
Wednesday: 7 of Wands | Moon in Taurus Sextile Saturn in Pisces
Thursday: The Emperor | Mercury Enters Capricorn
Friday: 4 of Cups | Moon in Gemini square Neptune in Pisces
Saturday: 3 of Pentacles | Cancer Full Moon
Sunday: The Sun| Moon in Cancer trine Neptune in Pisces
Monday: Knight of Swords | Moon in Leo
Tuesday: 6 of Wands
Tuesday opens with The 6 of Wands, highlighting recognition, validation, and a sense of accomplishment. You may feel seen for recent efforts or receive acknowledgment that affirms your direction. However, the square between Mercury and Saturn suggests that not everyone shares your enthusiasm. Communication may feel slowed or questioned. This card reminds you to accept praise without needing universal approval. Confidence does not require permission.
Wednesday: 7 of Wands
On Wednesday, The 7 of Wands asks you to defend your position calmly and consistently. Challenges may arise, but they are not new. You have already earned your place. The supportive sextile offers emotional grounding and patience. This is a day to stand firm without becoming reactive. You do not need to convince anyone. You only need to remain aligned with your values.
Thursday: The Emperor
Thursday brings a shift into structure and leadership with The Emperor. As Mercury enters Capricorn, thinking becomes more practical and goal oriented. This card invites you to take responsibility for your decisions and to establish clear boundaries. Authority here is not dominance but stewardship. You are encouraged to lead your own life with clarity and consistency.
Friday: 4 of Cups
Friday introduces a pause. The 4 of Cups reflects emotional fatigue or disengagement. You may feel distracted or uncertain about what you truly want. The square to Neptune can blur perception, making it easy to overlook opportunities. This is not a day for major decisions. Instead, allow yourself to rest and observe. Something meaningful may be offered, but it requires attention rather than withdrawal.
Saturday: 3 of Pentacles
Saturday’s Cancer Full Moon brings collaboration and shared purpose into focus through The 3 of Pentacles. Emotional awareness supports teamwork and mutual respect. This is a day for building something together, whether through conversation, planning, or shared effort. Contributions matter, including your own. The Full Moon illuminates how cooperation strengthens both structure and connection.
Sunday: The Sun
Sunday shines with warmth and clarity. The Sun brings joy, openness, and renewed confidence. Emotional and intuitive energies flow easily, supporting compassion and understanding. This is a day to reconnect with what makes you feel alive and authentic. Optimism returns, not as denial, but as clarity. You are reminded that growth includes moments of lightness and ease.
Monday: Knight of Swords
The week concludes with momentum. The Knight of Swords charges forward with determination and focus. With the Moon in Leo, confidence fuels action. Ideas move quickly now. While enthusiasm is high, remember to balance speed with thoughtfulness. The energy is powerful when directed with intention rather than impulse.
Themes of the Week
This week emphasizes leadership, resilience, and emotional recalibration. The Emperor and The Sun frame the journey, suggesting a movement from disciplined authority to confident self expression. The progression from defense to collaboration shows that strength is both individual and collective.
Numerology and Recurrences
The presence of both six and seven highlights growth through effort and perseverance. These numbers point to maturity gained through experience. There are no recurring cards, reinforcing the sense that each day offers a distinct lesson contributing to a larger arc of development.
Conclusion
As the week draws to a close, you are invited to recognize how far you have come and to trust the foundation you have built. Leadership does not always look like control. Sometimes it looks like patience, listening, and steady commitment. Allow confidence to grow naturally from clarity.
Reflection:
Where in your life are you being asked to step forward with confidence while still honoring the need for emotional awareness and collaboration?
As this week closes and the new year settles in, let the message of The Star linger with you. In Jungian terms, The Star is not a reward but a restoration, a quiet return to trust after struggle. It asks you to stay present with the small signs of renewal that appear when you commit to your own healing and truth.
The tarotscope traced a path that moved through effort, doubt, collaboration, and clarity, reflecting the real work of beginning again.
This early stretch of the year does not demand certainty or perfection. It asks for steadiness, honesty, and faith in the long arc of becoming. As you step forward, allow the light you are tending to guide you gently, reminding you that hope is not fragile when it is grounded in self-awareness and lived experience.
Until next week, may the cards guide you gently. Take care, be well, and good bye for now.
—Dr. Winkler
That’s it for this week! Look for Sage Leaves in your inbox on Tuesday afternoons (North American time.) We look forward to exploring more about Tarot, Healing and more! Take care, be well, and good-bye for now!