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Welcome to the Time of the Ascending Star

Welcome to the Time of the Ascending Star

Last updated on: February 26, 2021 at 8:08 am by Laura Tempest Zakroff

Welcome to the Time of the Ascending Star 2021-02-26T08:08:14-08:00 Laura Tempest Zakroff

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Photo by Hasib Imtiaz on Unsplash

Sometimes we look for signs and sometimes they look for us. Oftentimes we make those very signs, whether we know it or not.

As we crossed over into 2021, I was contemplating the Power Sigil and I saw something new in it, which surprised me. Considering I know it like the back of my hand. (Actually better than that since I’m always wondering how I cut that cut or where did this paint come from…)

The Power Sigil

The Power Sigil will be 5 years old this coming November. When I break down its parts in my sigil workshops, the number 5 comes up a lot. We not only have the 5 pointed star, 5 waxing/waning moons, 5 legacy seeds, and 5 arrows, but 5 also corresponds to the Tarot. Within the Major Arcana, there’s the Hierophant representing tradition and structure often guided by ethics and spirituality. Then in the Minor Arcana, the 5’s teach us about cycles – and what we need to do to break them to move forward. This symbolism (and more) brings us to a 5-year cycle for change.

The Star Card in the Tarot

It has been said by many that we have been in Tower Time. If we’re going to look at the Tarot as a journey, then the Star card follows the Tower. What happens when the debris has settled and been cleared away? We begin to see more clearly and are able to look up. The Star is a vision of hope and new possibilities on the horizon. It is the promise of a future that we can help to manifest.

So what was the something new I saw? That the Power Sigil is also a blossom. Like a 5-petaled clematis, sprouting from a tenacious vine traveling upward, its blossom is a sign to behold and ponder. What comes after the struggle to protect, hold on, and survive? A chance to create and thrive as we remember the journey that got us here. It is a star-shaped blossom that reminds us that there’s still room to grow, so many reasons for holding on. Like the burst of cherry blossoms after a long cold winter, the landscape is changing. The air is fresh with the promise of communal fruit to come.

Photo by Amy Luo on Unsplash

As Witches, we take inspiration and meaning from the world around us, especially the flora that surrounds us. We turn to roots, leaves, and flowers for our spellcraft, tinctures, teas, and oils. We forge relationships with the plant spirits we grow. Through observation the flora and fauna, we mark the seasons and cycles of life. We turn to age-old folklore to explore the meaning and power of the blossoms around us. We know which blossoms bring dreams and which steal them. We gather petals that soothe and heal, and those too that burn and vex. Socially, we give flowers to attract, to celebrate, to beautify, to honor, to grieve, and to remember.

A key thing to remember: we all have/had a hand in both the building and the bringing down of the Tower – physically, socially, mentally, spiritually. So too, do we play a role in the crafting the ascending star. We aid in bringing forth the new light, the rising stars to come. It is us who gather the blossoms, who collects the seeds and helps to nurture the next blossoms to bud. What flowers do we wish to select for our bouquet?

Photo by Claud Richmond on Unsplash

Flowers themselves are not only a symbol of hope for the future, but we know from our plant spirits that they are an effort to create the future. To bring forth a new generation, new legacies, new possibilities. There will be more star blossoms to bring into blooming down the road, if we care for the roots and the vine. Within the realm of the Star card is the image of the water we pour out for ourselves, and the water we pour out for others – be it our community or those still to come down the line.

We do indeed make the signs that craft our future. We are the flowers that fill the garden. Within our bodies, we possess the very same star stuff that fills the distant heavens. Raise your petaled face and seed heart towards the sky and join the constellations.

Photo by Kristaps Ungurs on Unsplash

laura tempest zakroff

About Laura Tempest Zakroff

Laura Tempest Zakroff is a professional artist, author, dancer, designer, and Modern Traditional Witch based in New England. She holds a BFA from RISD (The Rhode Island School of Design) and her artwork has received awards and honors worldwide. Her work embodies myth and the esoteric through her drawings and paintings, jewelry, talismans, and other designs. Laura is the author of the best-selling Llewellyn books "Weave the Liminal" and "Sigil Witchery", as well as "Anatomy of a Witch", "Liminal Spirits Oracl"e (artist/author), "The Witch’s Cauldron", and the coauthor of "The Witch’s Altar" with Jason Mankey. Laura edited "The New Aradia: A Witch's Handbook to Magical Resistance" (Revelore Press). She blogs for Patheos as A Modern Traditional Witch, Witches & Pagans as Fine Art Witchery, and contributes to The Witches' Almanac, Ltd. She is the creative force behind several community events and teaches workshops worldwide. You can read more about the author here.

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