Star: Tarot Card of Shevat

Exploring the connections between the Star tarot card and the Jewish month of Shevat

Photo by Viva Luna Studios on Unsplash

Shevat (שְׁבָט) is a breath of fresh air.  We may have a way to go, but we can see the light at the end tunnel.  We are released from the bonds of Tevet (טֵבֵת) and get our first promise of the spring to come with the holiday of Tu b’Shevat (ט״ו בשבט‎) and feed the birds on Shabbat Shirah. Even if the earth is still frozen around us, this holiday represents the turning of the wheel; the gate between the seasons between Fire within Water and Earth within Air (as explained in the Jewish Book of Days). Even in the frozen north, sap begins to flow in the trees during this time of the year.

Just like the traditional tarot card, our wells, our springs are refilled in Shevat so we can make it through the remaining month(s) of winter. On Tu B’Shevat we can refill ourselves through tasting the promise of the four worlds and the world to come. Shevat is a moonless night filled with twinkling stars and one that is ready to guide us. Maybe the star is just illuminating the many riches available to us if we simply take the time to notice?