Oh, star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright.
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us with thy perfect light.

The concept of a “Guiding Star” was always highly attractive to me, even as a small child… “We Three Kings” was always my absolute favourite hymn, belted out with gusto every christmas from the age of about 4. Thinking back now, it is no surprise really; the “Three Wise Men” that I always found so fascinating, were of course, astrologers, as were all learned people at that time in earth’s history, and came from a part of the world that I feel such a strong affinity for, that it feels like “coming home”. 

Two years ago, on the winter solstice of 2020, we had a “Christmas Star”, a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, (also known as a Great Conjunction), an event that was on everyone’s lips. Occurring in the sign of Aquarius, an Air sign, it ended a two hundred year epoch of these two planets uniting in zodiacal Earth Signs (as well as marking “The Great Pandemic, itself ushered in by the Saturn Pluto conjunction in early 2020). During this Earth Epoch, here in the “west” the focus has been on materialism and the exploitation of the earth; two centuries of capitalism and colonialism where empires have risen on the foundations of slavery and exploitation. The conjunction in Aquarius between Jupiter and Saturn, marked the beginning of the era of Air and also presaged the ingress of Pluto into the sign of Aquarius, which occurs soon, towards the end of March 2023. This emphasis on a change of element is likely to continue to bring disruption and dramatic change to collective ideas and the way we communicate, something which was clearly evident as “social distancing” and “lock-downs” became new buzzwords. On a personal level, the challenge to release old embedded myths will contine so that we are better ready to take on the dawning of a different and changing world to the one that we inherited.

At this time of year, when the darkness seems to creep into every aspect of the day, nibbling away at the precious moments of light until very little is left to brighten our hours, it is often a time of introspection, a time of returning to source.
The storms that reside deep within me, call louder at this time of year, as poignant memories of times past echo through the empty spaces that remain. I am not alone in this respect, and in this time of family “togetherness” it is hard for the many of us that hold tightly to the precious memories of those who no longer sit at our table. 

Some years ago, I designed a Tarot Spread to help me draw hope in these times, and I am sharing it below. The applications of this spread are various, but its main aim is to be used as a focus, when emerging from a difficult and drawn out situation that has finally ended. It is a six card spread with a “helper” card, which could be interpreted as 2 groups of 3 cards, representing two interlocking triangles, the “Star of David” a symbol which among other things can represent the union of opposites. The triangle with the apex at the top (positions 1, 2 & 3) symbolizes fire whilst the downward pointing triangle (positions 4, 5 & 6) symbolizes water. Alchemists believed that if two opposing forces were joined, transmutation would occur in which “common metal” is transformed into gold. This is analogous with the combination of opposites thus enhancing the path of enlightenment. The 7th Card, placed in the center, is the “Guiding Star”. 

Joanna’s Guiding Star Layout

1. Gold : What is the “gold” that I gained from my experiences this year?

2. Frankincense: What spiritual strength  have I gained from the challenges of 2022?

3. Myrrh: What must be laid to rest and released, to ease my journey? 

4. Casper: What is my Material Guidance for 2023?

4. Melchior: What is my Spiritual Guidance for 2023?

6. Balthasar: What is my Emotional Guidance for 2023?

7. My Guiding Star? What draws me onward? 

So wherever you are, and whoever you are with this Christmas, may peace be with you.