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An Incredible Journey through the Symbolism, Stories and Sacredness
of Stars
“Come quickly! I am tasting stars!”
Dom Perignon, at the moment of his discovery of champagne.
Star tattoo designs adorn the world in so many different fashions and variations?
There are shooting stars on hips, shoulders and ankles. Hundreds of variations
exist which group the stars together with the sun, or the moon, or all three
of them together. There are tattoo designs of nautical stars, the Jewish star
of David, and even star fish. Then, more specifically, there are star tattoo
designs with shooting stars and crescent moons. There are suns and planets,
suns and comets and stars fully complete with magical star dust. When it comes
to the variations of celestial style tattoos, the possibilities outnumber the
very stars in the galaxy! The star design has emerged as a new popular favorite
for the sexy and sensual tailbone (lower back) tattoo. But they are just as
likely to be found encircling wrists, hiding out on backsides and as part of
sleeve or gauntlet ink and art. Star tattoo designs can be found in all different
styles and look great as tribal or celtic tattoos.
Picture diamonds in the sky; the habitation of the gods; the Star of David;
the very handiwork and image of God Himself; the pentacle – there are
so many cultures, peoples and religions that have given much meaning and significance
to the lucky stars. Stars have been found carved and painted in rocks and caves
across the world across the ages. Stars have come to symbolize high ambitions,
valued ideals, lofty ideas and pure intent. Their eternal light is anything
but temporary.
The stars flash down at us from the Heavens, daring us to dream and to seek
out new, previously hidden knowledge. They tempt men and women to crawl into
tiny, incredibly dangerous compartments and controlled environments and space
stations in an effort to better understand and document their existence and
meaning. Astrologers have done the same, in their own way, with the Zodiac and
horoscopes to help us understand their influence on our own individual lives.
God Himself said they were given to us as a way for us to measure our times
and seasons and years. And the greatest of all of our stars, the sun, has held
such a powerful role in our lives; our survival depends upon the continued existence
of the sun.
The Hidden Numerology of Stars
In addition to astrological significance of certain stars, and the particular
choice of color for star designs, perhaps the most meaningful and symbolic way
to personalize the meaning of stars is by the number of points the star contains.
Stars, in their many variations have been respected and even worshipped by different
cultures for different reasons. Not surprisingly, different geographical areas
and peoples gave more or less significance to stars with different numbers of
points. The most common amount of star-points included: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.
The 4-Pointed Star
The 4-pointed star is commonly depicted in one of two different ways: as a simple
plus-sign type of cross, or by this same design with a special emphasis given
by sharpening the ends of each point. The four-pointed star was especially popular
in the land of early American, by the various Native American tribes. Examples
of their fascination with this particular star design showed up in their rock
art, tipis, shields, clothing, robes, and pottery.
Those wishing to incorporate their Native American pride into their star tattoo
design may want to think about using a four-pointed design. Its simplicity would
make it an ideal choice for tribal designs, like an armband or chest piece.
The 5-Pointed Star – Pentarams for Pagans and the Devil
Inarguably the most popular variation of the star design, the 5-pointed star
takes on significantly different meanings to different people. Therefore, it
nearly becomes necessary to further divide the 5-pointed star into three groups:
the “filled in” 5-pointed star (like on the American flag, and celestial
art), the 5-pointed star that is simple an outline (like you learned to draw
in school) called a pentacle, and the upside down pentacle, which often takes
on a darker symbolism.
The Filled In Star Design
This design is most commonly used to simply symbolize a star. It is used often
in art and illustrations and takes on the most literal meaning. You can find
this particular star design in the more common celestial style tattoo designs,
and often combined with additional features such as butterflies or fairies.
The Lone Star of Texas would be another example of this individual design. Widely
popular, there’s hardly any area of the body that can’t be decorated
with this star design.
The Pentacle
Most popular as a design that symbolizes witchcraft, this particular emblem
has experienced a real revival over the last two decades. To witches, warlocks,
and other pagans across the globe, the five-pointed star represents the quest
after Divine Knowledge, feminine energy, and the secrets of life. The number
5 itself is important here, for with this particular icon there is a special
meaning for each of the angles. The angles represent each of the five elements:
earth, air, water, fire, and spirit. It is interesting to note that the 5-pointed
design is almost only found in organic life forms such as flowers, starfish,
etc.
The Reversed Pentacle
While commonly referred to as the satanic pentacle or pentagram, it is hardly
the only meaning behind the reversed pentacle. It has also been known to represent
the pagan horned god, and just as often is simply an upside down pentacle.
However, due to popular modern thought, this symbol is nearly always (whether
correctly or incorrectly) associated with satanic or dark meaning or ritualism.
When actually used in a satanic association, it often symbolizes the sabbatic
goat, or the Goat of Mendes.
If you do not wish to be considered a Satanist, it may well be wise to stick
with the traditional pentacle star tattoo design to avoid any unnecessary confusion
or possible stigmatism.
If you do, it is often common to further illustrate the meaning of your star
by including the shape of the goats head in the tattoo design.
The 6-Pointed Star (or the Star of David)
When not used in the Jewish connotation of the Star or Shield of David, the
6-Pointed Star is also known as the Star of Remphan, an ancient pagan god. The
six-pointed star, or the hexagram, has a long history and dates back to the
Bronze period (3000-1300 B.C.) from lands as far apart as Britain and Mesopotamia.
At this point, it was most likely used as a magical symbol. Later, in the Middle
Ages, after the arrival of Christianity to the world, the symbol became more
popular among the Jews in synagogues an also in manuscripts (as an amulet).
However, the sign was still to be found in the architecture of Christian churches.
Also known as the Magen David (translated Shield of David), this symbol really
took hold as the official seal of the Jewish community after the 17th century
A.D.
The 7-Pointed Star (think Le Basilique de Saint Quentin)
The basis of the geometry of the Basilica of Saint Quentin, the seven pointed
star is believed to symbolize the perfected man. To give this particular star
design more meaning, it was placed inside of a square, which represents the
finite. Further symbolism was given by placing two discs in the center of the
star: the first to signify the sun, the second to further demonstrate its focus
as the center of our universe.
The septagram (as it is also known), is also popular as the elven or fairy
star. To many it’s a symbol of magic, childhood and whimsy.
7 has long been considered a lucky or magical number (lucky sevens), and is
also the number of the world’s ancient wonders, the seven visible colors
of the rainbow, the seven notes of the musical scale and the number of different
levels of Heaven.
It’s also often the star worn by police officers.
Therefore, this star leaves itself open to a world of tattoo design possibilities.
The 8-Pointed Star
The 8-Pointed Star is the symbol of the cross of Saint John. Originally, it
was the emblem of the Knights of Malta, and was popular throughout the Crusades.
The points represented the 8 knightly virtues.
- Tact
- Perseverance
- Gallantry
- Loyalty
- Dexterity
- Explicitness
- Observation
- And Sympathy
The 8-pointed star is also the chose icon of the National and Auxiliary Fire
Service, and is popular among firefighters across the country to this day.
The 9-Pointed Star
The nine-pointed star is also known to many as the Nine-fold Goddess. Norse
mythology, this star symbol is what unites the Nine Worlds. Others think of
it as an ‘eternal connection’ of the 3 different trinities.
The nine-pointed star is also a representation of the Bahá'ís
faith.
As the largest single digit number, nine has come to symbolize completeness.
While hardly the only number of symbolic points available in the world of stars
and their widespread meanings, this does at least cover the major territory,
and provide a better understanding of the different meanings that a star tattoo
design can take on.
Like so many of the other widely popular tattoo design subjects, the star is
able to be all things to all people, making it nearly impossible to go wrong.
Unless you want a tattoo of a rock star, a porn star, a rap star, or a character
from the movie Star Wars, you will be seeing stars when you ink your skin with
one of these classic tattoo designs.
“Reach high, for the stars lie hidden in your soul.
Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.”
Pamela Vaull Starr
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