The Four of Stars:

On Meditation, Responsibilities and Making Space

A jeweled beetle sits under a dead tree, looking out to the horizon while contemplating the weight it has been carrying — it feels like the weight of the moon. Stars hold the power of love, passion and energy, but fours symbolize the things that keep us grounded and tethered in place, like loyalty, practicality, reason and stability. How do they go together? The Meditating Beetle often comes when there's a lot of responsibilities and priorities on your plate. It might feel like you're trying to carry the entire world on your shoulders; you don't have the space for new opportunities when they come up.

It’s healthy to say ‘No’ sometimes, even if you’re saying no to something you would have been happy to do a year ago or a year from now, but make sure you’re saying ‘No’ for the right reasons. The Four of Stars is a call to look inward when you’re feeling overwhelmed: Is everything on your plate worthwhile? Is there something taking up space that you no longer have?

You might find that you’re entirely happy with your life right now, you’re right where you need to be, but you know that not everything is sustainable forever. Beetles are symbolic of change; they metamorphose multiple times through their lives, and though humans don’t do the same, we still have the power to completely change our lives in other ways. So don’t regret the ‘no’ to whatever it was. The right opportunities will be there when you’re able to say yes.

If you’re feeling blocked

This card might indicate burnout, the need for a realignment or just for some space. The four stars shown aren’t lighting up the sky; they are on the beetle’s back and overshadowed by the moon. You're having a hard time seeing the stars — everything the world has to offer — because they are being outshined by the moon — everything going on internally. You could be feeling a loss of meaning or direction and be in search of a greater purpose or truth. Now is the time to retreat into some self-care and daydreaming. If you're feeling blocked right now, take a little bit of time to dream about the next opportunity you actually want to say "yes" to. If gravity wasn't always keeping you on the ground, if the moon didn't have total control of the tides, if time could be stretched as much as it can be constrained, what would you really want? Try describing it in ways other than words.

creativity exercises

Create a life portrait that is half self-portrait and half pie chart: divide an outline of yourself into small and large pieces that represent how much time you’re spending on things and the significance they play in your life.

Create something with the theme of gravity

Get inspired by the many beautiful shapes and colors of beetles, which go through multiple full-body metamorphosis throughout their lives

Turn on some focus music and color while you meditate. Color everything the ‘wrong’ color.