The Nine of Stars:

On Contentment, Gratitude and Fulfillment

Two Luna Moths fly together around a field of moonflowers, nine stars lighting a circle above them. All is right in your world, it seems. The Nine of Stars is a sign that you are perfectly content with your life, showing gratitude for everything you have and are feeling emotionally fulfilled — everything you’ve wanted and worked for is or has come into alignment. Soak up those feelings of pleasure, peace and joy, because they don’t last forever. Allow yourself to indulge in the things that make you smile and laugh and seize the days. Do the extra: take an extra long walk, get an extra drink at happy hour, start painting an extra big canvas, take an extra day off for a last-minute vacation. You’ve earned it all. But don’t over indulge; too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Instead, now is the time to plan ahead: take and make notes that you can send to yourself when the days are feeling longer and grayer, when something goes wrong, when you find yourself stressed out and feeling down. What is it about these moments lately that have been so special? What about them do you want yourself to remember and to hold close?

If you’re feeling blocked

Perhaps everything is good, but you’re still just … not feeling the flow. On paper, you’ve got all (or most) of the material things you’ve ever wanted: the job, the money, the relationship… but it still feels like something is missing and you can’t figure out what. You’re content, but you’re also still wishful, you’re just not sure for what. Maybe you’ve fallen victim to some capitalist or consumerist addiction to just always wanting more or wanting better. More money. Better clothes. More luxury. What we don’t realize is that, when we fall into the trap of always wanting more, you’ll never have enough. You’ll never be happy with what you have because some profit-driven algorithm is working night and day to convince you there is always something better you could have, and it’s true: there’s always a shiny new luxury must-have to add to the list. More, more, more is a capitalist addiction, and addictions are not healthy. Happiness, contentment and gratitude don’t come from wanting or needing more. They come from being in the moment, being happy with what you have, with being satisfied by your surroundings and by not wanting more. If it feels like you should be happy with what you have, if it feels like you should be able to relax and create but cannot, then you may be looking for inspiration and motivation externally instead of internally: too focused on making money or creating something for the likes instead of for your own love. The Nine of Stars suggests that you’ve got all the material success you need, but it’s time to focus on spiritual success. What does that mean to you?

Creativity exercises:

Think of the 9 simplest, quickest things you can do that bring you joy, and create a tribute to each thing that you can look at as a reminder to your Self for when you need it

Write a poem or create an abstract interpretation of what ‘spiritual success’ means to you

Pick one of the lesser-known religions in the world to read about and create something based on what you learned or what caught your imagination the most

Throw yourself and those closest to you a party; pick a theme you can all work on together to make it a night to really remember.