Symbolism of the Stars

Stars can symbolize humanity, divinity, hope, faith. guidance, god, excellence, motivation, magic, fame, and life. They’re symbols in movies and religion, but also appear to us in dreams, potentially as a sign that you should have more hope and faith. Below, I’ll outline all 11 symbols of stars and explain each one.

[lwptoc]

See also: The symbolism of the moon, morning star symbolism, and star metaphors.

Start Symbolism – 11 Meanings

1. Humanity

Something you may not have heard before is the belief that humans are actually made from stars. From a purely scientific viewpoint, humans are made up of all of the elements that were created by a star (or specifically, a supernova).

This is not just a belief held by modern science either, Pythagoras is a well known Greek philosopher from c. 500 BC who used the 5-pointed star (pentagram) as a symbol which was later used to symbolize humankind. The five points represent earth, wind, fire, water, and spirit.

The earth is also considered to symbolize humanity.

2. Divinity

Stars are symbolic of divinity with a belief being that the countless stars we see in the distance are fallen angels cast out from heaven. For this reason, stars can often be seen referenced as divine light. The Christian Bible can also be seen to reference angels as symbols of stars.

They are seen to give enlightenment and guidance to those that seek it. Native Americans have initiations that require you to take meaning from the stars and use them as guidance on a spiritual journey.

3. Hope

Stars are also seen as a symbol of hope and many different forms. The most notable of which is the good fortune you are said to receive when seeing a shooting star. This has led to the common act of making a wish upon a shooting star.

People will wish upon a star to realize their deepest desires, wants, and needs and a star provides hope for many. Seeing a shooting star is also said to be of good luck and is another instance where wishes are made.

4. Faith

The star is one of the strongest symbols in multiple religions and faiths, most notably the Star of David is the symbol of the Jewish faith. This is a sign of divine protection.

A 4-pointed star is also synonymous with the cross in Christianity and is also used to represent the star of Bethlehem. Again, this is a sign of divine powers and is used to symbolize guidance for those that choose to follow it.

Stars are also a powerful symbol in faith as they are worshiped as gods. This is something we cover in more detail shortly, but there is a very strong connection between stars and faith in a lot of religions, it is not uncommon for people to worship the stars as though they are gods.

5. Guidance

Stars have often been used as a guiding path for people, long before we had access to a GPS, maps, or a compass. Often referred to as a guiding light, a fixed star was something to guide travelers to their destination.

Merchants that would cross deserts to trade with foreign lands would use a star to guide them and this skill led to merchants being seen in high regard as they could navigate the desert despite being surrounded by vast areas of nothing.

6. God

The sun is a star, any distant star that we see is the equivalent of the sun that provides life for our earth. In early religions and cultures, many people would worship the sun as a god that brings light, and therefore stars can often be symbolic of a god.

This is something also referred to as a solar deity, you’ll find a very extensive list of these solar deities that are worshipped around the world. Hindu, Chinese, and Egyptian mythology are just a few cultures that reference the stars to be gods or goddesses.

In Egyptian mythology, for example, the sun god Ra is considered to be one of the most powerful of the gods and this is symbolic of the vast power that stars possess.

See Also: Sun Metaphors

7. Quality or Excellence

Stars are also seen as a sign of excellence or quality. From an early age, children are rewarded with gold stars as a sign of good behavior or a particular achievement. They are seen as behavior modifiers and rewards.

It’s not just children who see stars as being symbolic for achievement, stars are also used as a grading system to demonstrate quality for products or services. A star-based rating system is usually a symbol of quality.

A 5* hotel, 5* review, or 5* ratings are all used by businesses and service providers to demonstrate quality and large online retailers like Amazon use this rating system for products to build trust and help customers differentiate between poor and high-quality products.

8. Motivation

We mentioned above how stars are used as a symbol for excellence but they are also a source of motivation for many. While children often want to earn a gold star for their work, this theme continues into teen years and then into adulthood in the form of motivation.

Some well-known quotes like “reach for the stars” and “follow your star” are inspirational and motivational. The stars are symbolic of reaching for heights that could otherwise be thought of as unobtainable by those with narrow-minded views.

Those who seek fame, glory, or notable achievement are said to be chasing stars and this is often symbolic for chasing an unattainable goal or something that cannot be reached/achieved.

While this may seem like a negative viewpoint, it’s something that fuels the ambition of many. Achieving something that is thought of to be something out of reach (like the stars) acts as a powerful motivation for many people and provides spiritual energy that propels them to dream big.

9. Magic

Stars are often aligned with magic and their symbols appear frequently in magical references. Wizards can be seen with stars on their robes whilst “stardust” is often a term used as an ingredient in potion-making.

It’s not only magic in the form of fantasy or science fiction that uses a star for symbolization but also a ritual. Stars are often used to symbolize satanic rituals and are strong symbols in satanic cults.

An upside-down pentagram is the most common symbol used to represent satan and is seen as a tunnel or portal between our world and the underworld.

10. Fame

Stars are also used to symbolize fame and fortune. Hollywood is the biggest advocate of this with movie stars. The star is symbolic of an actor/actress’s level of fame and achievement. “A star is born” is a common phrase to indicate that a person is destined for fame or greatness in a public manner.

This is true in many endeavors of life which include sports stars, movie stars and you’ll even see reference to people known as “superstars”. Those that are so well known and accomplished in their field often have this title as it symbolizes someone excelling and reaching the top of their chosen field.

11. Life

This is one of the most important symbolisms of a star and we’ve therefore left it as the last point on this list. The sun provides and sustains life on earth and stars possess so much power that they can sustain life or take it away in an instant.

The sun sustains life on earth by providing heat and energy for plants which creates a chain reaction of events (including the production of oxygen that we breathe) ultimately supporting life on earth. Without the sun, the earth would be like the countless other planets in the universe that are cold, desolate, and lifeless.

We might look to stars for hope, motivation or to make wishes/miracles and many justify this by saying that our own star already has a track record of creating miracles, mainly the miracle of life!

Conclusion

Almost everyone reading this article should be able to relate to one of the symbolisms of stars. Whether this is on a deeper level of worship and hope or whether you have simply bought something online and used a star to rate it.

Stars have a very powerful influence over our lives, it can be easy to forget this sometimes. From sustaining life on earth, acting as a spiritual or physical guide, and providing hope and motivation, stars have more influence than we realize and we are still yet to discover their deepest meanings.