The Magical Ritual of The Sanctum Regnum
Eliphas Levi
XVII. The Star - L'Etoile
You must become thoroughly acquainted with the planets and also with the fixed stars. When their names are mastered, their influences must be learned; you must discover the particular hours and in what sign the Psyche of the World pours forth from her two goblets the waters of life like two rivers.
Learn both day and night hourse, in order that you may select such as are most suitable for the work you wish to perform.
The midnight hour is marked by the special tendency toward the appearance of phantoms. The first and second hours, which follow, are solemn and sad for those who are ill or are sleepless. During the thrid hour the sufferer from insomnia falls asleep; the fourth, fifth, and sixth are calm, and lead to a healthy repose in sleep.
The seventh and eighth hours of morning are of a voluptuous nature; the ninth, tenth, and eleventh are very suitable for works of friendship; the mid-day hour is a time of heedlessness and languor in summer, and of a sense of well-being in winter.
You should find your own particular Planet in the sky; your intuition should guide you in discovering it; and when found you should salute it with reverence every night that you see it shining down upon you. The genius of this star must be invoked in your conjurations, and the allotted name of the star may be worked out by means of the learned tables and Kabalistic permutations designed by Trithemius and Agrippa.
You should then make a talisman of sympathy to connect the planetary forces with yourself; make it of the metal of the planet which presided at your birth (the lord of the ascendant of your natus); engrave upon this plate of metal the sign of the Microcosm with the numbers of your name, the numbers related to the planet or star, and the name of the genius.
When you are seeking divine inspiration gaze at your star, holding the talisman with your left hand pressing it against your heart; if it be daytime, or the star be invisible, gaze upon the talisman itself, and recite the name of the genius or spirit of the star, three times.
When you see the star become brilliant and glitter in response to your aspiration, be of good hope for success; but should it be seen to pale at your glance, then be very prudent and take the greatest care of yourself.
Notes
The Tarot Trump numbered 17 is called the Star. It represents an entirely nude female figure kneeling on land and sea, and pouring a liquid out of a vase in each hand; the streams form a river at her feet. Above is str of eight rays, and seven smaller stars surround it. There is a bushy tree growing at her right side, and upon it the bird of Hermes has alighted.
The meanings given to this Tarot Trump by Levi are: Immortality, thought, the influence of idea upon form, the heaven of the soul.
Christian gives us its meanings: Immortality, the internal illumination which guides men to choose the better path, and hope. He says the figure is represented nude to point out that even when man is robbed of all his possessions, he may still retain hope.