As a light shining in the darkness, the star tattoo design is often considered a symbol of truth, of the spirit and of hope. The symbol of the star embodies the concept of the divine spark within each of us. Their nocturnal nature leads stars to represent the struggle against the forces of darkness and the unknown.

Stars with a specific design have taken on an explicit meaning and symbolism of their own. Among the most well-know of these are the Pentagram (five-pointed star), the Nautical Star (five-pointed star), the Hexagram or Star of David (six-pointed star), all the way to the nonagram (nine-pointed star).

The Pentagram - In the case of the Pentagram, the star’s symbolism is dramatically altered by whether it points up or down. A downward facing Pentagram was thought to mimic a Ram’s Head and was thought to be a sign of the Devil. In Celtic Lore the Pentagram was the sign of story-tellers and magicians, the five points a powerful symbol of protection and balance, with the fifth element of Spirit taking its proper place above the four manifest elements.

Nautical Star - Back in the days of yore sailors would navigate by the stars in the night skies, in particular the North Star in the Northern Hemisphere, and various other constellations of stars in the night sky. In the Southern Hemisphere, sailors had to use different stars and the Southern Cross became quite well-known. Sailors would then tattoo nautical stars on them because they relied on the stars to take them home, and being superstitious, they hoped their star tattoos would get them home safely as well.

The Hexagram or six-pointed star, is a potent symbol of the interaction of the Divine with the mortal, of God with Humankind. It has particular significance in Judaism as the Star of David.

The Star of David, or magen David (’Shield of David’), is a strong symbol of Jewish identity. It gets its name from the tradition that David carried a hexagram-shaped shield during his defeat of the giant Goliath. It has strong links with the Kabbalah, and is sometimes known as the Seal of Solomon or the Creator’s Star.

When the Star of David is called the Creator’s Star, the six points each represents a day of the week and the center corresponds to the Sabbath. It is a strong symbol of Jewish identity, and remained so even during the days of Nazi persecution when Jews were forced to wear a yellow hexagram as an identifier. The Star was incorporated into the flag of the State of Israel in 1948.

The Septagram or seven-pointed star is a symbol of integration and the mystical due to its links with the number seven. It is associated with the seven planets of classical astrology and to other seven-fold systems, such as the Hindu chakras.

The Octogram or eight-pointed star is a symbol of fullness and regeneration, and is linked to eight-fold systems such as trigrams, the pagan wheel of the year and the Ogdoad of ancient Egypt .

The Nonogram or nine-pointed star is a symbol of achievement and of stability, though this is a stability that is subject to change. It can also be related to nine-fold systems, such as the nine Taoist kanji (psychic centers) which are similar to the Hindu chakras.