Divination: Star’s Sovereign Farewell - Lessons in Letting Go

By Melanie Paquette

I am a cat person. I’ve always had cats in my house since the day I got my first apartment.

If you’ve read some of my previous articles, you may remember me talking about one of my cats, Star. She was the one who would often lie at my feet while I wrote. Usually in a way that would maximize the chance of me rolling my chair over her tail. 

Today, as I write, Star is not sitting at my feet but in an urn on my desk. She passed away very suddenly a few weeks ago. She was fine in the morning. By evening, something had shifted. She wasn’t herself. I decided to take her to the emergency vet – she was only 8 years old, so I assumed whatever was wrong could be treated. A few hours later, she was gone.

I grappled with guilt. It bothered me that she died in a strange place – she was so attached to her home and her people. I tried talking to her, telling her I was sorry that she spent her last moments away from her home and family, and that I took her there because I expected that they could fix her.

And in my head, I heard, “I am not yours to fix. You cannot fix everything.”

When we seek messages from the unseen, we often hope for guidance that will clarify, fix, or illuminate the tangled threads of our lives. But sometimes, the wisdom we receive offers no tidy resolution. Instead, it points us toward surrender. This message—that some things are beyond our ability to fix—is not an easy one to sit with. Yet it is one of the deepest truths divination can offer. As seekers, we often come to the cards, the runes, or the whispers of the world around us looking for ways to change or control the outcome.

But sometimes, the answer is not about fixing. It is about witnessing, accepting, and honouring what is.

And so, I am trying to take what I can from my beautiful, sovereign Star’s passing, hearing her whispers from beyond this earthly plane.

Cats have long been regarded as liminal creatures, walking the line between the seen and unseen. They embody sovereignty, living on their own terms and with an independence that humbles us. Star, in her life and in her passing, reminded me that her journey was hers alone. No matter how deeply I loved her, her path was not mine to steer.

This lesson feels deeply connected to the questions we ask in divination. When we sit with the unknown, we are not there to impose our will but to observe and learn. Divination is not a tool to control the fates but a bridge to understanding them. Just as Star’s life and death were hers to claim, the outcomes revealed in divination are often sovereign, resisting our attempts to fix or force them.

Star’s passing also reminded me of the suddenness with which life can shift. One moment, everything seems stable; the next, the ground beneath us changes irrevocably.

This mirrors the nature of divination, which often unveils truths that catch us off guard. A single card, a rune, or a synchronicity can alter our perspective in an instant, urging us to adapt and accept what we may not have anticipated.

Inspired by Star’s final lesson, I’ve created a simple spread to honour the wisdom of letting go and accepting what cannot be changed. You can use this spread with tarot or oracle cards or runes whenever you’re struggling with things not going your way, in spite of your best efforts.

1. What must I witness without trying to fix? This card reveals what requires your attention, not your intervention.
2. What is beyond my control? Here lies the truth of what must be surrendered to the flow of life.
3. What can I carry forward from this experience? This card offers insight into the gifts or lessons that will guide you as you move forward.

I used the Soul Cats tarot to ask the question: “How can we move through the incongruence that Imbolc brings?”

What must we witness without trying to fix? Six of Swords. This card represents the equilibrium of thought. It represents a journey–one of transition, moving from the known to the unknown. In this position, we’re being called to witness the process of letting go. We’re moving from something that feels turbulent into a more balanced time, but the transition cannot be forced; it must unfold in its own time. Our role is to accept, rather than intervene.

What is beyond our control? The Emperor. This is a card of structure, stability, and control. In this position, it reminds us that some structures are beyond our control. The passage of time and the sovereignty of others are beyond our ability to control and influence. The Emperor invites us to release the need to control everything and to find stability by trusting the wisdom of nature.

What can we carry forward? Nine of Cups. This card represents the crystallization of emotions, most often joy, contentment, and gratitude. The message is to find joy and peace in the current moment, even after loss or hardship, and to carry that forward, for ourselves and for others. To know that difficult situations remind us of how rich life is, and that even in the darkest moments, we can savour the beauty and love that surrounds us.

Star’s passing was a painful reminder that life’s deepest lessons often come through loss. Yet her sovereign farewell also carried a profound wisdom that I will hold close. Her message is relevant to all of us. We cannot fix everything.

Sometimes, instead of seeking solutions, our path is to strive to be a witness, honouring the messages that come, even when they ask us to simply let go.

As we move through Imbolc and reflect on what has passed and what lies ahead, may we find strength in the wisdom of surrender. May we honor the sovereign journeys of all beings, and may we remember that some truths, like the spirits of our feline companions, are meant to move beyond our grasp.

The photo that accompanies this article is of two of my cats. Star is on the right. On the left is Baby Kitty, who passed away in December. He was 16 and had been ill for some time. Both were loved by the many folks who passed through their lives. Star and Baby Kitty were far from the best of friends in life–this photo is a rare witnessing of them sharing space peacefully. Perhaps in the Otherworld, they will find friendship.

Melanie hosts workshops and offers Tarot readings. Check out her offerings on our website.