Major Arcana Spotlight~Life After Death

Death Card~Gilded Tarot

This card in particular seems to send everyone into a panic, even those who truly know what it means.  Death is a fear so deeply ingrainedin the human psyche that we perceive the word only as end to our life force or energy.  Really, people hear the word death in a Tarot reading and the first thing they think is…”I’m not ready or don’t want to die” or “Who do I know that is going to die?”  Well, let me tell you that on very,very rare occasions it can mean a physical deathbut 99% of time it means a philosophical type death, like the death of a phase or cycle.

With the Death card, rebirth and regeneration are often the true meanings of this cards intent.  Whether you read the Tarot for people or are a person who partakes in a Tarot reading, it is very important to understand that while the card may look “doom & gloom”, its true meaning is no where near what you think it is.  While this card looks intimidating, it also is assigned the number 13, which is just adding fuel to the fie in most people’s minds.   So let’s delve into the intricacies of the Death card and try to dispel the rumors and falsehoods.  It is associated with the Zodiac Sign of Scorpioand the element of water.  It is linked with the Greek Divinity, Kronos as well as the Greek letter, Omega.  Scorpions, Titans, bad luck 13, and the Greek letter associated with the Alpha-Omega path, not really off to an auspicious start yet, are we?  Don’t worry, I promise, the rest of the post will get infinitely better.

Death is coupled with the number 13, which a lot of people consider bad luck.  Many buildings do not have 13th floors due to this superstition, so it has a pretty powerful history in most people’s minds.  First, with any double digit numbers in Tarot, you want to reduce to the lowest common denominator, which in this case is the number 4. Remember, the fuzzy math I taught you in previous Tarot posts?….same ideas…3+1=4.    Fours traditionally signify doubts and limitations but they also represent stability, security, natural order, personal logic, and inner organization.  So far, nothing that indicates imminent death of you or a loved one, right?

Death Card~Lo Scaraebo Art Nouveau

It is simply the “passing” of your old way of life and embarking on a new phase that was meant to happen.  The Death card tells you it is time to do some “house cleaning” in your own mind.  It is the letting go of the past and opening yourself to a new or different future.  The appearance of the Death card in a Tarot spread is literally an announcement to natural changes that are meant to occur in life.  If you look at the world around you, it is natural for things to change.  Season’s change from beautiful, fruitful spring and summer to the colder, grayer passage of autumn and winter.  The reason for this, it is the natural order of things, the buds and seeds of the plants fall to the earth and hibernate during winter to they can continue on in the next evolution of spring and summer.

This card represents those “wishes” or idealistic thoughts that flow through your mind on a regular basis, changing into a realistic expression.  Most people like calm serenity in there lives, only allowing the excitement they “choose” to disrupt their normal rhythms.  Death simply refers to the conflict between your preferred state of order and security with the desire to change.  Think about it, how many times have you tried to quit smoking, lose weight, or save money?  How difficult is it to change your mindset? Extremely hard, this is because we are “hard wired” to work in behavior patterns that have guided our lives for so many years.

When this card shows up in a Tarot spread, you need to look at it as renewal, transformation, and new ideas.  It is a natural occurrence, unfortunately, it doesn’t occur when “we” want it to but when the time is right.  The Deathcard symbolizes the need to let go of bad patterns, habits, actions or attitudes.  It is a philosophical death of the old and rebirth of new.

The Death Tarot Card~Lo Scarabeo Goddess Tarot

Death in Tarot is a change not only in character but in your consciousness, it is the acceptance of your own mortality.  It is the change you create or adopt at the deepest levels of your own identity; it requires inner strength to see this stage of your life through while trying to maintain a conscious understanding of the  growth itself.  I was reading my new Tarot Book and it provided me with some great insight on the Death card.  For those of you who are interested, it is called Tarot for a New Generation by Janina Renee.  She provided some insight from another author that I felt was really relevant in understanding this card.  Author Clarissa Estes says in her book, Women Who Run With Wolves, that “women die a thousand deaths before they are 20 years old.” 

Think about that one sentence, think back on your life, male or female, and how many times did we change, have disappointments, break up with someone, do some soul searching or change directions.  I think kids unconsciously get the meaning of  the Death card and accept its meaning  perfectly.  How many of you have kids that as they grow and mature; they change what they want to be when they grow up.  They start with Fire Fighter, Police Man or Astronaut and move on to Sports Star, Doctor, or Actor but in the end, they may become something totally different.  They accept it without conscious thought that life is full of changes and that you need to find a way to go with that flow.   Its only when we get old and set in our ways that change is the most difficult.  

Your set attitude about change and new beginnings is brought out through your subconscious which manifests things like anxiety, worries, and resistance to the change or disruption.  I believe that facing our greatest fear is facing change that you did not bring about yourself.  You can expect sadness and reluctance as you face that big, open door to the unknown but you are meant to go through that door.  That is what the Death card is telling you in a reading, that while you feel as if you are cast adrift or are waiting, it will soon begin to feel right and promises a entry into a new state or way of life.

Death Card~Rider Waite Tarot Deck

The Death card with its relationship to the sign Scorpio comes to us in three categories.  In The Tarot Handbook, Angeles Arrien describes them as transformation, death/rebirth, and stages.  She uses three animals to drive her point home~ the Scorpion, Snake, and Phoenix.  The Scorpionrepresents parts of ourselves that we protect fiercely, the Snake reminds us that in order to transform we must let of our our past (similar to the snake shedding its old skin), and the Phoenix symbolizes our over arching vision and rebirth to become something better.  I like that philosophy and feel that it helps us open ourselves to things outside our normal, structured lives.

I hope that this explained the Death card a little bit better for you and that it helped to allay any fears when you see this pop in a spread.  The final installment on this trilogy of Major Arcana Spotlight will be the Tower Card.