DEATH

ENDING
TRANSITION
ELIMINATION
INEXORABLE FORCES

[ Actions ] [ Opposing Cards ] [ Reinforcing Cards ] [ Description ] [ Reversed? ]

ACTIONS

ending: closing one door to open another
bringing something to a close
completing a chapter
concluding unfinished business
putting the past behind you
having a parting of the ways
going through transition: changing status
moving from the known to the unknown
being cast adrift
waiting in an in-between state
being in the middle
eliminating excess: cutting out what isn't necessary
shedding old attitudes
getting down to bare bones
concentrating on essentials
getting back to basics
experiencing inexorable forces: being in the path of sweeping change
being caught in the inescapable
going through what cannot be avoided
being part of a powerful movement
riding your fate
accepting the inevitable

OPPOSING CARDS: Some Possibilities

Fool - beginning
Empress - birth
Judgement - rebirth, fresh start

REINFORCING CARDS: Some Possibilities

Tower - sweeping impact, powerful forces
Eight of Wands - conclusion, ending
Five of Cups - loss, good-byes
Eight of Cups - moving on, finishing up

DESCRIPTION

Death! A powerful energy indeed. Who can look at the dark, skeletal figure on Card 13 and not feel uneasy? Here we see the face of our deepest fear - our greatest unknown. We recoil from Death because we think of it as annihilation. In the tarot (and in life I would suggest) Death is not a permanent end, but a transition into a new state. Life is eternal in its essence, if not in its form. To grow, to move, to live - we must "die" to the old to give birth to the new.

It is a truism in tarot work that Card 13 rarely has anything to do with physical death. A responsible card reader never interprets Card 13 in this way because this view is too limiting. Death is not something that happens once to our bodies. It happens continually, at many levels and not just in the physical. Each moment we die to the present so the future can unfold.

In readings, Death often represents an important ending that will initiate great change. It signals the end of an era; a moment when a door is closing. At such times, there may be sadness and reluctance, but also relief and a sense of completion. Death also suggests getting down to basics. Dying has a way of making you concentrate on what's important. This card reminds you to cut out the unnecessary. Death can also mean you will experience an inexorable force. Death is inevitable, and sometimes there are events that are inescapable as well. When these moments occur, the best approach is to ride your fate and see where it takes you.