The Death is the thirteenth card of the Major Arcana in occult Tarot decks. This card symbolizes all the fears and negative superstitions associated with the number 13 - it blinds without compassion everything that comes your way. It also alerts to the precept that, in order to evolve, it is necessary to die and be reborn, a previous step for any type of personal and spiritual evolution. Discover the meaning of The Death Tarot card, the indications it gives when it comes upright, reversed or combined with other cards and its possible application to the various facets of life and everyday issues.
The Major Arcana number tells you what stage you are in for a particular situation or problem. Ask the Tarot your question and interpret the Arcana according to its number and its position in the deck. These cards follow a storyline that tells of the spiritual travels taken from the innocent wonder of The Fool to the oneness and fulfillment of The World. In other words, these cards tell the story of humanity's spiritual evolution into enlightenment and individuation - when his life experiences are complete, he returns to zero, The Fool. Despite the divinatory meaning of the cards, think of the Tarot as a journey. If you look at the cards that come out in this way, with each question you ask, it becomes easier to intuitively interpret the cards and see their messages as a life story.
Index
The Death Tarot Card Description
- Major Arcana XIII
- Zodiacal Affinity - Scorpio
- Keywords - Change, new beginnings, endings, transformation, building something new, end of cycle.
- Key Expressions - End of one cycle and beginning of another, need to leave the past behind, suggests that when one stage closes, another begins, acceptance of the inevitable, need to accept that life is in constant change, existence of cycles in life that oscillate between phases that are more positive than others.
- Advice - Abdicate. Free yourself without fear.
- Reversed Meaning - Resistance to progress.
The Illustration
The Death illustration shows a skeleton armed with a scythe facing right. One of his feet is buried while another steps on a woman's head. The ground is black, like the shadows, with blue and yellow plants. The position of figures that are partially buried in the ground and the fact that they appear to be gesturing can symbolize the continuation rather than the end of something.
This is a scary card, but this card also symbolizes that the end of something can be the seed for a different reality, who knows, maybe better and more suited to the person's desires. In the Tarot, death symbolizes regeneration, new beginnings, new opportunity.
This can be a very positive card that implies renewal and change. It is a sign that something is going to change, that the person is going to have a different kind of life, which may not necessarily be negative given certain personal circumstances. In Kabbalah, The Death corresponds to path number 24 on the Tree of Life: the beauty of victory.
The Symbology
This card has several names in the various Tarot decks such as "The Card with No Name" (such as the Tarot of Marseilles and Visconti Sforza Tarot), "Rebirth" or "Death-Rebirth". In some ways, all of these designations reflect the deeper meaning of this card. But, in fact, it is uncommon that this card actually represents a physical death, rather it typically implies an end, possibly of a relationship or interest, and therefore an increased sense of self-awareness.
The departure of this card in a reading is one of the most feared, although its interpretation is not as sinister as the illustration that illustrates Death or the very name of the card. When it appears in a reading, The Death announces a loss other than physical death. It can refer to the death of a certain way of being in life, outdated behaviors, a relationship, a project or a job.
The Death Tarot Card Meaning
Upright Death Meaning
- Upright Love Meaning - Changes in relationship, changes in romantic life, ending relationship.
- Upright Career Meaning - Job transition, career transition, leaving unfulfilling career.
- Upright Finances Meaning - Financial loss, adapting to financial loss, changing views of money.
In a Tarot reading, the presence of The Death indicates that the change will be radical, shocking and even unpleasant but will eventually turn out to be a good thing. This card opens the way to change, to the construction of a more positive reality, but also to the conclusion and closure of a certain situation or relationship condemned to death. With this card, the old and the shackles that bind the past are loosened to make room for new things.
Despite the ordeal that it predicts at the present time, The Death announces that, at the end of the process, we will be free to start a new phase and a new path in life. The skeleton that figures in this card reminds us that the base, the essential, that which structures a person's personality remains, regardless of the most negative circumstances of life. Meat, muscle and everything else can be reconstituted. Everything that is really important will survive, even though the change will be profound and, at the end of the process, a new person may emerge.
Reversed Death Meaning
- Reversed Love Meaning - Resisting change in relationship, failure to change negative emotional patterns.
- Reversed Career Meaning - Repeating negative patterns at work, remaining at unfulfilling job, lack of growth.
- Reversed Finances Meaning - Failure to adapt to financial loss, continuing unhealthy financial habits.
When The Death comes out in the reversed position, its reading is slightly different from the correct position. However, its main meaning is the feeling of fear. The person may feel terrified of change, the loss of a partner, unemployment or another situation that represents, in some way, a loss or insecurity. It is the case of losing a job and the fear of not being able to face up to financial responsibilities, or the withdrawal of the partner that gives rise to a feeling of sentimental insecurity.
However, when it appears reversed, this card seems to give more power to the consultant to resolve the situation, despite the change being inevitable. As unpleasant as the consequences may be, doing nothing and keeping the situation as it is can be much more harmful to a person's self-esteem and mental health. The rupture may be the only way to make room for something new and more positive to bring happiness and personal and emotional well-being. This card requires courage in the face of the inevitability of change.
The Death Combinations with Other Tarot Cards
When it appears in conjunction with The Devil, The Death, it highlights the irreversible nature of the oncoming change. Combined with the 10 of Swords, indicates violence. Next to The Moon, it indicates inner conflict and, close to The Magician, it means that the changes are progressive and radical, as well as the potential benefits of this transformation.
The Major Arcana Tarot
The Major Arcana, or Great Mysteries, are seen as symbols of great issues, moments or people. Each card represents a human archetype, evoking the most varied feelings, moral positions and behaviors.
- 0 - The Fool Tarot Card Meaning
- I - The Magician Tarot Card Meaning
- II - The High Priestess Tarot Card Meaning
- III - The Empress Tarot Card Meaning
- IV - The Emperor Tarot Card Meaning
- V - The Pope/The Hierophant Tarot Card Meaning
- VI - The Lovers Tarot Card Meaning
- VII - The Chariot Tarot Card Meaning
- VIII - The Justice Tarot Card Meaning
- IX - The Hermit Tarot Card Meaning
- X - The Wheel of Fortune Meaning
- XI - The Strength Tarot Card Meaning
- XII - The Hanged Man Tarot Card Meaning
- XIII - The Death Tarot Card Meaning
- XIV - The Temperance Tarot Card Meaning
- XV - The Devil Tarot Card Meaning
- XVI - The Tower Tarot Card Meaning
- XVII - The Star Tarot Card Meaning
- XVIII - The Moon Tarot Card Meaning
- XIX - The Sun Tarot Card Meaning
- XX - The Judgement Tarot Card Meaning
- XXI - The World Tarot Card Meaning
Reading, Meanings and Interpretation of the Tarot Major Arcana
Tarot is used as a tool for self-discovery and self-knowledge. In this sense, more than guessing the future, it serves to read and interpret all the elements of our life: it describes the current moment, clarifies the motives, desires and intentions, pointing out the path and the energies present in our life.
The possible readings for each Tarot card are practically infinite. There is no unique interpretation for each card, for each layout of cards or for each reading method. Tarot is based on intuition. Each person who reads the message of a card, or a set of cards, intuitively unravels the meaning of the card's message and how it connects with their own reality and circumstances of life.
The word "arcana" comes from Latin and means "secret" and, in the Tarot, the Major Arcana are considered universal, symbolic and figurative: they are considered symbolic of great issues, moments or people. They are archetypes, that is, they represent the most diverse feelings, moral positions and human behaviors. When they appear in a reading, it indicates an important event or decision, whether practical, spiritual, or emotional. They also establish correspondence with the astrological signs and planets.