So many people, especially beginners in reading Tarot, get anxious when they see Death come up in a reading. There is no reason to fear this card. In most readings, Death simply symbolizes the end of something that needs to be left behind – and with all endings, new beginning arises. The old has to end to give room for the new.
It is the doubt and suspicion that has been created by the modern day publications - a legend around the card that causes anxiety and fear. There is no reason for anxiety – the card portrays transformation – from one stage to the next, from one condition to the next. Everything in life is destined to end - humans, businesses, relationships, plants….everything has an end. So do different stages in your life.
In many readings, the Death card represents time, and often the picture on the card holds an hour glass. Every person’s life is as long as it is meant to be, no more and no less. We are born, we grow up, learn, become parents, retire, die. Life itself is about change – nothing stays the same forever. It is the change that is symbolized by the Death card – not death itself – just ending of something, and the beginning of something new.
It is extremely rare for the Death card to actually mean a physical death of a person – but I have seen it happen. In all cases that I have seen, it suggested the death of an elderly person, or a person who had suffered from an illness for a long time. The death card showed a new beginning for the person the reading was for. Instead of devoting her life to taking care of her mother, it was time to let go. With the end came a new beginning – she went back to work, went back to school and got a degree, got married……...life goes on, and that is how it is meant to be.
In one reading that I did for a single mother, the Death simply meant that her children were growing up and it was time to let go. It was a welcome change as this mother had devoted years of her life to her children. Once the children were in college, she finally had the time to finish her own degree, get a better job, and get involved in the society. It was a very positive change. This mother continued to consult me for both tarot and astrology during the entire three year period of her transformation process. Astrologically she was experiencing Uranus transiting conjunct her natal Sun, which also represents an extreme death and rebirth of the ego and identity.
When the Death card is reversed in a reading, it symbolizes some kind of hold-up – either the person the reading is for is desperately trying to hold on to something she/he knows is about to end or needs to end, or that something is ending against her/his will. When this is the case, the client always recognizes the problem but has not been able to find a solution. One common situation is when someone has a well paid job that no longer feels satisfying. Leaving the job is scary, the financial risks are enormous, but still the longer they hang onto it the worse they feel inside.
The end of a relationship is another common situation for the Death card reversed to come up. Moving on in such a situation is often difficult – there can be children, property, or other concerns.
All in all, the Death card is a very positive card to come up in a reading. People too often keep looking back and seeing what they are about to lose, instead of looking forward and gladly
Very interesting...+follower
ReplyDelete